WAG Did coach roll her eyes when I walked away?

[Orangesoda]

It's my 4y/o daughter's second week in her new pre-team class - same gym, new teacher. After watching her second full class of cartwheeling on her right leg and kicking over with her left leg, I made a point to go mention it to her new coach. The info seemed well received but I'm paranoid. Is the coach secretly annoyed? I try to keep my obsessive tendencies on the inside but sometimes they creep out...

 

[Amusibus]

Funny! Well, we parents can't control how the coaches feel about us, but we sure hope they only roll their eyes on the inside!

 

[Faith]

She's 4. And I'm sure the coach knows what she's doing

What was the problem anyway? If you cartwheel on your right leg your left leg kicks over…Do you have a coaching background?

Leave the gymnastics in the gym, you don't need to worry about anything unless the coach asks for your input.

 

[Orangesoda]

She's 4. And I'm sure the coach knows what she's doing

What was the problem anyway? If you cartwheel on your right leg your left leg kicks over…Do you have a coaching background?

Leave the gymnastics in the gym, you don't need to worry about anything unless the coach asks for your input.

Thanks for such a friendly response! No coaching background here. Other coaches have stressed the importance of having a dominant leg so I was a little concerned this coach just wasn't noticing the mistake. The worry was confirmed when the coach agreed that the same leg should be used to start a cartwheel and kick over a bridge.

 

[sce]

Hope the coach was not openly disrespectful to you. Sorry to see you received an attitude here.

A few things: 1) At 4yo they may not have a fully dominant side yet. It's okay that they experiment with it. Also, being able to cartwheel off either leg is a good thing. 2) Bridges and kickovers at 4yo are not a good idea. The spine is not developed enough to handle arching. I would be far more concerned about this than which leg she used. 3) having no idea how you brought it up I have no idea how you might have made the coach feel. Was it more like: "Hi, thanks for working with my dd. How is she adjusting to the new class? By the way I noticed her switching legs on skills. Is this a concern?" Or, "I saw dd using her right leg for x and her left leg for y. I didn't see you correct it. ..."

 

[EllibugGymmie]

I wouldn't worry about the coach. I'm sure she's had parents say stuff to her before. No biggie, she could have just not noticed or she was just trying to see if your dd would
Correct it herself. I'm glad it seemed to be well received, I would just leave it at that

 

[happychaos]

From what I've seen, coaches of the 4 year-olds can be true, experienced professionals, or 19 year-olds with minimal experience. Either way, they should be friendly and not eye-rolling. With a concern like this I think it is appropriate to casually mention it to the coach after class, but maybe don't call the gym and leave a message for coach to call you. Save that for a bigger issue

I'm curious. What did the coach say after you mentioned the leg issue to her? Did she have anything helpful to say?

I love SCE's response.

 

[lovemygymnast]

I always feel like the coaches don't me saying anything to them about gymnastics! Lol. But I think it's okay to ask if she should be switching legs or have a dominant leg at that age. I wouldn't worry and I'm sure she's used to conversations like that (I really hope she didn't roll her eyes!).

And oh my holey moley, are they seriously not supposed to be bridging and kicking over at 4?? Because my DD was doing bridges, kick overs, back walkovers and even back handsprings at 4!! Now I'm hoping she doesn't have problems down the line from it. I had no idea and apparently our gym didn't either.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

At 4 years old, I was more concerned about DD being able to get her leo off in time if she had to go potty!

 

[LJL07]

My older daughter used to switch legs when she did her backbend kick overs at 4. She got it sorted out when she was around 5 1/2-ish. So don't worry too much.

I always feel like the coaches don't me saying anything to them about gymnastics! Lol. But I think it's okay to ask if she should be switching legs or have a dominant leg at that age. I wouldn't worry and I'm sure she's used to conversations like that (I really hope she didn't roll her eyes!).

And oh my holey moley, are they seriously not supposed to be bridging and kicking over at 4?? Because my DD was doing bridges, kick overs, back walkovers and even back handsprings at 4!! Now I'm hoping she doesn't have problems down the line from it. I had no idea and apparently our gym didn't either.

I know. My youngest is 4 and they do backbend kick overs on pre team. The age ranges from 4-7, but I know the coach knows she's 4. It's definitely not the primary focus of their class, but they do spend a little time on it, prob bc there is a backbend kick over in the level 2 routine. And I have been hearing of 4&5 yr olds doing level 2 on CB, so it's confusing info.

 

[COz]

Presumably if the child is strong enough and under the supervision of appropriate coaching staff it is OK. After all, there are plenty of 'elite track' programs out there where this is done before 5. Not that they spend heaps of time on it mind you.

I did the "Have you noticed that DD has swapped legs?" after one training session. After being strongly dominant on one side DD thought it was time to work on the other side because in ballet everything is on two sides.
Coach said "Yep. We'll put a stop to that now "

 

[wallflower]

The coach probably rolled her/his eyes because you looked like a classic crazy gym mom. 4 years old = fun. Nothing else.

 

[Orangesoda]

Hope the coach was not openly disrespectful to you. Sorry to see you received an attitude here.

