Parents Unsure what to do and need some advice

[Ex member]

I am looking for some advice about my 6 year old dd, she currently takes 2 rec sessions a week as she loves going after giving up her place on the competitive cheerleading squad ( which I am happy with as I feel she is too young ) saying she wants to do gymnastics.

My dd has been what I call doing dangerous things while her coach is not looking, today while they where on the bars doing a forward roll of it she would hang over the bar with her belly and take her hands off the bar and just hang there, what's bothering me is that there are other girls queuing waiting for their turn and dd could be accidentally knocked off causing as nasty fall.

Other things she has been doing is whist jumping from higher (2 foot high plus) she doesn't bend her legs ( she is capable of doing so) when she lands and she seams to look rigid and she pitches forward. I am worried she will hurt her legs and tip forward. She is also rushing through things a lot and dances around a lot.

DD has young coaches for rec and once she got the head coach and she done really well with none of the above behaviour.

Any advice on what to do about the situation before she hurts herself or someone else. Dd has said that she wants to go in the " good group" a development / advanced rec group. I have told her that when she continues to behave they way she does that will not happen or will I allow it to happen.

I have had a chat with Dd as to wether she still wants to do gym and wether she still enjoys it or not and she says she wants to carry on and loves it. I have told her if she carriers on being naughty or silly in the gym I will cut down her sessions or stop her going altogether.

I am wondering if she is bored in rec gym after doing squad cheerleading at the gym, she is more than capable of doing well at gym and she has showed that when she worked with the head coach but for some reason doesn't show that with the junior coaches. I have told her to make sure that she behaves well and works hard with the younger coaches as I don't want to pay for her to muck about when she can do that at a soft play place.

 

[EastCoastGymMom]

Sounds like a normal six year old gymnast in rec class to me, but maybe I'm not getting the full story about her behavior in class. You should definitely talk to her coach if you think your dd is in a dangerous situation though. You can only expect so much out of a six year old! Hopefully the coach can keep a closer eye on her if necessary.

 

[cbifoja]

Sounds like you have a brave and energetic little girl. Embrace it! My daughter, as a little bitty, used to stand on the vault table and launch herself into the pit. This is when she was still in preschool. She's graduated up to standing on the high bar and doing the "trust fall" into the pit.

And the belly hang isn't naughty! All of our girls do it. It looks painful to me but my DD assures me it isn't and it is the most convenient way to adjust your grips once you're up on the high bar.

Seriously, she sounds very normal! Naughty is backtalking the coach, running in front of tumbling passes, hitting others, or leaving a big mess behind after break.

 

[gymmomtotwo]

I've watched dd and her teammates do the bar upside down thing many times. She is 6. She jumps up and down in excitement between turns. She also has four hour practices and is very disciplined, but she's still a little girl. I trust her coaches to set the rules. I'd let it go. Kids do that bar thing on the playground all the time with no mats. I'd let her be and let the coaches handle it.

 

[htimcj]

The upside down thing on the bar is really common. Everyone in dd gym does it. They get up there and then just hang on their bellies! Scared me the first time I saw it too. Now it just looks uncomfortable!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[gwenmom]

The upside down thing on the bar is really common. Everyone in dd gym does it. They get up there and then just hang on their bellies! Scared me the first time I saw it too. Now it just looks uncomfortable!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using ChalkBucket mobile app

Hanging like this is DDs and her BFFs favorite way to take a break. Usually next to each other on the same bar in the break between conditioning set. I often wonder how they can talk so much to each other with that bar pushing into their stomachs

 

[BlairBob]

One of the things we do for proper landings is stick jump landings. I think we called it "Tower of Doom" or "Death drop" or "Leap of Faith". Boys like games with these names.

Basically using mats we build taller and taller things to step off and land. Landings must be stuck perfectly 3x to move up a mat or 1/2 mat. No wobble, hold for 2s, no steps.

Gets real fun when you have to start building something to use to climb to get up to the top.

GUTS.

 

[Ex member]

Thanks for the replies and putting my mind at rest, I think the thing that was most bothering me was the way she jumps of things and forgets to bend her legs. I think yesterday was just one of those days and i wanted a bit of a rant as dd got really whiny and cried a the slightest thing yesterday after gym - she has got a really teary lately when things don't go her way and she can really strop, I am hoping its just her age and she grows out of it.

Going back to her landings is there anyway I can explain it to her so she understands what I am talking about, she is quite rigid when jumping of the vault most of the time as well, she is not what I call bouncy and just clonks around even though she is a tiny skinny little thing that can run fast and is quite strong - she can hold slightly supported handstand holds for 40 seconds - she beats her previous score every time she does it.

 

[iwannacoach]

She's 6 years old. You've got nothing to worry about for at least a year unless she starts eating more than her fair share of chalk.

