WAG Have practice hours gone up over time?

[Amusibus]

Just wondering.... have the number of hours per week required for a child to be on team gone up over time? Like say, since the 1960's or 1970's? I did gymnastics in high school but I wasn't on a team, just for fun. It just seems like so many hours for these young kids, I can't imagine it has always been this way. But maybe I am wrong. And if they have gone up, why? I imagine because the difficulty has increased over time?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i worked out just as many hours in the 60's and 70's.

 

[gymdog]

At the highest levels, my best guess is on average they've gone down. Compulsories in my area have gotten a lot more competitive since the 90s though. In level 4 I did 2 hour practices twice a week, and halfway through a third two hour practice become available. I got a kip, back tuck, and back walkover on beam doing those hours. But we did much less work on routines and the routines were more straightforward. Now level 4s usually practice 9-12 hours a week, and level 5s practice 12 to 16 hours.

But at the same time, upper levels were the same or even more...crazier practices. I'm talking about specifically my area. My older cousin was around a level 9 at the time I was starting gymnastics and they were doing two practices a day (one before school). Don't know of any gym in my state that does that nowadays for a JO track level 9 or 10 (i.e. a gymnast who does not plan to be elite and isn't homeschooled).

Edit: the compulsory routines had really similar skills, but the choreography was a lot more straightforward (the hardest dance move was a backward chasse, generally terribly executed). A lot of gyms didn't compete level 4, and the level 5 routine was definitely much easier (same skills - FHS, 2 BHS, back extension, straddle jump). The quality of performance was much lower at these levels in general. Now the kids have to be very polished to compete.

 

[JBS]

You have to put the hours where they are needed. Since many clubs have really moved towards winning the lowest level...hours have gone up at the lower levels.

Clubs that learn to use this hour increase at the low levels to benefit their future optional program are the clubs that have it figured out.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Elite hours seem to have gone down. In the 80's and 90's most elites worked out about 40 hours a week. They have since learned more about the human body, and can be more effective in less time. Also have come to the realisation that after a certain point extra hours are detrimental, not beneficial.