Weeks Off?

[Aussie_coach]

The norm in my pat of Australia is for team gymnasts to have about 4 weeks off a year. Usually 2 weeks over Christmas as this is also the summer holidays and the week after nationals (or states for the lower level gymnasts) and another week usually around September.

Recreational gymnast often have less time off, maybe 2-3 weeks per year but they train less often so the need for a "holiday break" is less of an issue.

 

[flipandtwist]

The only time my team got a whole week off is whenever both of our coaches were going on vacation the same time, so they just decided that there would be no practice.
For about two weeks over winter, we don't have normal practice, but we still have practice so that's not really time off, just different.
And then we just have random days for holidays, like Thanksgiving and Easter, but usually only the day of, not before or after.

 

[bogwoppit]

Gee our old gym has you all beat. Dunno are you ready?

All school holidays the gym is closed, no school, no gym. In summer the team is done in early June and starts back early September.

So probably about 18 weeks a year with no team training, unless you do the eight week summer camp at an extra cost.

 

[Krystan]

Our gym is "closed" school vacation weeks, but team gyms have optional (as in not required) practices for L 5-10 at least three times weekly during all school vacations (most girls go unless the family is away, especially during meet season). There is one week off at the end of June and one at the end of August and they really shut down and all go away - meet season doesn't really start until late October here.

 

[gymgal]

Dd gets a few 1 week vacations during the year. Most times the gym offers practice to the team girls, though. And they are closed for the major holidays as well (memorial, 4th, but not days like Labor, presidents or MLK).

Personally, I think its important to have a full week off periodically helps the body heal from minor ailments, especially in the higher levels. Dd just had a week off for spring break where the gym totally closed (unusual) and she felt so much better going back in the gym.

 

[jsfofec]

At our gym, they get a week off after season, so for Compulsory, they get the week off after states. For Optionals, they get the week off after regionals. For those going to Westerns, they still get the week off just so they can rest their bodies, then they still have 2 weeks to get ready for Westerns. The coach really wants them to rest their bodies during this week.

Also, usually in late July there is a week off while the headcoach coaches at a gymnastics camp. Some of the gymnasts follow the coach and go to this camp, while others are given the option to take the week off or workout with the remaining coaches.

 

[thefellowsmom]

One week in July. They train fully through Christmas break and all other holidays

 

[Danica76]

Our gym only closes for major holidays, but hours are rearranged so that everyone gets their training time in. HC is great about family vacations in the summer/spring break, as long as it isn't during comp. season.

Just a little side note that (I hope) somewhat pertains to the OP. I got a call from school yesterday afternoon to pick up my DD. She had a stomach ache (I know all about those "stomach aches" - I used to pull the same thing on my Mom). So I picked her up and asked her if she was feeling anxious or stressed about anything. She told me she just really wanted to come home and have a night off from gymnastics (and that she didn't want to wait in the pick-up line because her class always gets yelled at for being too loud! lol). That she was tired and just wanted to stay home. So that's what we did. We stayed home and played Monopoly and ate Easter candy to help cure that stomach ache . She needed a day off to just be an 8 year old kid without an 8.5 hour a week after school commitment and I am so glad that I have learned to listen to her and gave her the chance to be just that (thanks to you guys here on CB!).

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

We get Christmas eve and Christmas day off, and this year we got Good Friday because the coaches were involved with things at their churches. Other than that...we get Thanksgiving day "off", but that really means we practice an extra day in the week preceding it. I think that's it. Really, the gym coaches and gymnasts who spend so much time in the gym just don't know what to do with our time off.

 

[LizzieLac]

We close "usually" for the last week of June (usually the week right after most of the areas schools get out for the summer) and all levels have finished their season, and the last week of August (right before the week when most schools start again for the fall). Other than that, it is single day closures for holidays. Things like 4-day Thanksgiving holiday will have optional practice on the Friday and/or Saturday.

 

[flippysmom]

@Maryn's Mom.. We had a day like that recently. DD woke up in the middle of the night with a dream that she was doing a back tuck in the back yard and got sucked into a big hole. I called into work the next day, and kept her home from school. We cuddled and watched movies until she decided to talk. Turns out that she was worried about a new job that Daddy was starting, and some girly drama at the gym.

A nice day of girl talk, smoothies, and some rest and she was so much better. She chose to skip the optional practice Friday night before a meet on Saturday and had her best meet of the season. Recently someone here said that a gymnast should always want to be in the gym more than they are, and that really clarified a lot for me. They can be so tough in the gym, but they are still little girls. I have to admit, it was nice to have her need her Mommy, it feels like she went from 7 to 25 after just one year in the gym.



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[dreamer3773]

the longest break we have is 5 or 6 days once year..we have major holidays off, but thats about it.. even a week out of the gym can be threatening to skills. You can loose them like that without constant practice.

 

[gymgurl]

We usually have spring break off 1 week over xmas and new year and then public holidays. This year we got 1 week off this past week because the gym needed to move and used this week to do it

 

[iwannacoach]

Hi everyone!

I was just wondering, how many weeks off do you get off a year from gymnastics? Not including family vacations. Just when everyone in your gym gets a week off.

Currently, I'm on spring break right now, and our gym gives us spring break off. We also usually get the week of July 4th off, and a week or so off around Christmas. We always get Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and Thanksgiving and holidays like that off.

I was just curious.

-Savannah

I think it's OK to take time off in small chunks when you need it regardless of the time of the training cycle. I won't let you compete if your time off leaves you un-prepared for competition. I don't do this as punishment, but as a precaution to keep you safe from injury or a big "let down". Speaking of "let downs" it sounds as if you would like less time off rather than more, and if that's the reason for the question I hope you find the answer.