Parents What the heck does natural talent really mean...?

[meganliz77]

My 6 yr old DD has been in gymnastics for a year now. Her progress has been amazing to this untrained and completely biased eye of mine.... But I often am left wondering, what is it that her coaches are able to see in her that they find so special related to her gymnastics ability? Obviously she is my spunky, sparkly, sassy little love, and is 'special' to me for all of those reasons and more.


She started a year ago, and honestly was unable to go a cartwheel. One rec class and they invited her to 'fast track' and three months later she was moved to team just before 6th bday (summer bday). This fall she began competing level 3 and is now training for level 4.

The coaches at our gym do keep distance from the parents, but I gave gotten feedback from HC stating she'll never forget the first day DD walked into the gym, and that DD is one of the most naturally talented children she has ever worked with.

What does that mean in terms of gymnastics? When I watch meets I see DD being pretty comparable to the other girls she is with in my opinion. I will say that her form is always sharp and tight. She scored a high 8 on her first ever floor routine and didn't even do her ROBHS.... Must be doing something right lol... She has struggles-- last one in her group to finally get ROBHS, but worked her tail off to finally get it (and two or so weeks ago decided she was ready for 2 in a row she is an extremely hard worker.

I just am curious as to what it is that the coaches are seeing in her that makes her apparently stand out so much... And does her ability in these lower levels really give any indicator as to how she may do as she matures? (I realize whatever 'natural talent' is defined as in this sport, like any other, is only going to take someone so far). What can I do as a proud momma to nurture that supposed talent?

 

[profmom]

Encourage her to keep working hard and help her set the bar for success based on her own abilities and accomplishments (as opposed to using others as yardsticks or focusing on scores and medals). Natural talent is great, but it can make it harder for a child to handle it when fears arise or when she runs up against that one skill that's just really difficult for her. Help to give her the tools to master these moments, and then just sit back and let her coaches take her to all the magical places she can go in this sport.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

There was a kid like your dd at our old gym. We used to say she was made out of springs, rather than the stuff ordinary people or made of. Physically, we would describe her as a freak of nature, she was SUPER strong, especially in her upper body where many struggle. She was fast...everything she did just looked like it was in "fast forward" motion compared to others in her training group. She was naturally tight from toes to finger tips and very flexible. I've seen discussions of "fast twitch" muscles on this forum, and this girl was most definitely "fast twitch"! She made everything look easy. She started younger than your daughter and competed AAU L5 (old L5) at six years old. By they time she was 7, she had the most advanced skills at our small, non USA gym.

All that said, she was also a little immature emotionally. Her rapid success made it difficult for her to do as well when the skills got harder. She wasn't ready to deal with the stress. (at about 8 years old learning L7 skills) Don't get me wrong, she is still VERY talented, and has great future in this sport. I just echo the sentiment that your role in supporting her and not getting too caught up in the excitement of her talent could go a long way in helping her reach her full potential. As good as she is, she will compete against others based on age. A seven year old L4 is talented. Period. So it may seem like she is just average when you compare her to the competition. So try to avoid comparing. Yep, she is talented, and may have possibilities not available to less talented. But, she will need her parents to stay sane and grounded in reality.

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[meganliz77]

I'm even more worried about hubby getting caught up in the talent he keeps hearing about...that's a challenge! I'm still trying to figure it all out and 'see' what the fuss is about! But I guess that's why I'm not a coach, right?! Lol...

I can see that she gets frustrated when a new skill is 'harder' to learn, but one thing she doesn't lack is determination. When she gets it... She seems to get it really well (again based on my untrained eye)..I try to reassure her that her hard work will continue to pay off for her, and remind her of how far she has come in such a short time...

As far as comparing her to others-- well I just do that trying to understand this all--- I never ever speak to her about those types of things and really try to foster a 'team' attitude in her. She is an intense little girl and rarely lacks confidence (nothing like my oldest DD), therefore I am careful about what I say and how I say it-- if that makes any sense. I know he coaches like her spunky personality and attitude but it is something that could easily be an in likable characteristic if encouraged improperly.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

Sounds like you have a great perspective and are handling things well. There are also some great threads here about nutrition, balancing school and gym, and doing (or not doing) "gym" at home. Lots of ideas about how to best support your little one's passion for this sport. Number one in my book is making sure you are at a gym that can support her goals and potential. You're okay for now, but within the next year you need to make sure you are comfortable where she is. It only gets harder to move as she gets older. There are several really good threads on how to evaluate your current gym.

