WAG Toddler gymnastics - headstands

[Learning Parent GB]

I know as a child I was always trying to stand on my head so this might sound like a daft question. My friend has just started taking her 2 year old to a gymnastics class - parent and child type thing run by a local club (but not the club that my children go to). One of the things they practice is doing headstands and she asked if it was a safe thing to do with young children. I have absolutely no idea. If it had been bridge I would have known the answer from here! So, can anyone tell me, is it a good plan for a just turned 2 year old to be practicing headstands?

Thanks.

 

[Redford]

I don't really know, I've seen kids do it out of own drive but they don't usually put all their weight onto their head. I suppose it's more a developmental stage of figuring out up and down.
However I don't feel like they should be praticing skills at all at that age. The kid is 2. He/She should be running, rolling and jumping around learning how to manage his/her body parts, how to socially interact and just generally have fun.
I see no benefit of pushing towards actual gymnastics skills at that point.

 

[coachmolly]

I don't even do headstands with my 4 year old pre-school class, they just scare me. I've seen other coaches attempt them and the kids don't get the concept and end up rolling all over the place with their heads/necks in awkward positions. I steer clear until they have more body control. But that's personal opinion, I don't know if there is a designated age/developmental stage when headstands are deemed acceptable.
I know I have some 4 year olds who probably are developmentally ready for a tripod type skill, but I just choose not to mess with them.

 

[gymdog]

The USAG stance in this is that headstands are developmentally appropriate for preschoolers. Should be in U100 or something. It can be difficult to get them to do it though. Toddlers can do very little in gymnastics. They also always go on their heads. Personally I doubt a kid will get injured by it because balancing on their heads seems to be a natural movement pattern for them. That said like any gymnastics it has to be supervised and monitored.

I teach head stands starting about age 4. 2-3 classes need very basic movements. 4 year olds can start learning more technique.

 

[3gymgirls]

Our toddler and preschool classes do them against a wall with coach assistance. It is a few seconds at a time with the goal of them landing on their feet and not their knees.

 

[dani4]

My 3.9 year old has been in gymnastics since 18 months and has never been taught to do a headstand, though she has done plenty of handstands (with legs on a wall or on a tall mat). 6 year old hasn't done headstands either (and she's done gym since 3.5). I don't know if there's a safety issue- seems that it would be hard to get them to do it without straining their neck.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

We don't do head stands with toddlers or other rec gymnasts. Too much of a strain on their necks.

 

[Vivianflips]

My chiropractor and old coach both agreed that you should only do headstands if you can lift your head up while doing them and stay balance on your hands. If you know what I'm saying. When you can do that, the strain is not on your neck but your hands. So my short answer would be no, a toddler should not be doing them as they would be putting a lot of pressure on their head and neck.

 

[Aussie_coach]

No way, headstands are not safe for toddlers. In fact in Australia they are banned at all levels. When I did my coaches course with Gymnastics Australia many years ago. That was the very first thing taught, never do headstands.

 

[Learning Parent GB]

Thank you for the replies. Quite an interesting mix of opinions too. The class is generally fun and they do songs and activities but the headstand thing was just one of them. I'm still not sure what I think.
My earliest memory involves me trying to do headstands. I had a single stitch in my head aged 2 and I thought they had put a nail in to hold it together. By my reasoning I then had a flat bit on the top of my head and it would be easier to do headstands. My poor mother was less than impressed!

 

[coachmolly]

No way, headstands are not safe for toddlers. In fact in Australia they are banned at all levels. When I did my coaches course with Gymnastics Australia many years ago. That was the very first thing taught, never do headstands.

I was starting to worry I was doing my kids a disservice not teaching headstands, glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like teaching them. I once worked with a coach who told a group of 4 year olds to do headstands on their own. He explained how to do them, but could obviously only assist one child at a time. The kids were flopping all over and were not enjoying the process, that was enough for me to decide it's just not worth it.

 

[gymdog]

Well headstand definitely aren't banned or even discouraged by USA gymnastics. Although none of the current girls compulsory routines have them, there is still a headstand press in the current level 4 boys base routine (the bonus is to do a handstand press or stalder). So apparently USA gymnastics and Gymnastics Australia are at odds on this issue.

If you take the developmental courses in the USAG university they have a part about headstands not being restricted for preschools because they serve a developmental and progressive purpose. It's also an allowable acro skill in the lower Xcel levels. Head stands are also used in the WAG developmental coaches coaches and MAG essential elements as a progression for a forward head spring which is a progression for the vault and handspring ending positions.

