Parents Knobby Knees?

[2G1B]

Both of my DDs have knobby knees. Even when their legs are locked at the knees, their knees still stick out, making it look like they have bent legs. Their coaches at the old gym mentioned it and this year their new coaches have mentioned that they likely will face deductions for bent knees due to this.

Is that true? Or will the judges see that these are pretty darn skinny kids, their legs aren't at an angle, so that thing protruding at their knee, while it is their knee cap, does NOT indicate that their legs aren't actually straight?

There is nothing to do for it that I know of, and I don't want to make them self conscious of it, so don't want to focus on it. But I did wonder if they indeed will be facing deductions due to it.

 

[2G1B]

Oh, and I really don't think it is a flexibility thing. For my older DD flexibility is an issue; but for my younger, she is pretty darn flexible. She can sit in a pike stretch with the backs of her knees on the floor and her laying forward with her face on her knees and she is perfectly comfortable. Her hamstrings aren't tight at all. (The other one does have to work for her flexibility; but even standing up and doing all that she can to straighten her legs, the knee still sticks out.)

 

[Committed]

I was a dancer with the same problem. My dance teacher once held my legs together during class, while I was promising they were straight! I'm sure I got knocked at competitions,

 

[OzZee]

My middle dd is like that too and yes she gets deductions. I'm not sure if she will ever have legs, lol, just sticks with knees.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

Some kids can't straighten their legs with feet together, get them to try with feet apart. Don't give them an excuse, as that allows them to never really try. Tell them to squeeze their muscles around they knee, there is a big different between a gymnast who is holding their legs tight with poor flex at knees and one who is just floppy.

 

[wallflower]

Pineapple my DD is like that. If her feet are together one knee has to be slightly bent because she has knobby knees. She has to make a real effort to slightly turn her knees in and angle her feet correctly in order to have straight knees with her legs together. When her legs are apart it isn't a problem.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

She must have good toes to do it like that! Most kids I see either 'Bross' their toes or just cop deductions for feet apart, which often can't be seen by a judge when looking side on can see bent legs at any angle though!

 

[Sparky]

This used to be an issue for my dd when she was younger - but once all that conditioning started building muscle, her quads grew and the "knobby knee" effect was vastly diminished . She still has the same knees, you just don't notice them nearly as much - wonderful optical illusion!

 

[wallflower]

I'm hoping that will be the case sparky! DD's knees and feet can't both touch currently unless she and kind of puts her right knee on top of the other slightly.

 

[wallflower]

She must have good toes to do it like that! Most kids I see either 'Bross' their toes or just cop deductions for feet apart, which often can't be seen by a judge when looking side on can see bent legs at any angle though!

She definitely has to "Bross" her feet a little bit, but its not near as bad as Bross. It's definitely a problem though. She has to work really hard to make her legs look straight.

 

[iwannacoach]

Judges look at the back of the knee as well as the front, and they shouldn't take deductions for bent legs. That said, they do notice and are possibly taking a bit off their score in other areas because they just don't get that "feeling" when watching these kids do routines.

I suppose the other side of the coin favors these thin kids as they tend, if the're not frail and thin, to train more easily and have fewer impact/overuse injuries.

 

[raenndrops]

I know our coach has taken a gymnast up to the head judge at a competition and demonstrated the knobby knees problem (this girl could hyper extend her knees and they still stuck out to the front and slightly toward the middle) before a meet once because the girl was getting a lot of deductions - bent knees, legs apart, etc. Once the judge saw it she watched the warm up carefully, then talked to the other judges right before they actually started competing. She wasn't deducted nearly as bad in that meet and got personal best scores on all events. This isn't always appropriate, but in severe cases, it might be an option for the coach to try.

 

[momto8in10]

Both of my DDs have knobby knees. Even when their legs are locked at the knees, their knees still stick out, making it look like they have bent legs. Their coaches at the old gym mentioned it and this year their new coaches have mentioned that they likely will face deductions for bent knees due to this.

Is that true? Or will the judges see that these are pretty darn skinny kids, their legs aren't at an angle, so that thing protruding at their knee, while it is their knee cap, does NOT indicate that their legs aren't actually straight?

There is nothing to do for it that I know of, and I don't want to make them self conscious of it, so don't want to focus on it. But I did wonder if they indeed will be facing deductions due to it.

The title of this thread caught my eye. My daughter also has knobby knees...as a 45 lb 8 year old...no matter how hard she tries to straighten them, they stick out. Her coach spoke to me about it when she first started on team. Told me that she would probably have a hard time as a compulsory gymnast because of it, but that when she got to optionals she could make routines that were better suited to hide it.
Just last week, she nonchalantly asked me if there was anything to be done about "knobby knees"; I guess she heard one of the optional coaches saying something about her knees.
In any event, yes, she does get deductions for it. Curse me and the knees I gave her...