Parents College training schedule?

[MountainHigh]

Does anyone know a typical training schedule for college athletes? Meaning-- Do they take time off after a competitive season? If so how long? Can anyone point us in the right direction to read this? My daughter's doctor is requiring a 6 week break after her competitive season and you can imagine how well this is going over. Level 8 right now
Thank you

 

[MuggleMom]

Requiring the break because she is injured or just "because" if its just because I think thats silly if shes healthy and happy she doesnt need a break unless you and her want her to have one. We always miss more in the summer but I dont pull her out for weeks just to give her a break. My DD isnt a college gymnast though shes level 7/8 right now. I know many girls at our gym that have gone to college come back and train at the home gym in the summer. I dont think there is an extended break in the sport for most of them.

 

[Deleted member 26368]

I think "break" has to be defined - reduction in training or a complete stop. I can't imagine college level gymnasts would do the latter.

 

[NutterButter]

Does your daughter have an injury or a condition where a rest period is appropriate? And who is it not going well with (your daughter or coach)? And what does your daughter being a L8 have to do with college gymnastics? If your daughter has a condition where a pause in training would be beneficial to her overall health, then I'd say listen to the doc. A little more info would be helpful to give you some input.

 

[gym_dad32608]

You need to be a little more specific and why does it matter what college athletes do when your daughter is lv8? "Breaks" happen all the time and take various forms. Most of the clubs that I have been around a break means not working an apparatus or specific tumbling, but still conditioning in some modified form. As far as college athletes, most of the d1 girls that do come home for the summer continue to train at the home gym, although they focus more on conditioning than skills. They also self-pace their training, in other words they kinda just use the gym space while the other girls train in their groups.

 

[MountainHigh]

Thank you for the replies. She is not injured but she had a major hip surgery a year ago. Her doctor wants her to take time off preventatively and he was using college gymnastics as evidence. My daughter and I are trying to find a training schedule that shows gymnasts must take time off post competitive season.

 

[NutterButter]

That was helpful. If her doc is suggesting she take time off, then do it. In the situation you describe, it would be non-negotiable meaning that if my daughter did not take it seriously, I would not pay for the sport anymore. I would get clarification on what she can do during her break - strength & conditioning but no tumbling or running? Is bar work OK? Or does the doc really not want her to do anything? Do you feel like the doctor understands the nature of gymnastics? If not, seek a 2nd opinion. What I would not do is try to find 'proof' from an online community that college gymnasts don't take time off because it was cited as an example by her doctor. This doesn't address your child's specific needs.

And really, if she needs to be out 6 weeks as more of a prevention - it ain't the end of the world. She'd be coming back with plenty of time for summer up-training and prep for the next year. You didn't mention her age but L9 and L10 are INCREDIBLY HARD on the body. The pounding adds up over the years.

To answer your question though - my daughter is D3 and trains year round. Her collegiate training is very different from JO training though. They try to limit overall pounding and seem to be more effiecient overall with how time is spent in the gym as far as numbers. It's not unusual for a coach or teammate to comment if they are doing too many numbers of a skill. There's also more emphasis on strength and conditioning. College students are older and their bodies have already been through a lot. My daughter in her first year learned more skills with less actual actual time on the apparatus than in JO.

My daughter also had a siginificant injury a few years ago (back stress fractures) which required frequent changes to the remainder of her JO training. Sometimes she had to take time off and often it was not at the best time but far better to rest than to 1. risk permanent damage or 2. or have to quit before she was ready because of re-injury.

 

[MountainHigh]

That was helpful. If her doc is suggesting she take time off, then do it. In the situation you describe, it would be non-negotiable meaning that if my daughter did not take it seriously, I would not pay for the sport anymore. I would get clarification on what she can do during her break - strength & conditioning but no tumbling or running? Is bar work OK? Or does the doc really not want her to do anything? Do you feel like the doctor understands the nature of gymnastics? If not, seek a 2nd opinion. What I would not do is try to find 'proof' from an online community that college gymnasts don't take time off because it was cited as an example by her doctor. This doesn't address your child's specific needs.

And really, if she needs to be out 6 weeks as more of a prevention - it ain't the end of the world. She'd be coming back with plenty of time for summer up-training and prep for the next year. You didn't mention her age but L9 and L10 are INCREDIBLY HARD on the body. The pounding adds up over the years.

To answer your question though - my daughter is D3 and trains year round. Her collegiate training is very different from JO training though. They try to limit overall pounding and seem to be more effiecient overall with how time is spent in the gym as far as numbers. It's not unusual for a coach or teammate to comment if they are doing too many numbers of a skill. There's also more emphasis on strength and conditioning. College students are older and their bodies have already been through a lot. My daughter in her first year learned more skills with less actual actual time on the apparatus than in JO.

