WAG Strength or technique

[CoachRita]

Just a few days ago there was a thread about if kids on vacation should work out or not.

So now I have a pretty interesting question and I am curious about your opinions.

Would you say it is worse to not practice the skills or to not do any conditioning/stretching?

If a gymnast quits gym, but continues to do conditioning everyday for about two hours (handstands, press handstands, leg lifts, pull ups, squats and lots of stretching) will she have an easier time coming back than a gymnast who quits competitive gym but does a little tumbling at open gym?

What is more important? Strength and Flexibility (having the right body) or doing skills?

 

[profmom]

Based on what I have seen of injury and recovery, regaining skills is one heck of a lot easier if strength and flexibility have been maintained or increased.

 

[Lady Triple Back]

By the way, having good Strength and Flexibility a gymnast can do skills as a resault of training. It seems to me that it`s more important.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I would say absolutely stretching and conditioning is more important. I only coach younger kids (rec and developmental team) and for my developmental team I don't want them working on ANY skills other than handstands and presses at home. I do send them on vacations with conditioning "homework" though.
Perhaps with older, more advanced gymnasts it would be different?
ETA: for more extended breaks, I could see where going to open gym or tumbling every now and then to keep the skills could be valuable for older gymnasts, definitely. I would still put emphasis on the stretching and conditioning if the gymnast was thinking about returning to gym, the skills can likely be picked back up fairly easy again but not if the body is no longer able to perform them....

 

[gracyomalley]

when DD took 3 months off she really lost tons of strength and flexibility - which didn't really come back during the 2 months of doing 8-12 hours a week of mostly conditioning and hanging out time at gym, but only when she was back up to 16 - 20 hours a week and really working. Skills have come back easily once strength there - except the ones she's "afraid" to do. When she finally does go for skills they look great - so the muscle memory is there.

She continued to do "easy" skills (ROBHS, standing BT, punch fronts, FHS-FT and FHS-FP, BHS on beam, kips, free hips) at open gym with friends during her time off, but absolutely nothing "scary".

I think it of course depends upon how much strength is built up and how much muscle memory is there - skills she was just getting are about where they were when she left - after quite a bit of work to get back there...twisting is a mess as she was just getting that, as well as giants are still on again off again as she has always been "tap challenged". Strength skills, like free hip to handstand and kip-cast-handstand took a while to get back, much to her chagrin! She also has almost finished growing and puberty now, so weight/height ratios are vastly different than 18 months ago - but should settle in now.

Just goes to show how really hard this sport is and really makes me impressed with the upper level kids who have recurrent bouts of injuries requiring time off and come back - DD was also not sure (still not 100% sure) that she wanted to come all the way back - so that has slowed things up, as well as the (as she puts it) "humiliation" of not being able to do all the stuff you used to be able to do and "being bad at gymnastics"...I suspect younger kids and older kids would both be able to regain skills faster than my hormonal, emotional 12 year old!

 

[Mamabearof3]

I think it's better to work on strength and fexibility, it's easier to do skills when your body is in good shape!