Parents Skill and ability - 4 yr old

[mllea2]

Hi all,
My daughter's first time in the gym was this summer for a 3 hr camp, 1x per week. She was 3. After the third class, I was told that the coach wanted her to join mini team. I was very surprised as my daughter had no experience in gymnastics and couldn't do a bridge. We agreed to sing her up for 3hrs per week starting the fall when she turned 4. She wound up breaking her elbow (not gymnastic related) in August and couldn't start gymnastics until first week in November. I feel she is doing well, but I have no one to compare her to. All the girls on her team are ages 5-7 and are experienced and she just turned 4. She has picked up a lot, can climb rope to ceiling, great bridges, kick overs, pull up and over on bars(sometimes), however I feel like it takes her much effort to do these things. Hand stands, kick overs and back bends from standing are all things she can do, but not all the time and they just seem not very graceful when she does them. She can do cartwheels, but her legs are bent ( she did them better in the beginning). Here is my question: my neighbor's daughter who is 5 and had been doing rec. gymnastics for 2 yrs just got on mini team in another gym ( my gym would not evaluate her). I was with her this weekend and I was amazed. She was so good. So flexible. Everything she did seemed so effortless. She really couldn't do any of this before she started mini team a few months ago. Is there a big difference in skill and natural ability between ages 4 and 5? I guess seeing her made me realize my daughter is not nearly as good. I understand my daughter has only been in gymnastics for 5 months and is only 4 1/2, but I guess I just want to know if she really has natural talent or not. Every time I ask her coach how she is doing, she tells me good and they are building her strength. Her coach is Russian and sometimes communication is z bit difficult, so I feel like I can't ask her these questions. I love what gymnastics has done for my daughter, she has got very strong and has done things she thought she would never do. She doesn't give up when she can't do something, but she tries harder. I def. think this has given her more confidence. However I am nervous she won't be as effortless as the others or it eont come as easy and it will have a negative affect.
I am wondering because of her age she doesn't have the ability yet...... I mean she goes three hours a week and practices at home. Why did her cartwhes get worse....or why does she struggle still with kick overs when her friend who is a yr older has no issues? Sorry so long! Thx for any opinions!

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Firstly she is only 4, form takes maturity and time.
On another note, check out some of the threads regarding back bends before the age of 5, NOT recommended by experienced coaches or USGA.

 

[Becauseisaid]

Firstly she is only 4, form takes maturity and time.
On another note, check out some of the threads regarding back bends before the age of 5, NOT recommended by experienced coaches or USGA.

Golfers do backbends?! That's one heck of a trick shot! (LOL! Couldn't resist!)

To the OP - RELAX! She's 4. She has time to improve. As long as she's having fun and being active, everything else WILL come with time.

 

[Midwestmommy]

Why is a four year old doing bridges, backbends and kickovers? Red flag.

 

[sce]

Okay, first she's 4yo. Maybe she's talented but what exactly does that mean? The coaches saw something in her that they want to cultivate. She is not going to look perfect after 5 months. What should matter is whether she's having fun and whether she's receiving good coaching.

I agree that this gym is a concern. It is inappropriate to have a 4yo doing some of those skills.

 

[mllea2]

Everyone I know in all the gyms around here do back bends, bridges etc. they are all well respected gyms, that always place 1st, 2nd etc. at meets. I have never heard that 4 yr olds shouldn't be doing them until I found this website. Everyone else I spoke to was unaware of this issue as well. I called my daughters orthopedic when I heard this and they didn't seem concerned.... I don't know anything g about gymnastics.... I am still learning.

I don't have any issue with my daughters performance, but like I said my question was more about ability coordinating with age. I was just shocked to see how easy everything seemed for my neighbors daughter who is only 1 yr older than my daughter. I don't want her to feel bad if she can't keep up.....I really was just curious if age plays any part. It really doesn't matter to me, I m not even sure I want her competing yet. I have a cousin who is training for Olympics in gymnastics and at 12 was training 40+ hrs and home schooled. I am not sitting here wishing that for my daughter to be honest. However I would support her if if got to that point.

