Parents How important is it to move to preteam/developmental track?

[mollyzoe]

My daughter (age 6) is very interested in competing eventually and I would love to see her go this route. She started gymnastics a little under 1 year ago and is still in level 1. Within a few weeks of starting she had perfected all of the skills to move up other than the pullover. We have been told by numerous coaches that once she moves up she will be prime preteam material -problem is that she can't seem to get that pullover! She SOO much better than the rest of the kids in her level 1 class and as her teacher pointed out she is actually much better than many level 2s at the gym -other than the pullover! I am frustrated bc I feel like until she gets the pullover she is being held back in a class that is doing only very basic floor and beam skills and also spending time jumping in the foam pit and that sort of play. I also don't feel like she is getting any good instruction in her class -when she practices the pullover the teacher gives her no pointers at all which I think is partially why she still can't get this skill. Also, the class is only 1 hour per week and I would love to see her doing more hours (but I'm not sure if I want to waste time/money on a second level 1 class). Should I just relax and wait for the pullover to come? I feel like we've already been waiting for a while. Or should I move her to another gym (less convenient) where she had been invited to join preteam?

 

[Amusibus]

I'm not sure, but I think a lot of the bars skills require a lot of strength. At 1 hour a week it's not really enough time to work on it. Strength stuff can always be done at home.... IF you know the right exercises, have time to do it, and your kiddo is very motivated and able to defer gratification. FYI, on a lot of preteams, the focus is NOT on skills at all but strength and form. It can seem like they're learning nothing for a long time, but the coaches have a method to their madness and apparently this works well in the longer-term. It is hard as a parent new to this to keep the big picture in mind and trust the coaches. Good luck in whatever you choose. I'm sure some coaches on here could give you some hints for the right strength stuff.

 

[EastCoastGymMom]

Is it possible to get a couple of private lessons, maybe with a different coach? It might only take her one or two lessons of really working on it and being spotted to get it. Or, can you move her to another Level 1 class with a different coach that might be able to help her in a new way? I wouldn't necessarily change gyms just because of this one issue, but if it's required to move up then they should definitely be working on it regularly. On the flip side, bar skills seem to be the big thing that holds girls back from progressing to pre-team, team, and up the levels. It starts with the pullover, then back and front hip circles, shoot thru, mill circle, then on to kips, cast handstands, giants, etc....

I have seen girls learn by putting the bar close the wall and having them "walk" up the wall and then kick over. She will get it eventually - they all do!

And to answer your title question - the sooner she moves to pre-team the better - more hours and more conditioning will only help her.

 

[emorymom]

Knees to nose, round she goes. Can she chin and leg lift? If so, make sure she does not drop her head back but should be trying to get her knees to her nose. If they drop their head early they need more strength.

 

[billise]

Get a chin up bar for a doorway at home and have her work on her strength. Worked wonders for my DD (just turned 7 year old level 3). She had her pullover in no time after we got the chin-up bar and was on pre-team a few months later. That was 2 years ago and it's been a whirlwind ever since

 

[UnoMas]

I will second the idea of a doorway pull up bar at home...if that's all she needs I would not spend the $$ on an extra class...it'll just be more of the same stuff that your DD already knows how to do!

 

[shelovestoflip]

So, different perspective here....my daughter did rec until she was 8. Once a week 1-1 1/2 hour. Didn't do pre team and started team at 8...so 'behind' compared to others. She didn't have a pull up bar at home..didnt' do conditioning at home...just had fun at rec and home.

She's now 14 and Level 9. And at a good gym and doing well 4 meets into the season. Goal is Regionals (at least) and she's definitely scoring now to get there.

I think to worry when they are 5 or 6 is wasting energy....the worry will come at level 8 or 9 when they are doing skills that are scary!!

I also think the key is to LOVE your gym and the coaches. Trust them.. They will ultimately spend more hours with your kid than you do! They need to love your kid, too. While this is hard to know if they are only spending 1 hour at age 6, I'd say go with your gut.

I wouldn't do privates at 6, wouldn't buy home gym stuff, wouldn't make your daughter feel like it's a chore. She's 6...have fun and the other stuff should come.

 

[purpleleomom]

My daughter got hers a few weeks after we added a second hour per week. Is that an option? Or maybe some open gym time where she can hang out on the bars?

 

[billise]

I agree with shelovestoflip in that it should not be a "chore". My DD used her chin-up bar at her leisure. She's not the kind of kid to sit still so she would often hang on it and do leg lifts while watching a TV show (we had the bar positioned low in the door frame) or what was even funnier was to walk by her room and find her hanging in a chin hang while watching TV. I don't recall ever telling her to go use it, but for my DD, a big part of the fun of gym is getting the skill, so if increased strength is going to help her get the skill shes's going to work on increasing her strength without me pushing her. Of course, the fact that I'm a fitness instructor and personal trainer have put her in a position where exercise, fitness and health are just a part of our family life/dynamic so planking while reading a book is fairly normal in our house

 

[GYM0M]

Size could be the issue too. Some 6 year olds have teeny tiny hands that make the bar too big to grip properly for the skill. DD learned her pullover on a preschool bar....at the gym, of course.

