Parents Training Hours at 5 years old

[Peachy88]

I think maybe the OP’s daughter has been put into a level 3 team group that had already gone though the process of learning the routines? If that is the case it is hard to take the time out in a group of 12 to teach and fine tune details with one kid who doesn’t know them. I wouldn’t be concerned about privates for a limited amount of time(like a month or two) to catch her up if this is the case.

YES! This is the case! It is limited and I think will only last a month or so if that.

 

[Flyaway]

YES! This is the case! It is limited and I think will only last a month or so if that.

Well that's good to hear. Good luck to your dd! Enjoy the process.

 

[Peachy88]

Lol, trying not to be snarky, but anyone who thinks teaching that level 3 floor routine to a five year old and easy go in the same sentence has never taught a floor routine to a five year old.

And true on this too. She is also the only 5 year old. The rest are 7-10. She barely knows her right from her left and gets so confused which way to turn or which foot to start on. This really is not a big deal in my mind. We live behind the gym, she loves going, she loves her coach...

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

My 7 year old transferred gyms and had to learn their floor routine (which was shorter and simpler than any compulsory routine), and she needed privates to catch up. She was able to get the gist of it from practice, but not any of the finer points, and by the time we started the privates a month later, she had already ingrained doing certain things the incorrect way and it was hard for her to correct them. Yes, she had also been corrected on these particular things in every practice. It doesn't matter. She was 7. Coming into a routine late and trying to catch up is really hard when you're little kid, unless you're a natural at choreography. And even with a year to learn it, the danger is ingrained bad habits. Maybe some of yours don't get those. Mine does. It's AWFUL to try to fix them.

She only needed 2-3 privates and one whole extra hour to fix her leap pass. It wasn't forever and I doubt it will be for the OP either. I do feel that so many of the parents here must have either had extraordinarily focused and talented children, or totally forgotten what 5 year olds are like.

 

[SMH]

Lol, trying not to be snarky, but anyone who thinks teaching that level 3 floor routine to a five year old and easy go in the same sentence has never taught a floor routine to a five year old.

My kiddo is an 8 yr old level 3, but we have a decent size group of 6 yr old level 3’s that all train together and I have to giggle while watching because it is definitely looks like herding cats sometimes

 

[wandrewsjr]

My kiddo is an 8 yr old level 3, but we have a decent size group of 6 yr old level 3’s that all train together and I have to giggle while watching because it is definitely looks like herding cats sometimes

At least cats sometimes sit still!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Lol, trying not to be snarky, but anyone who thinks teaching that level 3 floor routine to a five year old and easy go in the same sentence has never taught a floor routine to a five year old.

No one said it was easy.

But yes it should be easily accomplished............. in a year.

And 5 yr olds do what they do. It will all get straightened out as they move along.

I stand by my statement. Privates for 5 yr old beginning level gymnasts are not necessary.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

Besides if the other 12 already know the routines, catching one up should be rather easy.

No one said it was easy.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

@Sk8ermaiden
one out of 12 in a year....... a year............

 

[strawberries]

I actually support privates in this case, completely.

For a 5 year old to have to learn the routines wrong (and she will in a class of 12 at only 4 hours a week), and then unlearn them, and then learn them again...it’s enough to push the kid out of the sport before she’s begun.

I ordinarily don’t like privates too much, but this is an exception.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

@Sk8ermaiden
one out of 12 in a year....... a year............

My daughter started doing it wrong within a week. She would have continued to do it wrong for a year. I've taught a fair amount of groups of this age kids, and when you come in behind, you don't typically catch up without remediation. If that remediation is done in class, everyone else is losing their instructional time. It is usually done outside of class.

I agree on privates for 5 year olds in general. Even though we came from a gym where it was absolutely expected, I hated it. I did it, but I hated it and thought it was dumb. It wasn't at all the same as the couple privates we did at the new gym to catch up on routines.

