Lack of Flexibility???

[gymmomtotwo]

DD is age 5. She was advanced in her preschool classes and was invited to join our club's preteam program. She started in the summer when she was still 4 and practices 2 days a week for three hours. She seems to love it and has a great time playing with all the girls. At Parent's Day the coach publically noted that she is not flexible,her shoulders are too tight... She was the example of what he isn't looking for .(It didn't seem to bother her, but it bothered me that he would say that in front of everyone when he has never mentioned it to me) She proceeded to win a couple of the handstand contests and seems to me to be on par with the other kids in skill level. Some things she's stronger than some. Some she is not. I would place her in the middle of the pack of 8 girls with my inexpert eye. When they stretch, she is clearly less flexible that the other kids though most of the time I do not watch practice. Her splits really aren't much worse than the others, but in other stretching, I admit it, she's tight.

Is this going to keep her from doing gymnastics at the competition level? The whole point of this group is to prepare them for level 5 competition in 3 years. She's halfway through the first year. I am paying significant amount of money for her to do gymnastics. She'd probably enjoy rec gymnastics for a year and then she could join the prep op team.

She's also a good swimmer, and has been on a team this year as well. In the next year or so, she's going to have to make a choice as the commitment of both goes up as she gets older.

Is she doomed to not advance? She will not be 6 until next summer. I didn't worry much until the public declaration she isn't what the coach is looking for.

 

[bogwoppit]

NOt doomed for sure.

I also do not like the public declaration, that was not the time and place to single any kid out. It is a conversation yet to be had, as in he needs to know that you were not okay with it.

Shoulder flexibility is very important. It can be improved and a good coach would be working on it. So question number one is "Dear coach you say her shoulders aren't flexible enough, what exactly are your plans for working on it? HOw can I help her with that? Can I help her with that?".

Lack of shoulder flexibilty can cause serious back problems, so avoiding back bends and back walkovers until it has been addressed is important or the lower back will take ll the strain and from there ugly things can happen. NAtural strength, coorodination and balance have nothing to do with flexibility.

You will see girls like Nastia Liukin are very flexible, but girls like SHawn Johnson are not. They both have to work with the body they have and make it work. A good coach will not write off her kid for any body issues, a good coach will work on the issue.

SOme gyms have a very cut and dried set of parameters for selecting gymnasts for team, nothing we can do about that. But most good coaches are smart and know that hard work goes a long, long way in making a great gymnast.

I think the coach opened the door for a conversation, that is good.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

flexibilty is easy to improve, with regular stretching it can be improved greatly. Talk about this to the coach and maybe get some stretches that she could do for 10 minutes of an evening. I know we have two boys in our gym who steruggle with shoulder flexibility and they have been given stretches to do before bed - it really has helped.

 

[Empowered]

My daughter is the queen of tight shoulders. Seriously every time she's moved coaches while moving up levels it's almost a comical assessment of how in the heck can a human be that tight. It was quite literally painful for her to hold them to her ears at times. When she was moved to team at her old gym they told her she would never have a good bwo or back handspring on beam because of it, and that she might never be able to do a giant. Basically she would struggle through 6 years of compulsories and then give up the sport in their mind.

So when she moved to a new gym, instead of saying she was doomed because of it, they decided to try and fix it. Her coaches will often manually stretch out her shoulders, have her do extra flexibility exercises (German hangs are a good one) and it's gradually improved. Though she's still working on it, she was able to get her bwo on beam (just finished competing L6) and has both back handsprings on high beam. Additionally she has learned her giants no problem in just a couple of weeks.

So no, she isn't doomed and if that gym doesn't want to work with her because of her shoulders, find one that will. A good coach can teach any child and a good gymnast will learn to compensate for their weaknesses. Some things will be harder for your little one with those tight shoulders, but some things will be easier.

 

[Faith]

Could it be he was using her as a demonstration as to why a lack of flexibility hinders certain skills, and say, in a bwo that lack of shoulder flexibilty isn't what he's looking for? Rather than she, as a gymnast, isn't what he's looking for? Why would he put her on a team if he's looking for natural flexibility over anything else?

As for doomed, no way! I once was chatting to a highly respected national coach and he told me when he's talent spotting he wants strength and a have a go attitude, as it's easy to make girls flexible with training.

The swimming and gym will help each other, as swimming also requires flexible shoulders.

When I was about that age I wasn't particularly flexible by gymnast standard- couldn't do splits etc. By 8/9 I was about the most flexible in the gym- my ligaments respond to training. And i didnt start on team until i was 8. You'll probably find as her hours increase and she trains more frequently the flexibility will come.

