WAG She wants to cut out some hours....

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munchkin3

Proud Parent
DD asked to cut some hours......here is a short history,
DD is barely 10, L4 at a small gym for 3-4 years and went from 9 hours per week to 12 hours in august 2014, split in 4 days.

We moved to new gym where she is training L5/6 and the schedule is 4hrs. 4 times a week, which is 16 hours. I found was that extra hour of practice time is very tiring, BUT they get a lot done in the 4 hour practice.

She is in the upper echelon in her group, and she is moving very fast and works very hard. She wants to be the best one in her group BUT she also wants to be on A honor roll, and she needs some down time. She asked to go for three days instead of 4 for a few weeks and I said fine.....no problemo.

Am I making a mistake? They finished the season, they are up training, and they are having fun. I am going for the QUALITY vs. QUANTITY for now. She understands that she will obviously have to increase hours at some point but I think I am doing the right thing by letting her have some control over her sport.....??

Did I commit a mortal gymnastics sin by not enforcing the schedule??
 
The only error I see is you didn't mention talking to the coaches about this decision. While I think it's perfectly fine to want to cut hours, many gyms won't agree--I'd check with yours to be sure they are okay with her skipping a day each week. If they're not and fewer hours is what she wants/needs, you will have to go elsewhere (again).
 
Hmmmm, agreed. however there are a few girls that do this. There is one tiny 6 year old TOTAL AWESOME gymnast and parents said no more than 2 days per week for her. She is better than everyone.
I will ask them today.
 
I agree. Talk to the coaches. Some gyms are ok with this and some aren't. Also most coaches, in my experience, have a training plan and if your DD isn't there she will miss pieces. If they are open to her scaling down hours they will also be able to adjust the training plan so she doesn't miss progressions.
 
DD's gym wants her and a few others who they want to test out of 4 to be coming 5 days a week. Her other mom and I both said no. Luckily DD also says no, she needs that break during the week and she isn't ready. Our gym is supportive. Her well being is more important.
 
I don't have a problem with cutting a kids hours back if they are feeling overwhelmed. But I would not get into the habit of it. :)
 
I don't have a problem with cutting a kids hours back if they are feeling overwhelmed. But I would not get into the habit of it. :)
Yeah the habit thing worries me a bit.......but my DD is pretty competitive. She wont like it if the rest of the girls are advancing faster.....I have to believe this is a temporary respite.
 
Yeah the habit thing worries me a bit.......but my DD is pretty competitive. She wont like it if the rest of the girls are advancing faster.....I have to believe this is a temporary respite.
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Its difficult to say, sometimes they just need a break and sometimes they want out. And sometimes something is really bugging them at gym like a........ SKILL. Might want to check with the coaches on that one. :)
 
The 6 year old is young. It was smart for the mom to cut her hours especially if the child asks for it or is exhibiting fatigue. A 10 year old doing 16 hours is normal. But everyone is different. How long did she try juggling the 16 hour gym practice with school and how did she seem? Remember cutting 4 hours a week equates to 16 hours a month, etc. that to me is significant. The girls who are putting in the hours have a clear advantage. I don't think you can compare the success of a 6 year old and relate that to the potential success of a 10 year old Level 5/6. At 6, unless I am wrong and this 6 year old is doing Level 5/6 skills, most of her practices are strength based and very basic skills. At Level 5/6, you need time at the gym to not only condition but learn skills. But even then, there is a big gap between a 6 yo and 10 yo.

Having said all that, kids can burn out if the load is too much for them. It is all a matter of personal balance. How is your daughter doing?
 
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Its difficult to say, sometimes they just need a break and sometimes they want out. And sometimes something is really bugging them at gym like a........ SKILL. Might want to check with the coaches on that one. :)
I just asked them the other day, and they said no....they love her. Shes getting skills left and right and loves the new gym......we handle scary skills pretty philosophically.....it will come when it comes..... I seriously think she needs a bit more time...DD said 12 to 16 hours feels like so much....her previous gym maxed out at 15 for everyone!!!!......I think its harmless and if I keep on the inflexible route, sevenatenine is right.....

She just LOOKS tired.....I think the 3 hour practice to the 4 hour practice is tough.....But either way, she will have to do more hours regardless....its just a question of when.
 