 

[Peachy88]

So she had her first private on Tuesday for an hour and it went great. She got about 90% of the floor routine down pat. The coach only charged $15 (although I paid more because she drove there and I wanted her to feel valued.) She has one more next week for the beam routine and barring and issues, that will be all. She was beaming from ear to ear in her private. I will cherish that memory of her feeling loved and working hard all at the same time. Thanks for those that understood it was most likely temporary.

 

[profmom]

As long as it's a short term thing with this specific aim, that sounds sensible. I'd be wary if they were pushing it as necessary for the next year and beyond!

 

[3rd_time_around]

And true on this too. She is also the only 5 year old. The rest are 7-10. She barely knows her right from her left and gets so confused which way to turn or which foot to start on. This really is not a big deal in my mind. We live behind the gym, she loves going, she loves her coach...

This is going to be unpopular, but if its that difficult for her to learn, then she is not ready for this level. She should be training where it's appropriate for her age. Our level 2 team has 19 girls ages 6 - 10, and they all learn the routines very successfully in regular practice, which is 6 hours a week. The level 3s have 16 girls ages 7 - 13 and they all learn the skills and routines and uptrain during regular practice which is 9 hours a week. Your daughter may love it, but she is only 5. Don't let her burn out and risk injury with overtraining at age 5. I know its exciting and cool to have your 5 year old placed on a higher level, with talk of fast-tracking and TOPS and all that, but trust me when I say that its too much. She has plenty of time. You shouldn't have to do private lessons to learn a routine she cannot compete until she is 6, and then she cannot compete level 4 at all until she is 7--not once in a sanctioned competition until she turns 7. She should be training Silver or Level 2, or just training skills instead of routines.

 

[rosiekat]

And true on this too. She is also the only 5 year old. The rest are 7-10. She barely knows her right from her left and gets so confused which way to turn or which foot to start on. This really is not a big deal in my mind. We live behind the gym, she loves going, she loves her coach...

Haha, I used to have to mark DS's hands and feet for tae kwon do and for gym sometimes until he was about 7 or even a bit older. He just couldn't keep them straight!

 

[Peachy88]

This is going to be unpopular, but if its that difficult for her to learn, then she is not ready for this level. She should be training where it's appropriate for her age. Our level 2 team has 19 girls ages 6 - 10, and they all learn the routines very successfully in regular practice, which is 6 hours a week. The level 3s have 16 girls ages 7 - 13 and they all learn the skills and routines and uptrain during regular practice which is 9 hours a week. Your daughter may love it, but she is only 5. Don't let her burn out and risk injury with overtraining at age 5. I know its exciting and cool to have your 5 year old placed on a higher level, with talk of fast-tracking and TOPS and all that, but trust me when I say that its too much. She has plenty of time. You shouldn't have to do private lessons to learn a routine she cannot compete until she is 6, and then she cannot compete level 4 at all until she is 7--not once in a sanctioned competition until she turns 7. She should be training Silver or Level 2, or just training skills instead of routines.

I appreciate your opinion, but you do not know what options we have in our area. There are no big gyms, no big programs, no level 2, no Bronze. I would be thrilled for her to be in a level 2 class, but it doesn't exist. The one true "preteam" she tried was very intense, mean, and not fun for her so this is the best place for her. She enjoys the class and her classmates and still comes home from the gym doing more gym. She is not getting burnt out any time soon and if she does, there are so many other things for her to try. She is an all or nothing kid who needs to move her body WAY more than most. We left gym an hour early tonight to go to girl scouts so it is a very flexible and nice environment. As for getting hurt, the kid is a bomb shell and not a good listener. She is a boundary pusher. They have finally convinced her to stop jumping to the high bar (doing a squat on) and not wander into the gym during their break time to do backhandsprings off the tumble trak. She hasn't hurt herself in life yet, which is a miracle and I hope it never happens. I am following her lead as much as I can possibly can. Thank goodness we have an easier second child.