So, is it safe for preschool? It's not any more or less safe for other things when proper technique is taken into account. CoachMolly, it sounds like you certainly observed a problematic approach to the skill. However, had he told the children to practice handstands, you likely would have observed similar things. Had he told the children to practice pullovers on the bars, you would have surely observed problems. So, was it the skill, or was it the teaching technique? I can assure you with my teaching technique the average 4 year can do the proper positioning for headstand and head and achieve a straight supported position. For the boys this is necessary again because it is an element in the level 3 and 4 routines.

 

[gymdog]

Well headstand definitely aren't banned or even discouraged by USA gymnastics. Although none of the current girls compulsory routines have them, there is still a headstand press in the current level 4 boys base routine (the bonus is to do a handstand press or stalder). So apparently USA gymnastics and Gymnastics Australia are at odds on this issue.

If you take the developmental courses in the USAG university they have a part about headstands not being restricted for preschools because they serve a developmental and progressive purpose. It's also an allowable acro skill in the lower Xcel levels. Head stands are also used in the WAG developmental coaches coaches and MAG essential elements as a progression for a forward head spring which is a progression for the vault and handspring ending positions.

So, is it safe for preschool? It's not any more or less safe for other things when proper technique is taken into account. CoachMolly, it sounds like you certainly observed a problematic approach to the skill. However, had he told the children to practice handstands, you likely would have observed similar things. Had he told the children to practice pullovers on the bars, you would have surely observed problems. So, was it the skill, or was it the teaching technique? I can assure you with my teaching technique the average 4 year can do the proper positioning for headstand and head and achieve a straight supported position. For the boys this is necessary again because it is an element in the level 3 and 4 routines.

Also - there are some 4 year olds that CAN'T do it because they don't have the head, neck and shoulder control. That is fine and it's pretty obvious. Generally if they can do correct forward and backward rolls downhill, they will have the correct control. As well as straight jumping. If the child has an incomplete rolling pattern, lack of stability when jumping straight, etc, then they are not solid enough to do it. But most of my 4 year olds can.

 

[curlymop]

Also - there are some 4 year olds that CAN'T do it because they don't have the head, neck and shoulder control. That is fine and it's pretty obvious. Generally if they can do correct forward and backward rolls downhill, they will have the correct control. As well as straight jumping. If the child has an incomplete rolling pattern, lack of stability when jumping straight, etc, then they are not solid enough to do it. But most of my 4 year olds can.

I agree that most 4 year olds can safely practice headstands. My younger boys both learned them at 5 years old when they started learning the L4 routines. My youngest had trouble keeping a tight enough body to do them when he first started trying (when he was 4), but I never felt like it was unsafe.

The OP was referring to a class of 2 year olds, though. At that age, their heads are larger in proportion to the rest of their body, and it seems to me like that could pose more of a danger.

 

[curlymop]

Also, just to play devil's advocate, I'm not sure that a skill being included in a compulsory routine is evidence that it's safe. I wasn't too thrilled when my 6yo son started learning dive rolls for the L5 routine. But I guess a lot of that depends on whether proper progressions and technique are used.

 

[Sari]

I'm with gymdog on this one. And I'd much rather see toddlers practising proper headstands at the gym than at home!

Over here (I feel like I'm implying I live in outer space or something, haha), they scratched headstands from the girls' (easier, not age-restricted) compulsory programme but the boys still have it in a routine. If the support is coming from the hands and no one is forcing a child to put immense quantaties of strain on their neck, I don't see a problem with the skill (and this includes the itsy-bitsies).

Also, just to play devil's advocate, I'm not sure that a skill being included in a compulsory routine is evidence that it's safe. I wasn't too thrilled when my 6yo son started learning dive rolls for the L5 routine. But I guess a lot of that depends on whether proper progressions and technique are used.

Now dive rolls are another story, lol! I dislike teaching them and my little ones are afraid of raising their arms and opening up their hips in the air. It's in their routine though, so I have no choice but to suck it up and do thousands of drills.

 

[gymdog]

The OP was referring to a class of 2 year olds, though. At that age, their heads are larger in proportion to the rest of their body, and it seems to me like that could pose more of a danger.

Some programs have 2 year olds do supported head stands, and per USAG, that's okay. Personally for 2 and 3 year old classes I focus on movements the children can easily do by themselves in a circuit, in order to keep them moving and develop strength and coordination. Headstand doesn't fall into that because unless the child has a one to one buddy, it takes too many steps of correct technique for them to recall and perform. So it would not be developmentally appropriate for this class.

However, I have two 3 year old and one 2 going on 3 year old in 4-5 year old classes. These children are far more advanced than their peers on recall and body control. That is why they participate with the older class. And they can do supported headstands.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

after 4. and if it matters, we have brought kids up to level 10 and Elite and they never did a headstand as a part of their curriculum. just sayin...