Parents Growth and Flexibility

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There has been a few threads lately on growth spurts and losing skills, I don't know if there has been any of flexibility and growth spurts.

Dd's coach said something recently about when they have growth spurts they can lose flexibility or if they are not very flexible before they have growth spurts they find it hard to become flexible, she said it was good that dd was flexible at a young age before she does any serious growing, dd has had a growth spurt recently and she has improved her splits and has all 3 splits now after stretching.

What is your experience of gaining/losing flexibility during growth spurts?
 
Well, mine just had a growth spurt. Not a one of her leotards fits comfortably, so I'm going to have to shell out even more money for leotards. :(:( but as far as her flexibility, it seems exactly the same as before. She was very flexible before and continues to look the same with splits etc.
 
Mine has lost her middle split, but I think that is lack of training, not flexibility. Her old club worked splits a lot more.
 
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My older dd (12, almost 13) is a dancer, not a gymmie, but requires flexibility nonetheless. She was always quite flexible as a younger child, got her splits rather fast (and done correctly as opposed to most her friends...). She could easily sit right up on her pelvic bones with her legs going straight out to the sides!
Fast forward a few years and a lingering hip injury plus a MASSIVE growth spurt has really done a number on her flexibility. She grew 7.5" in the past 18mo and just told me yesterday that "she felt like she grew again" and sure enough, her mark on the wall looks suspiciously higher up than the last one... She had to work VERY hard to regain her splits throughout the past 2yrs. She has them mostly down now, but it has been a struggle for sure.
She had one friend who (poor thing!) was not naturally flexible and worked really hard to get somewhat close to her splits. Every time she got an inch closer to the floor, she grew an inch or two and lost all progress plus some... ;)
My DDs physical therapist said it is very typical that they lose flexibility during the usually big growth spurt right around onset of puberty.
 
My DDs physical therapist said it is very typical that they lose flexibility during the usually big growth spurt right around onset of puberty.

I think that is what the coach meant, she said something about it is a good thing that dd has become quite flexible now at the age of 7 as it would be harder around puberty to gain flexibility, I always thought that dd was better at flexibility stuff then strength but was told that dd was better at the strength stuff and has gained loads of flexibility during her 8 months in development group, she has got her pancake flat to the floor, all 3 of her splits and a great bridge. The other girls (except one new girl who has the same birth year as dd but is already 8) are older (9-11) and most of them are struggling with the splits and pancake but are making improvements - it is just slower and none of the other girls who started the same time as dd have all 3 splits, it maybe an age thing or it maybe a body type thing.
 
Well if it didn't know better I would hope that DD would become less flexible as she grows as she has very flexible shoulders and ankles that do cause her a few problems. But I'm in my 40s and am still hypermobile so it's just the way we are built. DD just keeps falling off the beam when she grows, frustrating but she gets it back.
 
DD has always struggled with flexibility and had to work really hard at it. She has had issues with foot injuries because of short calf muscles after growth spurts. Bones grow before muscles, so the muscles are a bit short for a while - lots of stretching helps.
 

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