 

[Peachy88]

Haha, I used to have to mark DS's hands and feet for tae kwon do and for gym sometimes until he was about 7 or even a bit older. He just couldn't keep them straight!

So funny! Sometimes they just don't get one concept...

 

[3rd_time_around]

I appreciate your opinion, but you do not know what options we have in our area. There are no big gyms, no big programs, no level 2, no Bronze. I would be thrilled for her to be in a level 2 class, but it doesn't exist. The one true "preteam" she tried was very intense, mean, and not fun for her so this is the best place for her. She enjoys the class and her classmates and still comes home from the gym doing more gym. She is not getting burnt out any time soon and if she does, there are so many other things for her to try. She is an all or nothing kid who needs to move her body WAY more than most. We left gym an hour early tonight to go to girl scouts so it is a very flexible and nice environment. As for getting hurt, the kid is a bomb shell and not a good listener. She is a boundary pusher. They have finally convinced her to stop jumping to the high bar (doing a squat on) and not wander into the gym during their break time to do backhandsprings off the tumble trak. She hasn't hurt herself in life yet, which is a miracle and I hope it never happens. I am following her lead as much as I can possibly can. Thank goodness we have an easier second child.

You think I don't understand what you're saying, and I do, but you don't understand what I was saying. What you described in your original posts, and following posts is too much. You think her body is a "fireball" and she could never burn out, etc., but she can easily overtrain and still "love it." I have seen gymnasts exactly like yours who have ended up with fractured backs at 8 years old from overtraining. I'm just saying that she cannot set foot in a level 3 meet until she turns 6, and then level 4 until the day she turns 7. That's a long time before she can even do a score out meet to move up. They shouldn't have to "convince her" to stop jumping to the high bar or wandering into the gym to do back handsprings when she shouldn't be--that's a little unnerving. I understand following her lead, but she is a child and needs guidance, she doesn't need to lead on this. I know you won't like this, that's why I said it won't be popular, but am on my 3rd gymnast, and the heartbreak we've experienced from injury and overtraining with my 1st daughter, and the heartbreak I've witnessed in other amazing and promising gymnasts who end up retiring at age 13 because of injury, is enough to see the red flags in your post.

My point was, she's training a level she isn't ready for if you have to do private lessons, even if its just to learn the routines--which she doesn't even need to learn. The number of hours you listed is too much for her body, even if neither of you think so. (I know my words of caution will fall on deaf ears, so I don't know why I bother, so I'll just say good luck.)

 

[Peachy88]

You think I don't understand what you're saying, and I do, but you don't understand what I was saying. What you described in your original posts, and following posts is too much. You think her body is a "fireball" and she could never burn out, etc., but she can easily overtrain and still "love it." I have seen gymnasts exactly like yours who have ended up with fractured backs at 8 years old from overtraining. I'm just saying that she cannot set foot in a level 3 meet until she turns 6, and then level 4 until the day she turns 7. That's a long time before she can even do a score out meet to move up. They shouldn't have to "convince her" to stop jumping to the high bar or wandering into the gym to do back handsprings when she shouldn't be--that's a little unnerving. I understand following her lead, but she is a child and needs guidance, she doesn't need to lead on this. I know you won't like this, that's why I said it won't be popular, but am on my 3rd gymnast, and the heartbreak we've experienced from injury and overtraining with my 1st daughter, and the heartbreak I've witnessed in other amazing and promising gymnasts who end up retiring at age 13 because of injury, is enough to see the red flags in your post.

My point was, she's training a level she isn't ready for if you have to do private lessons, even if its just to learn the routines--which she doesn't even need to learn. The number of hours you listed is too much for her body, even if neither of you think so. (I know my words of caution will fall on deaf ears, so I don't know why I bother, so I'll just say good luck.)

So what would you do?

 

[Peachy88]

So what would you do?

Send her back to rec? A class with 9-11 year olds? Or a beginner class with other 5-7 year olds who know nothing?