getting too tall?

[dazed]

Hi all,
I FINALLY have a question to ask. Been a while since I've posted My dd's coach said the other day that she thought my dd would have to work harder at getting her skills. At first I thought maybe it was because she didn't start gymnastics until she was 5, but she said it was because she was getting taller. Why does height affect a skill?

[teachrugratswga]

Often times growth spurts, have an affect on learning new skills, or keeping the old ones already under your belt. Obviously with added height, comes added weight. Your muscles have to work harder to pull the "new" weight around. Your center of gravity is also changed, thus making you have to re-train your "new" body to work in a different way.

I think this tends to be more common or difficult with girls rather than boys. This is just my opinion, and what I have noticed around gyms that I have been in. This isn't a proven fact or a study that has been done. Just my own view.

[hammy]

Change in height typically effects the center of gravity the most--which makes learning skills and keeping old ones a hard task. Changes in body can be a difficult thing to deal with, but they don't have to be. Monitor her height and her gymnastics, some kids don't have problems with it.

I'm sure you know that growing pains also come with growing. Growing pains might mentally affect the gymnast, making them less willing to do stuff if it hurts. I reccomend some motrin (or something of that nature) before practice if this is the case.

I grew 10 inches one year, and needless to say, it was a horrible year in the gym for me because my center of gravity went wacky. The next summer and year turned out to be great though!

I'm sure the coach is just worried about your daughter and her gymnastics.

[gym law mom]

Dazed, I'm rather surprised a coach would even bring that up to a young girl. Your dd is 7?(sorry hard to keep everyone's kids straight). This might be her big growth spurt for the next 2 yrs. We have a girl on the L6 team who is 11 and 5'1"----doing just fine.

Height can be an issue for the elite girls doing those crazy skills and as several others have mentioned can throw off skills she has learned, but at this point, I wouldn't worry about it and the coach shouldn't either.

[audra]

Many times coaches can spot a growth spurt in a child immediately, we used to bring it up to our girls and parents all the time. Parents were always amazed how quickly we would notice. The reason we would bring it up is to avoid frustration, not to say that they are getting too tall for the sport. If all of a sudden a gymnast can not do a skill they have been doing forever with no explanation they start to beat them self up. If they are told they may have to work a little harder right now because they are growing and may need more strength in different areas they understand. This was always done in a positive way, regardless of which way they were growing. Every child develops differently, and if they continue to work flexibility and strength it will not be a long term problem.

[dazed]

well, honestly, the only reason she mentioned it was because I was asking her how she felt my dd was doing and if she was on track, etc. I was getting a progress report of sorts and she just happened to mention that my dd was a little taller and it might be something she'd have to get around later on. I don't think she was truely worried about it though. Thanks for all the input!