Another story, different girl, later start in the sport but similar level of ability. Dad got excited, scheduled weekly privates, started watching WAAAAY too much practice, and questioned every decision the coaches made. He made everyone miserable, coaches, other parents, and possibly his own daughter. He is a nice man who means well...but doesn't understand that at this age and stage it's way to early to tell how the story will end. So, try to get your dh to visit this forum as well. Getting info from great people who have been where you are will help keep the "crazies" at bay!

Dad can certainly enjoy filming her occasionally and showing off to friends and family. They will be impressed, as they should be!

 

[meganliz77]

Darn Auto correct-- "un-likable"...

 

[meganliz77]

Thankfully he only goes to practice very occasionally! He doesn't read much more than Craigslist-- so I share in nuggets with him what I am learning here and hoping something sticks and also thankfully I don't think he would ever step on coaches toes because honestly the only things we 'know' is from watching DD and learning thru her!! this site and everyone's feedback has been very helpful!

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Best advice ever,,,, Let her be, drop and run.

 

[3LittleGymmies]

My older daughter (9) is a very good gymnast, but I would not say that she was "born to be a gymnast". She trains hard, so she is strong - but it's not a "natural" strength. She is very flexible, but doesn't always use it to the best of her ability when it comes to the actual skills. She loves it, but she isn't super competitive and has no "inner desire" to get new skills before the other girls or get ahead faster. She is very much a perfectionist when it comes to her lines and the dance elements, but she doesn't learn new skills quickly. She also has fear that holds her back sometimes. Her younger sister just turned 6, and she is naturally strong. She LOVES the strength side of gymnastics and gets "fire in her eyes" and wants to be the best and do the next hardest thing. I could see her doing really well in TOP's if our gym offered it. She hesitates sometimes, however, if she's not sure if she is doing something right because she wants it to be perfect... and that holds her back sometimes. She can't run to save her life, but we're working on that. Now, their youngest sister (almost 3)... has the most "serious gymnast" potential of the three of them. She has the flexibility of our oldest daughter, the natural strength of the daughter discussed above (seriously, it's unreal), and unlike both of them - she is absolutely fearless. No fear at all. She has a lot of trust in what she can do or thinks she can do (ha), and it's kind of amazing to watch when you have never had a little gymnast quite like that. She scares me the most . She also has an incredible memory for her age and remembers on her own when she is supposed to take a step, put her legs together, put her arms by her ears, squeeze, etc. It's very impressive. She is also extremely fast. She is also totally brainwashed by her older sisters, so that doesn't help - ha! She is already talking about gold medals. She is not even in gymnastics yet, because I'm struggling with adding more zero's to our checks each month and my older daughter's team coach has admitted that she doesn't even know what they would "do with her" at this point, because she is well beyond the pre-team group that correlates to her age, but her age is her age and she can't really be moved to an older group yet, either. So for now, she monkeys around at home and learns from her two doting big gymnast sisters. But it's definitely going to be interesting when she finally starts (after we win the lottery...). I never used to understand what being a "natural" meant either, but I kind of get it now that we have more than one child involved in gymnastics. They are all very different... but at the same time, they all love gymnastics and that's what matters the most to me as their mom.

 

[meganliz77]

Best advice ever,,,, Let her be, drop and run.

Oooooooo..... THAT's hard!!! I love watching all the girls!!! I only watch an hour a week out of the 8 she's practicing... And in the summer I don't get to watch at all!!! Which was really neat this last year because then I was able to see so much progress!

 

[cbifoja]

Oooooooo..... THAT's hard!!! I love watching all the girls!!! I only watch an hour a week out of the 8 she's practicing... And in the summer I don't get to watch at all!!! Which was really neat this last year because then I was able to see so much progress!

Do what you want. She's your kid. You are part of her support system. As long as you aren't trying to coach her and she's not upset by your being there, I say enjoy it while you can!

