WAG strength vs coordination vs flexibility -which is most important?

[littlegirlsdream]

Just my observation through the years, Strength and Muscle fiber/twitch seems to be a very big deal as they get higher in levels. It appears to be difficult to nearly impossible to teach explosiveness to gymnasts (correct me if I am wrong) Strength also doesn't correlate with size really. On DD's team the strongest most explosive tumbler is the smallest on the team. She is tight and not very flexible but she does a tripple twisting layout on floor with height to spare! DD is a more natural timing, flexibility, lower body, slower twitch kid. I can see definite limitations with this .

 

[gymhorsemom]

When do you start to see if twitch is good or not? DD is just learning BHS -so probably can't tell yet?

 

[littlegirlsdream]

Looking back it was somewhat evident all along, it's a springy-ness that some kids seem to have naturally. I would say starting at about old level 6 it became more noticeable. BUT she is still a 10 year old level 8 so it isn't as if it has caused so much of an issue that she hasn't had success, enjoyed the sport and competition. Admittedly as a parent I am still hopeful that some speed and strength kicks in...but the divide between the fast twitch, strong kids and flexible, slower twitch kids widens each year it seems.

 

[gymhorsemom]

Looking back it was somewhat evident all along, it's a springy-ness that some kids seem to have naturally. I would say starting at about old level 6 it became more noticeable. BUT she is still a 10 year old level 8 so it isn't as if it has caused so much of an issue that she hasn't had success, enjoyed the sport and competition. Admittedly as a parent I am still hopeful that some speed and strength kicks in...but the divide between the fast twitch, strong kids and flexible, slower twitch kids widens each year it seems.

So the strong kids are usually fast twitch and flexible are more often the slow twitch? Darn!

10 year old level 8 is really good!

My 7 year old does not have the strength to compete level 3 as an 8 year old -yet the coach insists she can do well despite this. I can't say I'm not concerned.

 

[gymhorsemom]

So the strong kids are usually fast twitch and flexible are more often the slow twitch? Darn!

10 year old level 8 is really good!

My 7 year old does not have the strength to compete level 3 as an 8 year old -yet the coach insists she can do well despite this. I can't say I'm not concerned.

Although actually people have described my DD as springy/bouncy/fun to watch -this was all just with her doing cartwheels, handstands, roundoffs, practicing vault "punch." So maybe she's got the spring but not the strength? Or maybe this is a different kind of springy -just an early/simple gymnastics kind of springy?

 

[littlegirlsdream]

So the strong kids are usually fast twitch and flexible are more often the slow twitch? Darn!

10 year old level 8 is really good!

My 7 year old does not have the strength to compete level 3 as an 8 year old -yet the coach insists she can do well despite this. I can't say I'm not concerned.

I am not saying fast twitch kids are all not flexible. I know a many kids who are both.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Strength then coordination then flexibility .

 

[flipon_]

Strength, coordination, then flexibility.
In my opinion, for some it might be hard to gain strength and some it's a piece of cake. I guess it's just on the gymnast's determination and hard-work. For coordination and flexibility, it's natural. Yes, you can improve the gymnast's flexibility by over splits and other things like that.

 

[LJL07]

So the strong kids are usually fast twitch and flexible are more often the slow twitch? Darn!
.

Not necessarily, My daughter is strong, but also very flexible and fast twitch. Has to work on tightness but it's coming along.

 

[mobeans]

When you say "strong" what exactly does that mean? For example my DD has a strong upper body (can hold her handstand for long, great bar worker, maxes out the required conditioning)...she just isn't an explosive tumbler and has to work *really* hard on vault.

I guess if you were to define strong per level (such as 2/3/4) how would you do so?

 

[Aero]

In my opinion:

1. Strength
2. Coordination
3. Flexibility

Something to think about, is sometimes gymnasts have structural limitations in their bodies that literally prevent them from reaching a certain degree of flexibility, like if their femur is very deeply set into their pelvis, for example, which would make a full middle split impossible to achieve. This is because it is a bone structure issue rather than a muscle issue. This means that in certain kids, specific areas of their bodies will have a flexibility limit that cannot be surpassed. Strength, on the other hand, can always be increased.

Another thing to consider is the different varieties of body types. These include ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs. Mesomorphs tend to gain muscle more easily, whereas ectomoprhs have more difficulty in this area. Endomorphs have trouble keeping excess fat off, while ectomorphs have issues gaining weight. One thing remains clear, though: any attribute should be improved as much as possible in order to reach full potential in gymnastics, whether that be strength, flexibility, coordination, proprioception, plyometrics, air awareness, etc.

 

[TxGymMom1]

That's kind of funny because when our coaches look for kids for pre-team they look for strength. They say that you can teach flexibility and other skills, but you can't teach strength. Though with all the conditioning they do it sure feels like they teach strength too

Our coaches say this as well. My daughter was started younger than most at our gym - -and the coach attributed that to her strength. Thankfully, shes done well with flexibility since then.

 

[anothergymmom]

These posts are so helpful: and the importance of strength really bears out what I see in my daughter's gym when I stop by. But this discussion also confirms to me what I ee as my dd's limitations in the sport. My dd has pretty good flexibility (has had all 3 splits for a long time, no trouble with walkovers) she is a very hard worker and has a lot of perseverance. She has, I think, gotten pretty strong because she works so hard--that is always does well on testing for the rope climbs, pulls ups, dips, etc. (not really sure what they are doing these days in conditioning, it changes periodically). But she is an extreme ectomorph. She is super lanky, also has some hypermobility. Although what is there is muscle, she will never have big muscles. Her legs, especially, still look like twigs. I figure this must mean that she will never really have the "explosive power" some posts have discussed.

But here is my real question, and I feel guilty even typing it, I think my daughter's sense of what her body is doing and where it is in space is not great. Not sure what the technical term for this is. Is this what people mean by coordination? And if one is not naturally coordinated, can that improve over time? I ask not out of any great gymnastics ambitions for my dd, but just because I want to have a sense of the kinds and levels of frustrations she will likely experience.

 

[suebee]

I think that body awareness is called proprioception. It surprised me that my dd seems to be very good at that because even when she was 4 and learning handstands, she could tell me when her knees were straight or bent and whether she got all the way up or not. I didn't even ask her, and she would announce to me whether it was a good one or not and why or why not.

 

[MomIdidit!]

As we were sitting in the waiting area the other day one gym mom said to another gym mom, "my Dd was just saying that she wishes she could do her splits like your daughter." The other mom turned and looked at the other mom and said, "that's funny because my Dd was saying she wishes she could do her kips like your daughter." Interesting how observant our 6 year old gymnasts are about themselves and each other.