But yes, chat with the coach and see what his interpretation is.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

My dd also has the tight shoulders. When she started gym, she couldn't hold a bridge up because she said she couldn't breathe and it scared her. Her hc said that she, too, was completely lacking in flexibility when she began gym. Since her coach became an elite national team member, I'm pretty sure the flexibility developed over time and training I also notice that in the time my dd has been in gym, her shoulders have become much better. She is now practicing those bwo's on beam, and she's doing just fine-even though they don't come as easy to her as for some of her teammates. She is also working giants, and her hc says she will have them by herself in no time-she is that close, so I guess the shoulder stretching is working for her.

The real issue I have is with that coach making a public comment like that about your dd. That was inappropriate and must have really hurt. poor kid-you just tell her to keep stretching. It wont come overnight, but she will get there-slow and steady.

 

[gymmomtotwo]

Thanks for all your answers. I must admit that it was an offhand comment by the coach that she was tight,and then he demonstrated with her to the parents the shoulder stretches they do to improve it. It wasn't we don't want a gymnast like her, it was more this little gal has tight shoulders which we don't want, and here are the stretches we do for it. I just really felt like she was singled out. It couldn't have lasted more than 10 seconds, but it got me worried about whether I'm doing the right thing for her. She is only 5 and is loving it, but there are other cheaper and easier ways to do gymnastics without committing yourself to somuch at a young age. I guess I need assurance that good coaching and stretching and time can improve her flexibility. She seems to be having no problems learning the bwo and bhs progressions that they are working on.

Thanks, I just don't know how much flexibility can be changed with work which I suppose will be up to the coach and DD. I just need to know that it is possible, and that DD is not wasting her time, and being set up for heartache in the future.

I will definitely talk to the coach. He's a young guy who is great with the kids and awkward with the parents. I know he didn't mean anything but it sure set my worry in motion. We got an evaluation a month ago where he said she was progressing well and on target, so I was shocked when he said that in front of everyone. Thanksall

 

[bogwoppit]

My oldest had no issues with BWO's and BHS even though her shoulders were tight. She did bajillions of them and her great lower back flexibilty helped her.

HOWEVER, she just had lower back surgery becuase of bilateral stress fractures in her spine as she over used her lower back to compensate for her shoulders. So lack of flexibility in her shoulders will not stop her learning those skills, but down the road it may cause her serious problems. When she does either skills her arms should be tight by her ears, if that is not the case and her arms are in front of her ears then she is cheating them and needs more work on them.

If I had known then what I know now I would not be waiting for my DD's surgery to heal so she can be a teenager again. No phys ed or sports for a year is brutal.

DO have the talk with her coach, even if it is just to voice concern and check that the skills are being learned correctly.

 

[B&M's mom]

She's not doomed at all. My 11 year old had tight shoulders and her coaches were concerned about her long term ability. Well, she's going to compete Level 9 this year and is training in the pre-elite program. Guess her tight shoulders didn't hold her back.

There's plenty of stretching exercises that she can do to help with the problem. Good luck.

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

I have two gymnasts, neither of them were at all flexible when they began gymnastics. They had to work hard at increasing their flexibility, every day, normally whilst watching tv, they were stretching. DS is 11, he now has all three splits, great shoulder flexibility and according to the sports medicine specialist he saw "hip flexibility a professional ballet dancer would kill for" He is considered the most flexible member of his team. DD has splits both ways, but not middle splits, hip flexibility is an issue for her. She also had extremely tight shoulders, but has worked hard and improved heaps, currently learning bwo on beam.

Your DD is young, I wouldn't worry yet. Flexibility can definitely be improved, it takes time and effort on the part of the gymnast, but it can be done.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

oh man...here i go again sounding like a broken record. she's only 5. "don't worry, be happy". she'll get what she needs by time she is 14 to whatever extent that will be. flexibility is something a gymnast does in perpetuity of their career.

now...if she was 14? you'd have to send her to jean claude van damme. crazy things would have to be done to get adequate flexiblity.

 

[Kiwi]

My daughter is the queen of tight shoulders.

Haha, I think she passed her crown on to my DD! She really struggled to get her BWO this year. With lots of work her shoulders are improving but it is quite slow progress. She has also struggled with tight hamstrings. However her hip flexibility is great and she has the best middle splits in her class. I don't think anyone is 'doomed' but some gymnasts do have to work harder at certain things, and some have to work harder at everything.

now...if she was 14? you'd have to send her to jean claude van damme. crazy things would have to be done to get adequate flexiblity.

I'm 45 and have found that even at my age I can still improve my flexibility. I'm getting very close to front splits, however I've been working on them for over a year. I think you can improve flexibility at any age, but it certainly takes a lot longer when you're older!

Good luck to your DD, I hope she has lots of fun with her gymnastics.