MAG New here and confused about boys levels/progressions.

[Ceetee]

My son started gymnastics on a whim, and we ended up at a pretty good gym, just by luck. its a new gym and a very small program with a good coach, but regarding stability and success over time, who knows? He is learning good technique, discipline, emphasis on very clean basics etc.

One of the top boys clubs in the country is also within 15 miles of us. Trained multiple Olympians, Elites, D1 athletes.

My son competed as a 7 year old Level 4 and did very well. My husband and his present coach are of the mind he should compete another year as a level 4, because they would both like to see him have a year as " star" , in theory. because of some schedule issues and because we never looked around, we checked out the elite gym this weekend. they would like my son to join the team as a level 5/ 8 year old and think he is wasting his time to compete another year as a level 4. Although his skills might not be challenged, he did not have all the level 4 bonuses last year and there is no worry that he is learning bad habits, his coach believes in a slow progression of levels, but his team is sharp, and extremely well trained and clean, I dont think he will lose anything in a year of level 4, although he may not gain all the level 5 skills.

we are going back and forth, and may be interested in switching him to the elite gym, but due circumstances/scheduling and my husbands desire for him to compete level 4 one more year, ( oh and an opportunity to try a season of travel baseball this summer) we may not do it until he is nine. this sounds so stupid...but is nine too old to be a first year level 5? do you think a high level gym would think he is too old at that point? we are told they only take "young kids".

 

[skschlag]

While I don't think 9 is too old to start level 5, I do think that 2 years at level 4 would be boring. At least, my son would think so. Think about those same skills/routines, for another year. In addition, he has more than 1/2 a year to get new skills. I would really hesitate to keep him at 4, unless he has some other things (anxiety, scared of not succeeding) going on.

 

[J&A's mom]

My son is a level five. I think it's hard to answer without seeing a routine. It seems that if a gym that has coached kids to elite status thinks he is good enough to go on, that may be the right thing. Is the small gym saying this because no one else is moving on to Level five? Would you feel comfortable private messaging a video, and I can predict what my gym would do?

 

[BlairBob]

I guess it depends on a few things. Is your son a natural gonna be really good gymnast. I'd look at the parents and other uncles and aunts (from a coach POV).

I love baseball, but let's be frank and there is a big jump between L4 and L5. Cutting out 3 or 4 months or scaling back gymnastics will impede progress probably, a lot. However, it may be a good thing for his overall future. Again this depends on his gymnastics focus...and he is seven.

I understand your hope to win a whole bunch of medals and get podium time as a repeating L4. It depends whether the L4 group is L4 only or L4/5 and if he will be uptraining while competing L4.

 

[2G1B]

You say that he doesn't have all of the level 4 bonuses - which is he missing? Is he doing say... 3.5 circles; but not the 5.5 on the mushroom (3.5 being bonus number 1 and 5.5 being #2)? Or like he can do pull over no problem for high bar; but not the back hip circle? Does he have the ROBHS, or at least close to it?

My son repeated level 4 this year. he joined team late last year and was pretty solid middle of the road for the year; but there was just no way that he was going to be ready for level 5 this year. He did have a very good year as a repeat level 4, so it definitely gave him that podium time; but that wasn't our reason for the repeat. At the beginning of the season he didn't have the skills that he needed for level 5.

But... his coaches didn't decide for sure until the end of the summer what level he would be. He spent the summer as a 4/5 to see what would be the best fit.

It is *amazing* to see the difference this year made for him. I look at the level 5 routines and think that there is no way that he would have been ready for 5 this year; but I now feel pretty confident that he will be fine next year.

And FWIW, at level 4, he was in probably the biggest age group in our state for the year - 8 year olds. there were way fewer 7 year olds than 8 year olds competing level 4 for our state this year. (Though last year there were more 7 year olds than this year, a lot of the boys seemed to repeat.)

 

[JBS]

This is just my opinion...it is an extreme waste of time to do L4 again unless totally necessary. I am also by a top boys club...the top JO boys club in the nation last year...they are an "elite" club...

http://www.queencitygymnastics.com/2012jonationals/tr10club.pdf

While their boys are good...they definitely pay more attention to "prime" age groups.

"Elite" clubs will keep this chart in mind...



Notice that only certain ages groups are available for boys to compete at nationals. Also...the technical sequences are only available to certain age groups.

 

[Mom2twingymnasts]

I wouldn't change gyms unless there was a true reason to switch. It really sounds like you are happy where you are. I believe in listening to the coach on level changes but I am surprized that a coach would have a strong 7 year old level 4 repeat it. Is it more your husband pushing for the repeating of 4? Does your son need a season at number 1 to build is confidence?

A 7 year old Level 4 is not too old. My son also started gymnastics as a 7 year old level 4 and did well. He moved to level 5 as an 8 year old and then skipped level 6 and moved to level 7 as a 9 year old. You can't do level 8 until you are 11 - so he did level 7 again as a 10 year old.

Good luck with your decisions.