My daughter also had a siginificant injury a few years ago (back stress fractures) which required frequent changes to the remainder of her JO training. Sometimes she had to take time off and often it was not at the best time but far better to rest than to 1. risk permanent damage or 2. or have to quit before she was ready because of re-injury.

Thank you Nutter Butter I appreciate the feedback! I not trying to find proof that gymnasts don't take off time. On the contrary, her doctor suggested we look at college training schedules to see that taking time off following a competitive season is normal. The specific example of your daughter's training schedule is helpful. I am not opposed to her taking time off, I'm just running up against coaches and a daughter who are adamantly opposed to it so we are trying to find somewhere that might list a typical training schedule for a college gymnastics team just to ease my daughter's angst. She had 19 months out of the gym due to her hip situation and she's feeling the time crunch as she is 14.

 

[MountainHigh]

You need to be a little more specific and why does it matter what college athletes do when your daughter is lv8? "Breaks" happen all the time and take various forms. Most of the clubs that I have been around a break means not working an apparatus or specific tumbling, but still conditioning in some modified form. As far as college athletes, most of the d1 girls that do come home for the summer continue to train at the home gym, although they focus more on conditioning than skills. They also self-pace their training, in other words they kinda just use the gym space while the other girls train in their groups.

Thank you for the training information. I appreciate it.

 

[NutterButter]

I get it. I had a 14 year old L8 too and she felt like the clock was ticking and that was before her back injury which was an almost year-long recovery. When my daughter was transitioning back her coaches wanted her to move faster or suggested she do skills that were not at all helpful to her recovery. I had to have my daughter's PT step in and communicate with the coaches and basically say 'my transition plan is the way it will be for DD'. If I were in your shoes I would go back to the doctor for additional clarification on the activities she can do. Your DD's PT may be able to help too. There are different definitions of 'taking a break' and you need to find out what activities, if any, are acceptable. When my daughter was 'taking a break' this usually meant less pounding but sometimes it meant no tumbling. During the breaks though, she usually resumed or increased visits to her PT during this time too so it wasn't truly that she was doing nothing.

 

[cogymmom2dd]

Is this her ortho doc who is suggesting this? If so, that person knows probably knows a decent amount about injuries and prevention and if the doc is concerned, then listen to them, do not listen to your 14 year old or the coaches because they are not the experts. Clarify as to what they don’t want your kid to not be doing and you can maybe still let her go to practice with very strict limitations and if your DD or coaches don’t follow the limitations, then pull her completely. 6 weeks off seems like a lot, but many gymnasts were out for much longer than that when COVID shutdowns happened.

 

[gym_dad32608]

Pretty much what everyone has said, the medical advice over-rules everything. Still doesn't mean that you can't/shouldnt ask for clarification. Also, be sure to consult with the PT folks. I have found that in most cases they are more up to speed on specific exercises along with limitations than the Ortho doc. I suspect the comment is more regarding time off from competition versus doing some conditioning or training. Long term health supersedes everything. I am sure you feel the same. Good luck!

 

[profmom]

Many, many elite gymnasts all over the world were forced to take lengthy training breaks starting last March. We should all pause and attend closely to the reality that almost all of them have come back and been just fine. They haven't irretrievably lost skills and fitness. This worldwide experiment should forever put the lie to the claim that gymnasts cannot take time off.

 

[gymgal]

I completely agree with the others that it is important to follow the dr recommendations if they are sound/reasonable based on your dd's injury. I would also refer to a PT who is familiar with gymnast training and injuries as they tend to know more than the orthos. Having said that, the dr is not completely accurate. They are likely talking about official practices schedules, which do provide for significant amount of time off after the season, in the summer and in the fall. However, there are unofficial training sessions all across that time. While the coaches can't require attendance, the implication is that the gymnasts are expected to continue to train, even those who train at home over the summer. Training is often reduced in number of reps and number of rotations. More focus on endurance/strength. Gymnasts who have injuries and/or need surgeries take the off season to recover, which may be what the dr is referring to. If your daughter's injury/surgery requires recoup to avoid re-injury, from now until summer training is the perfect time for this.

 

[bookworm]

From our experience with D1 gymnastics, there is zero time off ...technically they can only train 20 hours a week but you are always "on the clock" so to speak for whatever the coach deems necessary... and that can include "voluntary" conditioning and workouts, community service events, hosting recruits, meetings etc. They always needed to be available to the coach whenever it suited her fancy....so my daughter rarely came home in all the 4 years . Even when she had a serious injury at the college, her return was outlined by the orthopedic surgeon and the coach would try to get the athletic trainer (who's employment she controlled) to overrule it...the orthopedic had to keep on the coach because he knew how she operated.

I get when people say "but they have a scholarship" but sorry, they shouldn't own your kid but they do...so to answer your question, other than pandemic induced, there are no real breaks in college gym , at least that we experienced.