Women Losing skills due to growth

[Freddy's Fred]

My daughter is growing like a weed -- close to 5'7" already and has lost all her floor passes (level 9). Has anyone else experienced this? How do you get your skills back? Can a change in height really throw everything off?

 

[skschlag]

My daughter is growing like a weed -- close to 5'7" already and has lost all her floor passes (level 9). Has anyone else experienced this? How do you get your skills back? Can a change in height really throw everything off?

Yes. My son went through this at like 12. It was tough. But she just needs to keep building her strength, keep her flexibility, and do the progressions to get them back. Things might be different, and she might have to change things for a while, but it can be done.

 

[tucktwisttumble]

height changes everything. It effects biomechanics of the movement - making it much different for the athlete compared to what they're 'used to'. Drastic changes in height and weight over a short time period will require extra conditioning & drills to ensure the strength to weight ration remains consistent to what their body was before the changes.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Yes, happens. Time

 

[GymLife]

DD has been in a continual growth spurt for 3 years. It has been so hard on her physically and mentally. She sees her teammates leveling up and she’s just trying to regain her skills. She’s 5’5” at 11 and repeating level 6 (for the 3rd season. ). She just can’t seem to trust herself, she’s only lacking a giant.

I’m not really sure other than incourage her and waiting it out. Letting them figure out their new body. DD does extra strength training at home and stretching. We are looking into a personal trainer to get her back to where she wants to be.

DD mainly struggles only on bars when she hits a growth spurt.

 

[raenndrops]

DD has been in a continual growth spurt for 3 years. It has been so hard on her physically and mentally. She sees her teammates leveling up and she’s just trying to regain her skills. She’s 5’5” at 11 and repeating level 6 (for the 3rd season. ). She just can’t seem to trust herself, she’s only lacking a giant.

I’m not really sure other than encourage her and waiting it out. Letting them figure out their new body. DD does extra strength training at home and stretching. We are looking into a personal trainer to get her back to where she wants to be.

DD mainly struggles only on bars when she hits a growth spurt.

Grrrr. If she is "only missing a giant" then there is no LEGIT reason she shouldn't be allowed to compete Level 7 after 2 years of L6. A giant is not REQUIRED for the level (except by rigid gyms that don't understand that every gymnast is different and alternate skills that meet the requirements can score just as well).
And I understand the continual growth spurt ... YG has been going through one since spring / summer 2017. Bars are definitely affected. Lost a few skills. Had to relearn her kip and is is still hit or miss in practice but USUALLY there for competition. Lost her clear hip and her squat on ... but she only had the squat on for a couple weeks until her torso caught back up to her arms and legs.

Good luck to you and your DD.

 

[Aussie_coach]

If she is 5’5” and 11, it sounds like she is not even close to being done with her growth spurt. I am in agreement with reanndrops. It seems crazy to do level 6 for a 3rd year because of a missing giant. Can she clear hip to handstand?

 

[Deleted member 18037]

She is not losing skills, she is readjusting

 

[raenndrops]

She is not losing skills, she is readjusting

I like "readjusting" ... we say they are on vacation (or for gymnasts with parents who are / were in the military, the skills are on leave ... and IF there is a meet soon, they are AWOL) ... but they will be back when they are ready.

 

[RTT2]

DD is repeating a level and had her first meet on Sat. It did not go anywhere near as well as I thought it would, and bars were her worst event. I've been mulling this over ever since and wondering if maybe this just isn't her sport. She had her annual exam this morning and had grown 3 1/2 inches since last year- actually, I suspect most of it was spring/summer, since up to that point she was still wearing the same leos she'd been in for a few years. Reading this thread makes me realize that she may be adjusting to this growth spurt and having to relearn/readjust even if she doesn't realize that is part of what's going on.

 

[mls529]

What I have seen is that age 12ish (give or take a year) seems to be the year of big growth for girls. It doesn't seem to matter if girls are level 4, 6 or 9, the growth spurt really throws them off. The number of injuries increase as do the mental blocks. My DD went from a size kids 3 shoe to a women's size 8, gained 12 lbs and several inches. Her best event was always bars, but she started "hitting" her feet on flyaway dismounts, which caused fears. She is just starting to come out of it as she turns 13 -- well, at least her foot is the same size as 3 months ago, so that is good. As I look at the older girls in the gym, it seems if they can stick it out during the tough year of growth, it does get better!

 

[mommyof1]

DD is repeating a level and had her first meet on Sat. It did not go anywhere near as well as I thought it would, and bars were her worst event. I've been mulling this over ever since and wondering if maybe this just isn't her sport. She had her annual exam this morning and had grown 3 1/2 inches since last year- actually, I suspect most of it was spring/summer, since up to that point she was still wearing the same leos she'd been in for a few years. Reading this thread makes me realize that she may be adjusting to this growth spurt and having to relearn/readjust even if she doesn't realize that is part of what's going on.

When I dragged my daughter to a "growing up" seminar presented by an M.D., the most interesting topic was the impact of growth and development on sports performance. The M.D. explained to the girls that nearly every young athlete in every sport will go through a rough patch around age 12 when her body grows faster than her nervous system can keep up with. This is a big reason why many girls drop out of sports in middle school. Girls who persevere through the readjustment period typically find that their coordination and skills return within about a year.

Unfortunately, there was not a lot of discussion about exactly how much mental toughness it takes to ride out the readjustment, especially in a sport as intense as gymnastics.