 

[JBS]

I competed a boy as a L4 "star" because his parents insisted on it. His worst placement was when he tied for 1st at State. The rest of the year he won...basically taking the highest score of every age at every meet.

He moved onto L5 to do average...as he and his parents were not concerned with training for the future...but winning the lowest level. He could have done average at L5 the year before in a younger age group. The "star" theory did not work in this case.

Do what you coach says...but ask how this plan will help for the future.

 

[Ceetee]

thanks for all the info. our present coach has said various things at various times...he has said maybe he should do level 5, then he says he likes for all the boys to have a year where they feel like a star.so we get mixed messages there. there is no disagreement among anyone that he could DO the level 5 routines, he just wouldn't do all the bonuses and he would probably have a middle of the pack year.I tend to agree more with the thought of moving up the level and my husband sides strongly on the " be a star" side, and he feels more strongly than me, so that plus the opportunity to do a season of summer baseball may keep us at the level 4 gym another year. he cant train and do baseball at the level 5 gym because times conflict. he will up train level 4/5 sept thru may.

I guess he will have to play catch up at another level then if he wants to keep up with the optimal ages, but that still sounds possible at his age, by skipping a level somewhere else or not repeating years after this?

if doing this second year at a level 4 means he could never catch up to the age/ level match, then we would rethink.
We have NO IDEA how good he is really, or what a realistic future is for him, we just dont want to handicap any potential later success by making it impossible for him to catch up.

 

[sjm2b3]

I think it depends on your kid's personality. Is he already very confident, or could he use the extra year at level 4 to build up his belief in himself?

The one disadvantage of repeating (as a parent!) is that you have expectations. I found that in my kiddo's first year at each level I just wanted them to make routines, etc. It is really hard to NOT have expectations when they repeat (my son is repeating 5 this year). Just my two cents.

 

[profmom]

If he is OK on mushroom and not scaring the heck out of people with his tumbling, I think he's MUCH better off doing a second year at L5 down the road than at L4 now. What is the problem with having a (first) middling year at L5 and then a second year where he's doing very well at L5? Even if he does summer baseball, he wouldn't be competing as a L5 until at least November, right?

I, too, remember well thinking at this time last year that there was no way DS would be ready for L5 by the early winter, but he ended up having a very good year. He will spend the summer uptraining for L6. For the record: there's no way he'll be ready for L6 by the early winter!

 

[Ceetee]

What is the problem with having a (first) middling year at L5 and then a second year where he's doing very well at L5? Even if he does summer baseball, he wouldn't be competing as a L5 until at least November, right?

i agree but my husband doesn't. my husband really doesn't take such a strong stand on things usually,and he considers things carefully, so if he continues to feel so strongly, i will stand behind that. so, if that is the path we take i want to know if there will be a way to "catchup" later?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

"catchup" is a relative term in the continuum of gymnastics. it is a sport where you NEVER become the best that you can be. all things being equal for boys, it will be several years before your boy is proficient at our sport. a couple of years at any level and some baseball thrown in won't matter. it only matters that he consistently trains throughout the year.

 

[JBS]

dunno is correct...it is just the concept of holding back to become a "star" that could be troublesome.

 

[Ceetee]

ok thanks. i know he will never catch up, really. the elite gym just made it sound like if was not at certain levels at certain ages, he was doomed.lol.

 

[JBS]

ok thanks. i know he will never catch up, really. the elite gym just made it sound like if was not at certain levels at certain ages, he was doomed.lol.

In their program...maybe...not everywhere else though.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

It won't hurt him to repeat L4. At our gym, the boys hc will not move kids up to L5 until they can cleanly compete all the bonuses. He says that those progressions make it easier to learn the skills at the higher levels-and keep them CLEAN!! We just came home from regionals..and region one is TOUGH. Clean, clean routines were what the judges were looking for-not sloppily thrown bonuses.
Knowing that the boys can skip levels will leave more options open to your ds later...especially if he has his basics mastered.

 

[txgymfan]

I'm guessing the real issue is baseball. It sounds like your husband really wants him to do baseball. Lots of Dads want kids ( especially boys) to play more traditional sports for a long as possible. How much does your son like/want to play baseball? Is he pushing ball or is your husband? We have many Dads of CB parents that don't like the constant, year-around commitment that gymnastics requires.

 

[sbonham]

Just my opinion but as a coach of Level 4, 5 and 6 boys - I don't encourage them to move up a level UNTIL that can perform most of the Bonus Skills on all events - and also NOT UNTIL they can perform well - good clean form and solid mechanics. If the guys move up too early and must practice skills that they are not adequately prepared for (strength, flexibilty, and proper swing mechanics) they ARE going to become 1.) frustrated with slow progress or worse 2. injured. They don't have to WIN (Podium time) to be ready either. It's really(!) not at all about winning... it's about developing physically, mentally, emotionally and socially.

Ganba!
Steve

 

[BlairBob]

I've known more than a handful of MAG gymnasts that competed very well in collegiate having started as a teen. It's possible.

Now, if you want to be an ELITE at 17-22, well possibly.

Do not concern with yourself about being ELITE until you are there.