Women Young gymnast with turned out feet

[Momof3]

Any advice or insight welcome...my daughter is 6 and competed Level 3 last season and did great, aside from vault, although she still placed very well throughout the season. She is training to compete Level 3 (old level 4) now. She has very turned out feet...when she runs, jumps, walks. Coaches have expressed this will be a huge issue and hinder her progress greatly. One great coach has been working with her, with skills/drills etc and thinks she has a chance to overcome this. However it does seem to effect her vault in a big way, her running and jumping is not powerful at all. She only weighs 44lbs. It also effects balance beam and tumbling. We are at a crossroads...should we focus more on dance (which she loves also) where turnout is appreciated and she also wants to try Rhythmic Gymnastics? Just wondering some thoughts from experienced parents or coaches.

 

[claudidoll]

Is it just her feet that are turned out?
Or is she turned out from the hip?
If its only her feet she may also have trouble with dance

 

[Momof3]

Yes, she is turned out from the hip...has amazing middle over splits, and flexibility. But her feet seem to turn out even more than her normal hip turnout.

 

[jpow]

I don't understand why this would be an issue? I have a big turnout and I've always been told it's a blessing that it'll save my knees in the long run and it never hindered me in my gymnastics.

 

[Momof3]

When running she runs "ducklike" and has very limited power. For vault, tumbling, balance beam and just plain running they say she is far too turned out. I would like to keep it in perspective as she is only 6, but all coaches (at 2 gyms), except for one coach who is willing to work with her, say it is a big problem...

 

[stargazer]

I have the bad habit of tumbling with my feet turned out, which causes my knees to open outward and bend. It's not pretty, though my coaches are impressed I can still get a ton of power from my tumbling. Lately it's been causing some significant knee pain though, that's the downside for me. Sorry I can't give you any advice, just wanted to share my experience with out-turned feet (though it's more due to form errors than skeletal structure). It does sound like your daughter would be better suited to dance or Rhythmic gymnastics, but I don't see it as a reason to stop gymnastics altogether

 

[UnoMas]

She sounds very similar to my DD. Super flexible...a good tumbler...but vault and beam kill her. Beam is especially a problem. My DD is now 9 but competed level 4 (old) as a 6-7 year old. Scoring was very hard on her. She repeated and scoring improved but she could never pull above a 7.5 because of foot issues on the beam. She is now competing Xcel and is having way more success since she can tailor the routines to her strengths. Now...vault is still a challenge! I had considered giving up team gymnastics for her but am SO glad she is now doing Xcel. She really shines!!! Is this an option for your daughter?

 

[lhmom]

Mine had the same problem. Before she started level 5, DD's HC referred us to a "run" coach at a local sports facility. She did running drills with him to work on form and it seemed to help. She sometimes needs to be reminded but she definitely got more power after the corrections.

 

[Muddlethru]

I don't understand why this would be an issue? I have a big turnout and I've always been told it's a blessing that it'll save my knees in the long run and it never hindered me in my gymnastics.

Turned out feet/hips is not a blessing for runners. Slightly turned in feet is a blessing because as as we run our feet naturally turn out a bit. So a slightly turned in feet would align themselves perfectly. That is why some people with slightly turned in feet make for fast runners. But having a turned out feet, worse an overly turned out feet uses too much energy to go straight forward. Don't know much about gymnastics and tumbling. But it would make sense that an overly turned out feet would reduce power. however, watch Nastia Luikin's run. Her feet are turned out. Nonetheless, dance would love your daughter but if she loves gymnastics, you might want to see a specialist to get this corrected a bit. She will struggle with many skills because her body is not in alignment. And if she is not turned out from the hips and only on her feet, this is going to put too much stress on her knees. I'll take some of her turn out if I can! Would love to have a better turn out. How about her feet? Does she have a good point? Maybe dance is a great alternative.

 

[BlairBob]

Her feet and hips are turned out to create tension because there is a lack of internal rotation available.

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Plain and simple, you need to make her start walking with feet pointed forward, even if she is uncomfortable. That's one step.

 

[txgymfan]

I suggest asking your physician about long term health effects and possibly getting a referral for a Physical Therapist. It is VERY difficult to change how you walk. As an adult I had a PT look and my walk, she told me that "my feet did this so my knees did that so I would have back pain and flexibility problems". She was right.

 

[Momof3]

Thank you all so much for your replies...I really appreciate the advice and insight very much. Gymnastics is such an intense sport as it is..it really helps to have some objective opinions. Thanks!

 

[gymdog]

I would definitely second the motion to get a referral to a specialist. The younger any corrective action is taken, the better

 

[Susan]

The way that you are describing the turn out, it sounds like a weakness that should be addressed by a good PT (one who knows gymnastics). It's not a blessing -- even for a dancer. I have an excellent turn out (did pointe ballet in college after competing in gymnastics as a child/teen), but I have never had an issue running with my feet turned out. A proper turn out is under control at all times and it sounds like she is unable to control hers. I do sometimes come across kids with this problem as a coach, and they have just as much trouble in dance (the dance classes we use to train the competitive teams). This is because they are rolling in on their ankles and are unable to line up their knees with their toes. So whether she chooses dance or gymnastics, she will still need to correct this. I'll bet the weakness is up in the hips. Do her coaches not have someone they refer to for issues like this? It probably can be fixed at her age & the corrective exercises should be worked into her practices as well as being done on her off days.

 

[gwenmom]

If her turn out is coming more from her feet than hips dance will become a problem because her knees will not track over her toes in plies and landing from jumps and will eventually lead to injuries.

I agree with getting her evaluated and some PT.

 

[kimute]

Our daughter's coach said she runs like a duck and her vault scores have also been low. However, she has been working on this with her and she is running much faster/straighter now. She is 7.

 

[Empowered]

Depending on where you are, unless there is a medical issue, some doctors are really hesitant to try and "fix" this kind of thing. My daughter was the opposite, she has one toe that used to turn in very badly. My mother had the same thing "corrected" when she was a child, but my pediatrician informed me they don't do that anymore. He said kids will grow out of this kind of thing and as long as it isn't unsafe, they don't treat for it.

My daughter is 11 now and with age and likely the influence of the sport, the foot is completely straight.

 

[Susan]

Depending on where you are, unless there is a medical issue, some doctors are really hesitant to try and "fix" this kind of thing. My daughter was the opposite, she has one toe that used to turn in very badly. My mother had the same thing "corrected" when she was a child, but my pediatrician informed me they don't do that anymore. He said kids will grow out of this kind of thing and as long as it isn't unsafe, they don't treat for it.

My daughter is 11 now and with age and likely the influence of the sport, the foot is completely straight.

They will attempt to fix it if it's a sports-minded medical practice/PT practice. A pediatrician will not see any problem. She won't grow out of it if she can't correct it during gymnastics. She may in fact end up with an even more exaggerated turn out from continuing to use that position if it's not addressed. Turning in is different, because the kids are learning to turn out through their dance/compulsory routines.