 

[Rockygym]

When I dragged my daughter to a "growing up" seminar presented by an M.D., the most interesting topic was the impact of growth and development on sports performance. The M.D. explained to the girls that nearly every young athlete in every sport will go through a rough patch around age 12 when her body grows faster than her nervous system can keep up with. This is a big reason why many girls drop out of sports in middle school. Girls who persevere through the readjustment period typically find that their coordination and skills return within about a year.

Unfortunately, there was not a lot of discussion about exactly how much mental toughness it takes to ride out the readjustment, especially in a sport as intense as gymnastics.

Ooh any references to share from the seminar? Thanks

 

[mommyof1]

Ooh any references to share from the seminar? Thanks

Unfortunately there were no references or suggested resources provided. (I would have loved to get a list of articles.) I will pm you the name of the program.

 

[raenndrops]

DD is repeating a level and had her first meet on Sat. It did not go anywhere near as well as I thought it would, and bars were her worst event. I've been mulling this over ever since and wondering if maybe this just isn't her sport. She had her annual exam this morning and had grown 3 1/2 inches since last year- actually, I suspect most of it was spring/summer, since up to that point she was still wearing the same leos she'd been in for a few years. Reading this thread makes me realize that she may be adjusting to this growth spurt and having to relearn/readjust even if she doesn't realize that is part of what's going on.

In the car on the way to gym, we were talking about tight muscles and being sore all the time. I said it might be growing pains and then told the girls about the day a few years ago when one of the other coaches and I were watching the team do splits. One of the "leaders" tried to call out YG for not being down "far enough" (she was about 2 inches from being down) and having bent knees. Of course, that drew our attention to her and we WATCHED as her tendons/ligaments were practically VIBRATING and stretched as far as they could go.
Later, during a water break, she told me that her splits (which she has worked so hard for over the years) are back on vacation. Then she explained what she was "feeling" as she was doing them. I had her show me. Guess what ... she physically CAN'T straighten her legs again (even when standing up). Grrrr. The same coach that was with me before saw it too, so it isn't anyone trying to make excuses. I made sure to let HC know.

So, she is just 14, but anyone have any idea HOW to stop the child from growing anymore??? And don't suggest concrete blocks on her shoulders because it didn't work, lol.

 

[Freddy's Fred]

In the car on the way to gym, we were talking about tight muscles and being sore all the time. I said it might be growing pains and then told the girls about the day a few years ago when one of the other coaches and I were watching the team do splits. One of the "leaders" tried to call out YG for not being down "far enough" (she was about 2 inches from being down) and having bent knees. Of course, that drew our attention to her and we WATCHED as her tendons/ligaments were practically VIBRATING and stretched as far as they could go.
Later, during a water break, she told me that her splits (which she has worked so hard for over the years) are back on vacation. Then she explained what she was "feeling" as she was doing them. I had her show me. Guess what ... she physically CAN'T straighten her legs again (even when standing up). Grrrr. The same coach that was with me before saw it too, so it isn't anyone trying to make excuses. I made sure to let HC know.

So, she is just 14, but anyone have any idea HOW to stop the child from growing anymore??? And don't suggest concrete blocks on her shoulders because it didn't work, lol.

As a tall woman, I promise taller is better for most things in life. Maybe not gymnastics. I hope my daughters are at least as tall as me.

 

[duyetanh]

We found out last year my kid had a gluten allergy. When we took her off, she grew four inches in three months. The doctor said the nutrients weren’t being processed in her body properly. She had SUCH a fight to keep her skills, and omg the skills looked soooo ugly. I would say it took six months to get the skills at least looking fair to middling. But she fought hard and didn’t lose her skills. I won’t lie, it was brutal. But it is also good she went through it, because now she understands that when she grows her now back to normal 1/2 inch, things get wonky and if she rides it out, she will get through it. And yours will too!

 

[Aussie_coach]

As a tall woman, I promise taller is better for most things in life. Maybe not gymnastics. I hope my daughters are at least as tall as me.

Just so curious now, what sorts of things in life is it better to be taller (besides the obvious reaching for things)?

I am 5'0" and I guess we all value our own experiences as I would have said beimg short has a lot of advantages.

 

[NutterButter]

As a tall woman, I promise taller is better for most things in life.

Says who? Did you know that short people have longer life spans?

 

[tucktwisttumble]

Just so curious now, what sorts of things in life is it better to be taller (besides the obvious reaching for things)?

I am 5'0" and I guess we all value our own experiences as I would have said being short has a lot of advantages.

Says who? Did you know that short people have longer life spans?

Okay to defend @Freddy's Fred - because as a tall girl myself 5'8" as a gymnast & cheerleader & ballerina - I can absolutely relate to always being told my body wasn't built for the activity I was doing and that was frustrating as heck! Even socially, I was taller than most of the boys, felt like I had to wear flat shoes to my prom because i didn't want to be taller than my date... I always wished i was much shorter.
Fast forward to my adult life & it all has worked itself out. I embrace my height, I have confidence in heels, I like the way clothes look on my body - etc. etc. It is very easy to feel down on yourself especially when your genetics is impeding on your ability to progress in the sport you love - but I think what freddy fred was trying to say is that being tall has its perks down the road - and not to worry, because although it might feel like it now, gymnastics is not the be all end all in life