 

[vagymmomma]

Gymnastics is a long-term sports with all kinds of challenges. The challenge, and the beauty, of this sport is there is always a new skill to learn. I think it's fairly easy for coaches to spot a child with the right physical gifts, but it's the intangible side that can't be measured except with time. Puberty (and the resulting grow spurts that come with it) can create all kinds of issues. Fear issues where there were none before, shape challenges because they have to pike more on bars, etc. There's another post about how many girls make it from L4 to seniors in high high school. The top 2 girls on DD's team (based on scores) in L4 are no longer in the sport. Enjoy the ride but be prepared for plenty of twists and turns.

And I assure that as your child and the time at the gym grows, the urge to be there day after day for hours on end will wane. Some times it's best not to watch as they learn scarier skills.

 

[sce]

Do what you want. She's your kid. You are part of her support system. As long as you aren't trying to coach her and she's not upset by your being there, I say enjoy it while you can!

I agree with this. Watching some does not make you a CGM. The sport is fun to watch. Me dd and many of her classmates love when Mom sees them get a new skill. Sometimes one of the other Moms sees and has to alert the child's Mom to watch or pretend to have seen it.

 

[Fijiwater]

Did your daughter make the other kids in that rec class look like they just learned to walk? She's probably coordinated, muscular, brave, and very smart. Bela Karoyli said coaches can start to notice talent and potential in girls as young as 4 or 5. Here's a link where some elite coaches talk about talent.

http://www.coreperformance.com/dail...-your-daughter-can-be-an-olympic-gymnast.html

 

[cbifoja]

I've been fortunate enough to video girls doing some of those key skills for the first time. I actually had a mom get tears in her eyes when she saw her DD flip a tsuk for the first time. She was really touched to get to see such an important skill in her daughter. There was nothing negative about it. The coach invited me in at my DD's request. The gymnast asked me to tape her and then to email it to her mom. And when I showed it to her mom in the gym, she thought it was wonderful.

It was actually kind of nice to watch the mom and daughter enjoying the video together.

 

[meganliz77]

Did your daughter make the other kids in that rec class look like they just learned to walk? She's probably coordinated, muscular, brave, and very smart. Bela Karoyli said coaches can start to notice talent and potential in girls as young as 4 or 5. Here's a link where some elite coaches talk about talent.

http://www.coreperformance.com/dail...-your-daughter-can-be-an-olympic-gymnast.html

Yuppers!!! That would be her!!

 

[Faith]

Talent means different things to different coaches. Some like them flexible with natural form, some like the adventurous nutters, others like the short muscular type, others want kids that are coachable, or the hard workers.

If it were me I'd give all the above a chance. I don't think you can spot talent at 8 or 9. But most gyms don't have the capacity to train every vaguely co-ordinated kid so a coach will pick the type he likes best.

Apart from the physical there is also the psychological. That is probably the more important "talent", and is much, much harder to see...

 

[Quadqueen]

I like the last part where Bela Karolyi said any coach who tells a very young kid that they could realistically represent their country in international competition is doing a disservice. I always wonder about the CB folks who post and say "my DD's coach said she is super talented and is going to go so far!" because I feel like a reputable coach would never make such promises. There are so many things that change a gymnast's path.

 

[Midwestmommy]

I agree. I think for a lot of JO team picking its a pretty cracked crystal ball and just preference of types they like to coach, and it's sell-fulfilling. The ones that get the conditioning, hours and good coaching of course do better. With that said, of the many team girls at our gym there are two that you can just tell, at least this year with their current little bodies, seem to have a dose of really natural talent. They just pick up things super fast and do them well, the type that tried a kip and basically had it in a week. With that said, will these two go farther than the other kids out there. Way too early to know, maybe, maybe not. they sure are fun to watch though!

 

[profmom]

I've told this story before, but my daughter's teammate who won L9 bars at regionals last year did not have a strong start in the sport; she was toward the bottom of the middle of the pack. And the most talented kid in my kids' gym in recent years -- serious potential for national team membership was quite evident in this L9 boy -- walked out of the gym last June for good. He is now an OK football player.

It's a long way from talent to exceptional outcomes, and talent is not always evident when they're little. The most important thing is for the parents to provide a solid support team as they travel this marathon at the pace that's best for them.