 

[Ex member]

Size could be the issue too. Some 6 year olds have teeny tiny hands that make the bar too big to grip properly for the skill. DD learned her pullover on a preschool bar....at the gym, of course.

My dd has really tiny hands and cannot keep hold of the bar very long before she slips off, what is a preschool bar? Is it a little yellow bar? If so then they have those at dd's gym, the normal bars are too high and she has to jump to grap the low bar and hasn't got the strength to pull up from hanging yet the coach just lightly spots her and she can do a pullover that way, she has no trouble getting into front support by herself once she is upside down.

 

[IreneKa]

I second to adding the second hour per week idea, if that's an option. That's what we did when DD wanted more time at the gym, but wasn't ready for pre-team. A few months after adding a second class she was moved up.

 

[GYM0M]

My dd has really tiny hands and cannot keep hold of the bar very long before she slips off, what is a preschool bar? Is it a little yellow bar? If so then they have those at dd's gym, the normal bars are too high and she has to jump to grap the low bar and hasn't got the strength to pull up from hanging yet the coach just lightly spots her and she can do a pullover that way, she has no trouble getting into front support by herself once she is upside down.

I call it a preschool bar because it is smaller than the low bar. I'm sure there are several different colors. The one my DD learned on was blue. I don't have a picture of it or I would post one. We had to wait for her hands to grow. She is currently practicing L5 and doesn't wear grips bc her hands are still too small.

 

[gracyomalley]

Patience....pull overs require more strength and timing than other skills at this level, and if she's working hard at her splits, pointing toes with floor stuff, being tight with her jumps, etc, then its NOT wasted time. more classes would help and lots of gyms will do that (2 classes a week ).

DD was "spotted" by her HC for Hot Shots at age 3....DD actually started Hots Shots (our preschool pre-team) at age 5. Every 6 months or so HC would re-iterate with me her potential, as well as all that we were "waiting for"....sure, we live in a small town and the coaches tend to be open to explaining things to parents, but it never hurts to ask if there is anything you could do to help her get there, versus it just being a case of patience. If the coaches are waiting for the pull over, you can also let them know that she wants to make this "more than rec" later on and ask that they guide her in improving form in other skills. DD did 2 hours a week and had to grow....size was a big issue for her (still is at L7) but also maturity. No rush at age 6 to get through the rec classes - and a lot depends upon what level your gym competes at - if they compete early levels they will care more about having "all the skills" than if they wait until Level 3 or 4 to start competing and do lots of "pre-team" or "non-competing team" hours.

Does the gym have open gym times? Those are great for practicing things like pull overs on the real equipment with proper mats etc....

 

[BlairBob]

More pullups, more leglifts.

If you want to have a gymnastic career, get out of rec ASAP. More than likely you are doing with coaches with less experience, desire, and direction toward making your child all they can be.

 

[purpleleomom]

If you want to have a gymnastic career, get out of rec ASAP.

Is that normally the rule? By career I assume you mean some degree if competitive, but not necessarily college, etc. I just wonder how many kids get to compete after going thru rec levels and not being pulled early for team. I guess what I'm asking is if there is a place for kids who want the team experience but aren't great.

 

[Quadqueen]

I guess what I'm asking is if there is a place for kids who want the team experience but aren't great.[/quote]

Yes. Some gyms are less stringent than others on what they require for the low levels of JO. A kid that is "not great" can find a gym/team like that. They may never advance beyond level 3 or 4, but they can still benefit from all that gymnastics has to offer. Or, they may find XCel to be a better route for them.

 

[emorymom]

Is that normally the rule? By career I assume you mean some degree if competitive, but not necessarily college, etc. I just wonder how many kids get to compete after going thru rec levels and not being pulled early for team. I guess what I'm asking is if there is a place for kids who want the team experience but aren't great.

Those kids may have to move gyms and in some geographic areas with limited gyms, the answer is no, if they aren't lucky enough to find a gym that appreciates them.

I'm in a major metropolitan area, and I'm confident that I can keep my daughter on some kind of team where she can enjoy gymnastics as a sport and will be appreciated for who she is, through high school if that's what she wants. We may have a commute. Currently she's on a Y team that has to break down its equipment and that tops out at L5, but since they only reliably get to practice twice a week, they can take a bit of time to get there. She could be a 15yo L5 before she leaves.

 

[Sasha]

Is that normally the rule? By career I assume you mean some degree if competitive, but not necessarily college, etc. I just wonder how many kids get to compete after going thru rec levels and not being pulled early for team. I guess what I'm asking is if there is a place for kids who want the team experience but aren't great.

I think what BlairBob is saying, is, although yes, there are opportunities for girls of all ages and talent levels to enjoy competitive gymnastics, getting a potentially-talented girl out of rec and into developmental as early as possible will give her the best and fastest path to the highest achievement within her abilities.

For your original question, it doesn't sound like you should jump over to the less convenient gym just yet. Give the pullover more time. Have you inquired with the coach if she 'must' have her pullover before going to developmental? Or if she has everything else, if she might be allowed to train dev with the expectation that she will get her pullover within the first few weeks/months with the extra gym time? Curious if this was a 'hard and fast' rule at your gym, or if you inquired about wiggle room? Ours definitely has wiggle room for some elusive skill but otherwise strong potential...

good luck
s