Parents Proud mom sharing and advice needed

[Mileyfiveandfabulous]

My 5 year old started gymnastics in September and is loving it. She is so close to getting her round off back handspring back tuck alone. She can do it on the tumble trak. She has been working so hard. She wanted to get it before she turns 6 in a few weeks but I told it, it will come when it comes. She needs to fix some little things in form but I was very proud of her last night. She is soo close to getting all her level 3 skills alone like front hip and mill.
Does anyone know any suggestions to help her to stop throwing her head back in her standing tuck? Sometimes she is fine but she does it quite often and I would hate it to become a bad habit.
http://instagram.com/p/kyHE6DQUYo/

 

[Jenny]

Go back to basics, forget doing it in a few weeks, start again and learn it right. Bad habits are much harder to correct later. Why the rush? When can she even compete it.

I would be looking to correct the round off first. Landing her round off with her feet so far apart is another bad habit hard to correct.

Then I would be looking at the back handspring and working hard to correct her turning her hands out like that. Dislocated elbows freak me out big time so it is a big no no to me.

Then I would be working on the back tuck. Lots and lots of basic drills. Lots of the tuck back drills are great fun so the kids enjoy doing them.

My motto as a coach is "train it slow to get there right". She is adorable. Enjoy her journey. And I hope she has a lovely birthday!

 

[Mileyfiveandfabulous]

I did notice that...last night was the first time she did it and turned her hands and had her feet apart in the roundoff..I could show you 100 more videos where it is correct. She was excited to do it on the floor and thus her form was incorrect when I videod. It was corrected but at first she was trying to see if she could do it. Trust me penguin arms make me nervous too. .. just proud of my 5 year old.
http://instagram.com/p/kzas-QwUSq/

 

[Midwestmommy]

She's a cutie. I would leave all this to the coaches. Make sure you are at the right gym for your child, then trust the coaches and their drills. If you are letting her do any of the above skills at home (back handsprings, tucks), time to stop.....

 

[GYM0M]

The form issues are what's preventing her from being able to perform this skill. Starting with the hurdle into her round off. She needs more power. Squatting out of the round off and back handspring take this away. Her arm spread in the BHS could be disastrous. When my DD was at a rec gym, before we started team at 5, she was throwing these skills. I thought she looked AH-mazing, but her new team coaches took her back down to round off rebounds to perfect her form. It took a while to get the issues corrected, but now, new skills come much easier and look beautiful. She is now training fulls and double pikes at 8, barely 8! So just because she starts over to perfect doesn't mean she won't be leaps and bounds ahead, but to answer your question, Therabands around the wrists and a foam block under her chin will help, but please, please understand that the skills will feel Sooooo different to a 5 year old with these that she may not be able to do them at all.

 

[gymdog]

Yup. Stop doing them. The proportions of a 5 year old make it impossible/unlikely for them to do a back tuck without doing it like that. I have never seen a single one. There is no way to correct it because she is not physiologically ready to perform this skill. Her body is not developed enough.

A reputable gymnastics coach would never have a five year old attempt this. This is reflected in the USAG program. The youngest minimum that a child would learn and attempt this is 7 or 8 IF their BHS is technically correct for years and they are physically and mentally ready.

The RO BHS shown in the video is not anywhere near technically correct. In fact what is shown in the video will likely lead to injury, if not now then later on the form of stress related injuries. I would strongly advise you to seek higher quality coaching, but I'm not sure that is a gymnastics program or coach in the video. It seems to be a cheerleading place.

 

[gracyomalley]

She looks talented and I'm sure she loves it and you love watching her - as we all do with our little ones (and the not so little ones). We have a couple of 6 year old boys are DSs gym that are competing Level 4 this year, but doing doubles in the pit, giants on strap, back fulls, etc....its amazing, but they do spend MOST of their time working the lower level fundamental skills, not the big tricks...

I do agree with the importance of firm fundamentals, but her coaches may be working on those too - I wouldn't presume to know. I do know that as my girl moves up, I can see the kids who learned skills with inexact technique and at level 8 are still doing giants and handspring vaults with bent arms, floor tumbling with feet apart and arms turned out, etc...they may be youngish for their age group, but they are scoring poorly (and I'm not talking just a bit - I'm talking about 7s without falls) and more concerning, they are going to get hurt - maybe the kind of hurt that won't go away (I met a girl with permanent wrist damage at age 7 from poor training....)....soooo....make sure that her coaches are carefully training her for the long haul, and not just wanting to see how much she can learn fast...

Enjoy your little wonder!

 

[Mileyfiveandfabulous]

Thank you for all your opinions but they are just that, opinions. I already stated that her form was corrected and not her norm. This is a skill she works on along with a PLETHORA of other skills. She is almost 6 so her form is always being corrected obviously. Every child is different. She has a great coach who knows what she is and isnt capable of and no its not a cheer gym it's a respected gym in my area. I appreciate the feedback. such negativity amd criticism. This isn't a very welcoming place overall is it.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

The posters are not giving "only opinions" They are stating fact. A 6 year old does not have the body proportions and strength necessary for those skills.

Just look at your avatar.

Her head comes just below her wrists. Stand in front of a mirror with your arms in the air - your head doesn't even come to your elbow. Body proportions are dependent on age. Fact.

They also have many years of SAFE coaching experience. They are not being negative or critical, they are being concerned and looking out for your daughters welfare from a standpoint of many years experience in the sport.