Could you compromise and just pick her up early a couple of days per month? So maybe 2 or 3x per month she could leave a practice 1-2 hrs early so she can get a bit more rest. 16 hrs is a lot for a 10 year old. It may not a lot for many gymnasts, but if you compare to non-gym kids activities it is huge. Maybe you could ease into it for 6 months or so.
 
Could you compromise and just pick her up early a couple of days per month? So maybe 2 or 3x per month she could leave a practice 1-2 hrs early so she can get a bit more rest. 16 hrs is a lot for a 10 year old. It may not a lot for many gymnasts, but if you compare to non-gym kids activities it is huge. Maybe you could ease into it for 6 months or so.
Oh please don't do that nothing drives coaches more crazy because the next thing you know every single parent is in there picking a kid up early. :)
 
The whole question is strange to me - sorry. The coaches set the schedule for the levels - not the parents. It would be like telling your kid they can skip school every Wednesday cause they are tired. I can understand asking coaches for a transition time, like a week with 13 hours, then a week with 14 etc. but at our gym each level trains together at the same time. (Meaning, all L7 are there certain days/hours). Exceptions would be made if you have to be late coming from school, but you certainly wouldn't just drop a day. Not only would you miss something (like one day they focus on conditioning, one day they are doing big tumbling skills, etc - I don't know exactly what they do - just that it is deliberate and if you missed a day every week you would miss a big chunk of training), your daughter will also be perceived as receiving special treatment by teammates and other parents. And as "not serious" by coaches and teammates. Not that it matters at L4/5, but it certainly will as she enters the optional levels. I guess I would recommend a meeting with the coaches. Maybe she's not ready to move up yet.
 
I'd argue there's precedent for it. A gym near us that we've looked at has their L4 girls say REQUIRED 3x per week, but they can come 4-5, because a group of levels all train the same times 5 days a week. I think gymnastics is one of those sports that there really is no one size fits all, and when you're talking about two full work days of hours in the gym, you have to figure out what works for some kids and what doesn't.
 
The whole question is strange to me - sorry. The coaches set the schedule for the levels - not the parents. It would be like telling your kid they can skip school every Wednesday cause they are tired. I guess I would recommend a meeting with the coaches. Maybe she's not ready to move up yet.

While I do agree, I also think some gyms ask a lot of hours of relatively young, relatively low level kids. It's not like school where their careers, basic life skills, reading, learning patterns are established. As much as we all love gymnastics, school is necessary, gym is not.

DD was doing 18 hours at 8. 3x 4hr and 1 x 6 hr. She wanted to cut a 1x 4hr over the summer. They wouldn't let her so she quit. Bearing in mind in the UK we have an elite track, and if they're not on it by 8 they're never going to be a elite. DD was not elite track. Funnily enough when the elite track kid in her group wanted to drop a day, they let her...

If a child has elite ambitions, yes, they do what the coach says, when the coach says, how the coach says. It's a massive commitment, and the commitment has to be 100%. But for a child who is getting a lot out of a sport, but is ultimately doing it as a hobby, why not let them follow lower hours so they can focus on school, or maybe learn violin, and have a more rounded life?
 
I assume each gym is different, and of course each child will have different goals. But if you are on Team, you still have to do what the coach says, when the coach says. Not just if you plan to go Elite. I just don't understand a parent telling a child they can skip one practice a week - that conversation needs to be with the child, coach and parent, and will involve discussion about the goals etc. At our gym, kids who are doing it more as a hobby would do Excel, where training hours are much more flexible.
 
Definitely differences among gyms. Ours requires 4 days a week for L4/5 (we don't have anyone above that yet) but offers up to 6 -- each family chooses and registers for what they want. And our practices are only 2 hours each, so the absolute max the girls could do would be 12 and I think most are doing 8 to 10 hours. And last season the team was routinely in the top 3 overall and almost always had individuals in the top 5 for each age/level bracket, so it must be possible to do OK on fewer-than-average hours.
 
As a coach, I'd rather a kid take a day a week off and be in the sport for the long hall than attend all the hours and then drop the next year cause you always have to do what the coach says without consideration to how the child is feeling. I know others will differ.
 

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