Gym moms..a ? about skills and age and safety.

[Justified]

My DD5 got invited into gymnastics academy at the Y this past month. Before that we maybe did 2 or 3 monthly classes here and there. Nothing consecutively. She is now tumbling around 24/7 since starting the academy. Today she taught herself to do a back walkover. We don't have a trampoline or anything like this. She is just doing this around the house. Mostly in the hallway. I was researching to find out if this is typical and stumbled on info that doing a back walkover is bad for her because of her age. What do you do to encourage her enthusiasm but also keep her safe?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Is her core strong?  Can she support herself in a handstand?  Most kids are flexible enough at that age.  It's a matter of strength and not over stressing certain joints - which if your core and shoulder muscles are strong, will be protected.  

 

Can she do a cartwheel?  Foreward roll?  Backward roll?  somersault?  

[skimomma]

My dd has been on a team for four years.  The coaches have strict rules about what should or should not be done outside of the gym.  Back walkovers are on the should not list.  This was a big problem for us when dd first started.  We made very clear rules and her coaches backed us up.  She is allowed to stretch and/or condition outside of the gym to her heart's delight.  And she is also OK to do less dangerous things like handstands and cartwheels.  Nothing more.

 

And yes, 5 is a little young for back walkovers and bridges.  Most kids are fine but it can cause back trouble.  It is not a skill thing, it is a skeletal development thing.  There are plenty of other daring an scary things she can do, but that specific back bending is usually not encouraged until 6 or even 7.  I would be wary of any coach that had 5 you doing these things.

[ByGrace3]

Well, I am not sure about the "should" part but my 4.5 yo does cartwheels, forward and backward rolls, bridge kick overs, backbend kick overs, and is currently working a backhand spring and back walkover. She doesn't practice them constantly, but they are skills she is learning in her gymnastics...the gym is very laid back with my dd but she is eager for "big girl" skills and she is super strong and capable...I can't imagine keeping her from doing what she loves...

 

As to what they do at home vs gym-- I don't allow any skill to be done at home that is not rock solid in the gym. We have a beam and bar at home, and a swinging bar just for fun in the girls room-- so I probably allow a lot more than most would though... ;)

[The Governess]

My dd8 is a competitive gymnast. Our head coach has told us not to use a home trampoline or practice skills at home. Not only is it potentially unsafe, but they can teach themselves bad form. All my dd practices at home are handstands and press handstands.

 

The back walkovers are especially troublesome because they put a lot of stress on the lower back. Even in the gym, they should be practiced only enough to gain proficiency and should not be overtrained. This is especially true for girls without a lot of shoulder flexibility and/or a bendy lower back. It can cause stress fractures and other bad stuff.

 

Does your gym have open gym hours? That could be another good way to help her get some of her gymnastics energy out. :)

[Justified]

Thanks. She literally just learned a cartwheel this past month and most times it's more like a round off. She just learned to bend backwards and so when she walked over from that position, I felt it was moving too fast. We aren't knowledgable about this, and I appreciate all the feed back. She isn't even doing a backwards roll yet.

 

I hadn't really thought about boundaries until now. I usually have a hands off attitude about physical skills. If they can't do it, I don't offer assistance to help. I just think kids should develop and push boundaries on their own. This generally works fine but now all these advance skills she is seeing has her pushing a lot of boundaries.

 

I wish they offer a parent orientation class to tell me these things before I had let my monster go wild. does having kids roll on their back over those cylinder things count as teaching a walkover? They also do warm up with bridges. They also have the elevated mats that they have the girls practice bending backwards from the standing position. None of the girls in her class can do it but my daughter surprised me by doing it after a couple of tries. I don't think she can do a handstand well now that I think about it.

 

I think I am going to put the reins on her and talk to her coach more. I am so out of my element. The coach hasn't really said anything to me. We are just doing it for fun, so I haven't had anything to really say to the coach. We don't even have that kind of money to take this sport seriously. We get financial aid for her to go to the academy and she only goes for an hour one day a week. Are there resources that tell you how a child generally progresses or should progress? Thanks again.