 

[gymgal]

Why is a four year old doing bridges, backbends and kickovers? Red flag.

OP said the team age is 5-7, so guessing the coach is simply teaching to the masses. And probably is 'old school', being Russian.

OP, welcome!! She is 4. There are some girls where talent is apparent from the beginning and many more where it takes years to determine if they have what it takes. There is a huge difference between age 4 and 5 in terms of balance, strength, body awareness, etc. As for her cartwheel getting worse, sometimes skills will look like they are getting worse if the coach is providing corrections on a part of the skill b/c the child begins to focus so much on that part of the skill that the rest sort of falls apart. It's natural.

My dd started at 4. I put her in gymnastics b/c she was not interested in the traditional group sports and I couldn't bare to sit through dance classes. Even after a year, she couldn't do much of cartwheel, handstand, bridge/kickover. But the coaches saw talent there somehow. She is now 13 and is successfully competing level 8. Many of the girls who showed very early and promising talent in dd's first classes are long gone. You just never know..

So, If she is having fun and seems to be progressing, even if it's slower than her older teammates, just enjoy the ride for now. If she is showing signs of frustration, then it may be worth looking toward a team/class closer to her age.

 

[mllea2]

I was thinking about moving her to another gym that had a class with 4 yr olds. But I am going to wait to atleast the summer to make any moves.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Yes, there is a big difference between 4 and 5, every year at this age you will see a great deal of growth and maturation.

 

[mllea2]

Thank you for all who replied. I really like the gym we are at now, so I will keep my daughter in and address the issue of the bridges. I guess my question was kind of silly, it is Just that daughter felt really bad for a while because she realized everyone on her team could do a lot more then her, but she doesn't feel that way anymore. As long as it stays that way, I am happy. I just don't know much about this sport! So far it has been great for my daughter , I just want it to stay that way!

I would also like to clarify on my original post, her coach being Russian has nothing to do with my not being able to communicate with her, I just feel like I will sound like a crazy mom if I asked her these questions. I just feel like I can't ramble on to her ... Lol!

 

[raenndrops]

Her cartwheels could also be worse if she is focused on her elbow... afraid of re-injury... I have seen that affect even young girls that can't put it into words.

 

[GYM0M]

Like some others have said, body awareness comes with age. I would say that if she has the mental and emotional maturity to hang in a class of 5-7 year olds, she is pretty talented. Mentality is such a huge part of it. Young gymnasts can be invited to team for many different reasons. All too often, parents will only think a child's physical capability warrants a team invite, but in all actuality, a child could be extended an invitation to team for any number of reasons, i.e. skills, flexibility, determination, personality, maturity, etc. It is possible that the reason your DD was invited to team is completely different from the reason her friend. If you would like a comparison, though, the 4 year olds on our rising stars team (pre-pre team, 1.5-4 hours weekly) can climb the rope to ceiling, hold handstands (avg. 5 secs), can press handstand, cartwheel, round off, but mostly they work on conditioning, flexibility, straight legs & pointed toes. Some of the older ones are allowed to practice walkovers, but the younger ones are only allowed to practice these with support and a spot. I am like you, never heard of bridges being damaging to young kiddos, but I believe it now. My DD did them young, well she's still pretty young (8), but she was at a rec gym only and they wanted to see how many 'tricks' she could do. At her current gym, it's much more focused on training and safety. Enjoy the ride! This is an incredibly wonderful sport no matter how far they go!

 

[JessSyd]

I've watched a few 4 year old kids in pre-levels over the years, and it seems that somewhere between four and a half and five, a switch is flicked and they go from just enjoying doing things, to suddenly enjoying trying to do things well. Actually I've noticed that in general school readiness as well. Those six months after four and a half seem to be a time of rapid mental maturity.

