Very interesting article, but I strongly disagree with the notion that all skills need to be introduced by 13.5 if they are ever going to be of competition standard, or will ever be performed in s routine.
That is just not the case. I am sure all of us as coaches introduce brand new skills to our kids at 14, 15, 16, 17 and so on. These skills may never have even been touched on before, and they can successfully get these skills to the standard where they can compete with them with great success in a routine.
Sure the model that is successful most of the time is when we teach the kids the skills at a younger age. But this is not always the case for all gymnasts.
Yes, the growth spurt can wreak havoc in a child progress. But many gymnasts don't have a rapid growth spurt, especially girls. Many will grow slowly enough that they can continue to reset themselves enough that they don't lose any skills at all (I was like this). Many girls also don't loose any skills during their growth spurt, others lose them but get them back with careful training. Many come back even stronger after their growth spurt as their adult muscle develops.
Of course as coaches we need to be profoundly aware of our gymnasts needs when they are changing physically, as the rick of injury is higher. But putting the idea out there that kids can't learn new skills after this is highly detrimental.
Also the idea that fear gets in the way once they reach a certain age is limiting. Yes, for some kids fear does start to develop at this age because for the first time the gymnast can think in the abstract, they can consider the possibility of things going wrong even if they have never seen them go wrong. But this just isn't the case for all gymnasts. Some gymnasts develop less fear as they do into their teen years, their rebellious nature can cause them to want to take new leaps in life. Other kids might not really change at all on this area. But most kids who do develop fear can work through it. Learning to cope with and move through fear is an important life lesson, we can't just say "oh well, too late to learn anything new now".
The other problem with these claims is that they are assuming fear is a bad thing in gymnasts! But it is not! I am sure we all have those gymnasts who we wished had more fear! The ones who want to come and throw that skill they are not ready for! Fear is an important response that keeps us safe and it keeps us alive. Older gymnasts can learn to use their fear to their advantage to read when they are ready to try a new skill and when they need more drills.
Obviously spotting is harder when a gymnast becomes older. I do personally try to ensure kids obtain at least their round off flic, tuck and standing tuck before they get bigger than me (I am 5'0") so that doesn't take long. But constant spotting is not needed to learn high level skills. As coaches we need to coach smarter and not harder. There is so much amazing equipment available these days to mean we can do more drills and spot less, and teach skills more effectively. I don't know about all of your but when I teach a skill with more drills and less spotting the skill is almost always better at the end of the day.
The final notion I disagree with is that gymnastics has to be a race against time. The only time I can see this situation being 100% correct is when the child is going for a college scholarship (we don't even have college gymnastics in Australia so this is irrelevant to us).
Sure the minimum age for the Olympics is the year you are 15 turning 16, but this seems to give coaches the idea that if you are not ready for international competition by this age then it's too late. But why is it too late? This is the minimum age and there is no maximum age. A gymnast can qualify for the first time for elite at 17, 18, 19 there is no reason why not. Amazing gymnasts like a hush and Mohini have taught us that our elite gymnasts are certainly not over the hill at 21.
But the same goes for our gymnasts who are just competing through the levels. Why is it so commonly an issue in gyms in the USA that high school graduation is the end of their gymnastics careers. It is certainly not the case here in Australia. I have kids on my team who have finished High school - and might be 18, 19, 20. There is no notion here that you have to quit or stop competing after school. Many will continue to train and compete beyond heir school years. Sure these numbers are lower than our abundant supply of 10 year olds but why are they written out of so many programs when they are 18.
And of course adult gymnastics and masters games go right against the theories of this article. Lots of,people don't even take up gymnastics until well into their adulthood and they still manage to learn and compete new skills with much success.
End rant!