 

[gymmomtotwo]

The only times that our little preteam girls have gotten hurt in the past two years is when they go on a piece of equipment that they aren't supposed to be on behind the coaches back. Both got broken arms from going on the high bar without permission from the coach. So if you see her climbing unsupervised on equipment she is not supposed to be on, that is when I'd get involved and call her out.

 

[gymdog]

Yeah, I don't really think she's likely to get injured from what you describe. I would continue to give her verbal cues that are consistent before class, like 2 things max she should concentrate on like always looking forward in the line and waiting after she goes for the coach to correct her.

 

[Ex member]

Thanks for the reassurances, I am just a worry wort at times lol. Dd is just a ball of energy and she seems to get more dare devil lately and has started to climb around more at home such as climbing and walking along tops of armchairs and is always jumping to front supports on any high flat surfaces like she would on bars at gym.

I think I am finding it frustrating with her at the moment because she wants to move out of rec to a development class but I am thinking that all the mucking about would hurt her chances.

Going back to her landings - I am wondering if the way she lands has anything to do with the way she puts weight on her feet - like I said before she is heavy footed for a tiny light girl, she was jumping about this morning and she had the idea to land more on the fronts of her feet instead of the heel if you know what I mean and to the untrained eye it already looks a lot better and less rigid and looks more lighter if you get what I am saying.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

It takes time - she's six. At six Pink and Fluffy had never done gym and physically couldn't jump ! Seriously - we had to teach her to jump off the ground ! Vault was a nightmare - plod plod plod CRASH ! Now its her best event. Progression in gymnastics is not linear - its flat for ages then exponential. All will be fine - just keep her from jumping off the furniture at home - that's a trip to A&E waiting to happen ( I know of what I speak )

 

[Flossyduck]

Have they got round to doing a squat onto a block, walk across and jump off? It's the basic beginner 'vault' they tend to learn first and compete as beginners. If she has, ask her how her coach has told her to land when jumping off the block or anything like that. She should be able to show you. My kids learnt it as the "zombie sitting on a toilet" position! Arms out front, knees bent, back straight. BUT She's probably also been told to try and keep her legs straight about a million other times on every other skill. So she's probably just figuring it all out. In my experience, most six year olds look pretty clumsy and heavy footed when they jump about, yes even the little gymmies, and the coaches will teach her the right way to land when the time comes. What she's doing on the furniture - well I think we've all been there!!

 

[Flossyduck]

And yes to what Margo said (our posts crossed). My dd didn't start gym til she was nearly 7 and she looked soooo ungainly when she started, thumping about. I could see the team girls in the background and I completely believed that there was no way she would ever get that good and that they must have started as embryo's, but then it just happens... She will get there and it sounds as though she is trying hard and has passion.

 

[Ex member]

Thanks for the replies..

DD is not allowed to climb on the furniture, but she will try and get away with it when she thinks we are not looking lol.
Basic Vault is being taught, so far they have been learning a squat on and then walk across the block with correct form standing tall walking on tip toes with arms outstretched and pretty hands and then then have being working a jumping off and landing with knees bent and arms stretched in front and then finish in a pose, in her last session they had a go at running along the track, taking a step and jumping of the springboard with 2 feet on to a block without using hands. Dd will land nicely when in front of the coach but tends to rush through when doing it with out the coach, I guess that's just her age lol.

I think most of the frustration comes when I watch her, sometimes I think wow and sometimes I grimace at the things she does in the gym depending on what she does and if she is on the station of the circuit where the coach is or not, I don't sit and watch her constantly but do have a peak from time to time.

One thing I have noticed about dd from sometimes watching no sometimes from what she tells me is how much she enjoys getting picked to demonstrate, her favourite is bars and beam is bottom of her list, she would prefer to just do bar and floor and maybe vault but would drop beam if she had her way, it would be nice if they could learn and train in what they are most interested in.

 

[cbifoja]

her favourite is bars and beam is bottom of her list, she would prefer to just do bar and floor and maybe vault but would drop beam if she had her way

That is because your dd is a very very smart girl.

I am convinced that in the deepest pits of hell, surrounded by the hottest fires stands one balance beam.



Sent from my LGL55C using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[dani4]

My daughter, as a little bitty, used to stand on the vault table and launch herself into the pit. This is when she was still in preschool.

My two year old does that! Woo hoo! She also climbs up the tree and can't quite figure out how to climb down so she usually just hangs and jumps (not too high, but still kind of impressive for a not-quite 2 1/2 year old). I can't imagine 6... I thought maybe she would calm down but it doesn't sound like the typical pattern.

 

[Ex member]

Dd also used to launch herself off the vaulting tables into the pit when I took her to mummy & me classes, being so tiny for her age didn't seem to bother her and it still doesn't.

 

[mouey77]

Sounds just like my 6 yr old. That's why we put her in gymnastics in the first place. You are definitely not alone!