 

[mllea2]

I asked one of the rec. coaches she was with during the summer why they wanted her, because she didnt have a stitch of experience and to be honest she is a cautious child in general. She said that it was her whole demeanor, how well she listen and how focused she was. She also mention the build of her body. I swear my daughter was born with little defined arms. She has always had a very slim and muscular body.

 

[cbifoja]

Can I offer some unsolicited advice? And please know that I am not trying to rain on your daughter's beautiful little parade.

Be careful with the training with older groups and moving up fast when you have questions about talent and form.

My DD is also moved up rather quickly for our gym. She competed old L3 as a 7YO (young but not terribly so), skipped old L4, competed old L5 as an 8YO (definitely young but not off the radar), and then did half a year at the new L6 and half a year at the new L7 as a 9YO (one of three in our state). But while she gains skills very quickly, it takes awhile for her to get the form and prettiness you are seeing in your friend's daughter.

Yes, form does get better. For my daughter it has been a slow road and her form has never been up to the same level as her skills. Now she isn't horrible. She got a 36AA at state which was really only her 4th meet as an L7. But to compare, the girl who won her age division did so with over a 38AA and received a 9.9 on the floor! That is some amazing form right there!

And also, right now you won't notice a huge difference in socialization with the 4 to 6 age group but the age gap seems to grow. Now my DD is training with teenagers in the 14-15 age range while she is still 9. The coach has had to remind the older girls to be careful with their topic of conversation, a situation that probably isn't fair to the older girls.

I hope I did not offend you because I don't want to do that. I know that it is so exciting to have a talented little gymmie and watch them learn new skills and it is fun to dream about where this talent might take them. I also understand the form concern because it has been a CONSTANT concern of mine.

 

[Faith]

Think of your daughter at 6 months old- what was she physically capable of? Then at 18 months- big difference? At this age 6 months is a long time, who knows how they'll change in a year.

Honestly, as the others have said, don't sweat it. She's 4. Even future elites don't need to be any good, or even be doing gymnastics, at 4

 

[mllea2]

Thank you. The advice is appreciated. I am just sitting back and enjoying the positive things that have been coming from this experience.
I completely agree with the poster who mention that age gap could be an issue. My daughter was having a bit of a problem in the beginning because one of the girls who is 7 was joking around/picking on her. I finally had to bring it up to the coach. My daughter didnt know how to respond. There is a huge difference in maturity between a child that just turned 4 and that is in 1st grade. My daughter was also getting very fusturated because she felt she wasn't good compared to the other girls. She has grown a lot in the couple of months and her confidence has sky rocketed. I am still toying with the idea that she may be better suited in a 4-5 yr class.

 

[cbifoja]

And just to give you a head's up....vocabulary might become an issue. My DD was learning split leaps at age 6 and 7 and her coach kept telling her she needed to get her split jump up to 180.

You and I know what that means....a 180 degree "angle" is a straight line and that's what she should strive form. But my DD was still learning to count money in school. She didn't know what a 180 degree angle was. She came out very frustrated complaining that her coach wants her split jump at 180 but "180 what, Mom? 180 times?"

There have been several times that I've had to explain what a term or phrase meant before DD could apply the lesson or correction.

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

I will second @cbifoja regarding the age difference. DD is also 9, and trains with a group of ages from her at the youngest to 17 at the highest, due to her skillset.

The socialization thing is a hard one. She wonders why she isn't invited to sleepovers and birthday parties that are predominantly 12 and 13 year olds. They are lovely to her, but she doesn't completely fit in.

The maturity factor and coordination factors between 4 and 5 are huge. Essentially from babysitting to actual gymnastics (in my DD's case anyways). So sit tight, as long as she is enjoying it.

 

[munchkin3]

My DD learned some very mature topics at 8! I was very upset and Gym Director had to remind the entire girls team to be VERY careful about what they talk about!.....16 yo talking with very curious 8YO listening = some serious explaining on my part!!!!

4 to 4.5 to 5 to 5.5 THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!!.....
make SURE she is having FUN!