A few things: 1) At 4yo they may not have a fully dominant side yet. It's okay that they experiment with it. Also, being able to cartwheel off either leg is a good thing. 2) Bridges and kickovers at 4yo are not a good idea. The spine is not developed enough to handle arching. I would be far more concerned about this than which leg she used. 3) having no idea how you brought it up I have no idea how you might have made the coach feel. Was it more like: "Hi, thanks for working with my dd. How is she adjusting to the new class? By the way I noticed her switching legs on skills. Is this a concern?" Or, "I saw dd using her right leg for x and her left leg for y. I didn't see you correct it. ..."

Thank SCE. I think I said something along the lines of "I don't want to be a crazy gym mom, but dd has been working on establishing a dominant leg....and since you guys haven't been doing a ton of cartwheels and kickovers back-to-back, I just wanted to let you know in case that's a problem." --nervous laughter....embarrassment...more nervous laughter....my name is blahblah by the way, nice to meet you....more nervous laughter....

And thanks for the caution on bridges and kickovers. The gym we attend is a pretty darn well-known one, which produces many elites and college scholarshipped athletes. Should I still be worried? The coaches are older and seem very competent and attentive. Her class is comprised of 4-6yr olds and she'll be 5 in two months. They don't spend a ton of time doing bridges, but they DO do them every class - maybe 3 held for 10 seconds each, then they kick over the last one. Opinions?

 

[Orangesoda]

From what I've seen, coaches of the 4 year-olds can be true, experienced professionals, or 19 year-olds with minimal experience. Either way, they should be friendly and not eye-rolling. With a concern like this I think it is appropriate to casually mention it to the coach after class, but maybe don't call the gym and leave a message for coach to call you. Save that for a bigger issue

I'm curious. What did the coach say after you mentioned the leg issue to her? Did she have anything helpful to say?

I love SCE's response.

The coach was totally receptive and respectful. She thanked me for bringing it to her attention and mentioned that, in these cases, it's usually easier to switch the kickover leg as opposed to the cartwheel leg. She then said she'd make a note and revisit the issue next week.

The paranoia is definitely on my end. I'd expect nothing less than professionalism, but I was wondering if secretly, the coach was annoyed. No biggie.

 

[Orangesoda]

The coach probably rolled her/his eyes because you looked like a classic crazy gym mom. 4 years old = fun. Nothing else.

Thanks for the input! Super helpful!

 

[Faith]

Thanks for such a friendly response! .

I think this is sarcasm? Difficult to read tone of voice on a screen. My post wasn't meant to be unfriendly in any way, apologies if it came across that way.

But honestly, this way madness lies . You will drive yourself ( and the coaches) insane if you watch and constantly query their coaching abilities. If the gym and coaches are as good as you say, your really need to trust them and leave them to it. She's 4, and working the wrong leg occasionally won't affect her chances of getting to the olympics . In fact it may help as she realises it's more comfortable on the other leg.

If you want your dd in the sport long term for your own mental health you need to leave them to it. Advocate for your child if necessary, but believe the coaches are doing the right thing with the gymnastics

Being a gymnastics mum is a long, stressful journey. Don't add to the worry!

 

[wallinbl]

Thanks for the input! Super helpful!

There's more help in there than you might realize. Assuming she stays with it, it's a long road on which there will be good times and bad. Let the coaches handle the technique. If you don't trust the coaches, find a gym where you do trust the coaches, and let them handle it. Enjoy the ride.

 

[sce]

And thanks for the caution on bridges and kickovers. The gym we attend is a pretty darn well-known one, which produces many elites and college scholarshipped athletes. Should I still be worried? The coaches are older and seem very competent and attentive. Her class is comprised of 4-6yr olds and she'll be 5 in two months. They don't spend a ton of time doing bridges, but they DO do them every class - maybe 3 held for 10 seconds each, then they kick over the last one. Opinions?

The fact that they have coached a long tome and produce high level athletes can make it more concerning.
The recommendations and standards about ages fro backbends and bridges has changed. USAG does not recommend them at all for a child her age. Age 5 is the earliest age even then it should not be done a lot. The goal is longevity. Doing bridges at a young age puts a lot of undue strain on the undeveloped spine.

 

[cbifoja]

I think this is sarcasm? Difficult to read tone of voice on a screen. My post wasn't meant to be unfriendly in any way, apologies if it came across that way.

There's more help in there than you might realize.

Yeah, I agree. OrangeSoda, I can't quite pick up on your tone and so I'm hesitant to respond. I can't tell if you are kind of slapping back at anyone who is responding in a way you disagree with or if you are truly thanking people for alternative perspective.

I think I'm going to lurk for a bit until I get a better handle on the tone of this thread. I'm trying to avoid "those" threads.

 

[LJL07]

The fact that they have coached a long tome and produce high level athletes can make it more concerning.
The recommendations and standards about ages fro backbends and bridges has changed. USAG does not recommend them at all for a child her age. Age 5 is the earliest age even then it should not be done a lot. The goal is longevity. Doing bridges at a young age puts a lot of undue strain on the undeveloped spine.

Sorry for the hijack, but I do think it's confusing to many new posters who read this information, yet it also sounds like there are a decent number of young phenoms doing new level 3 at age 6. So, that leads me to believe there are probably lots of "talented" 4&5 yr olds doing backbend kick overs in some kind of preteam situation. I agree it might not be best for the little ones from a developmental standpoint, but I think it probably happens. Even at reputable gyms.