 

[Jenny]

Does anyone know any suggestions to help her to stop throwing her head back in her standing tuck? Sometimes she is fine but she does it quite often and I would hate it to become a bad habit.
http://instagram.com/p/kyHE6DQUYo/

No one is meaning to be unwelcoming. They have your daughters long term best interests at heart. You asked for suggestions to stop her chucking her head back. Experienced coaches are suggesting she take a step back and correct the mistakes in the round off and back handspring first because they are causing (or helping to cause) her to chuck her head back in the tuck. Cause and effect and biomechanics. It is what it is.

Time and talent are on her side. Use it wisely.

Do you want her to be Mileysixandshowingoff or Mileyelevenandexquisite. The fast road to broken or the slow road to success. A wise coach will not be rushing a child with talent at 5 to do moves like that. They will be focussing on basics, conditioning, flexibility, conditioning and more basics and then some more conditioning and more basics.

 

[GYM0M]

I'm not trying to be negative or critical AT ALL! I have been in your shoes with an amazingly talented little one that could turn backflip after backflip! She was a show stopper and a head turner at the age of 4! We went to a gym that was not USAG and the focus was more on cheerleading and dance instruction. We moved gyms because we thought she was ready to compete and you wouldn't have believed how far our jaws dropped when we saw our little 'phenom' getting correction on cartwheels and round offs through out practices! We even thought about moving her again! BUT we were WRONG! Her coaches started over and now she is not only a powerful young gymnast (she turned 8 a cpl weeks ago), but she now is a national TOPS team member, state beam champion, & has numerous other recognitions and awards. No doubt she could not have done this with her previous form. I recommend she correct her basics and build power not to be critical but so she can instead have a fantastic gymnastics career as she is very talented. I would also suggest training her for TOPS. She won't be able to test for at least a year which should give her plenty of time to perfect the physical abilities.

 

[Mileyfiveandfabulous]

I do agree..and those who stated things constructively I really do appreciate it..and i agree. There is a tactful way of saying things though.. but other comments like attacking her coach's teaching ability, not so much. She spends 98 percent of her time working on other things, strengthening fundamentals and the lower level skills. Presumptions aren't necessary. This was a small bit in a much larger picture. I appreciate the constructive comments but could do without some of the passive aggressive undertones.

 

[HoldThePhone]

Your daughter is obviously talented, and no doubt you're proud, anyone would be I'm still fairly new to gymnastics in general, and I also have a 5 year old. She has just started working back handsprings, and coaches held off on purpose. Several months ago her regular coach told me how tempting it is to start wanting to work with her on all these more advanced skills but they don't because it can be damaging to their future progression because of body proportions, etc. I trust that the coaches know what they're talking about, and there's no rush since she won't be competing those skills for a few years anyhow. The focus for her right now is on form and strength and I think it will definitely pay off for her.

We have another little girl in our gym, who has been doing private lessons since before age 3. She's at a point where emotionally mentally she just can't keep up, but her skills are more advanced so they can't really do anything with her but put her in a higher level than she's probably ready for. I've often wondered why this coach that is giving her privates doesn't realize this, and why she keeps giving them. She is 4 now, and I am constantly wondering; what's the rush?

 

[cbifoja]

I'm really not reading this passive aggressive tone you are mentioning. I think that you came in, very proud (rightfully so) of your little one and then got your feelings hurt when the responses weren't what you were looking for and expecting.

 

[kandkfunk]

This happens quite often on CB, not because people are unwelcoming or harsh, but because there are new parents each month with fabulously talented kids who are super proud of what their kids can do, but really have no knowledge of proper progression or safety. It's great to see such talented kids, but scary to see situations that years of experience have taught us are unsafe. Most of the perspectives you hear from this bulletin board comes from many, many years of being around gymnastics. This board hosts some of the most talented and knowledgeable coaches in the industry. Almost all of them will tell you to back off what she is doing. Not only because she needs to work on form, but because she is not physiologically ready to handle these skills correctly. There is a big difference between "getting a skill" and performing skill with proper technique to avoid injury.

There are also several parents on this board who have been in your situation only to have their talented young athlete endure a career ending back injury before their career ever really started. Some of the scariest words you can hear from a physician are Spondylosis and Spondylolisthesis. These are usually not traumatic injuries caused by a single fall, but rather a degenerative condition that can sometimes be linked back to working skills that kids are not physiologically ready to be doing. Trying googling those terms or just running a search here on CB.

So, take from this discussion what you will. She is your child and you know her best. But also, really try to see where some of these commenters are coming from. There is a wealth of experience on this board but people have to be willing to really listen to both the positive and the negative to absorb all the information that is available.

 

[LJL07]

The form issues are what's preventing her from being able to perform this skill. Starting with the hurdle into her round off. She needs more power. Squatting out of the round off and back handspring take this away. Her arm spread in the BHS could be disastrous. When my DD was at a rec gym, before we started team at 5, she was throwing these skills. I thought she looked AH-mazing, but her new team coaches took her back down to round off rebounds to perfect her form. It took a while to get the issues corrected, but now, new skills come much easier and look beautiful. She is now training fulls and double pikes at 8, barely 8! So just because she starts over to perfect doesn't mean she won't be leaps and bounds ahead, but to answer your question, Therabands around the wrists and a foam block under her chin will help, but please, please understand that the skills will feel Sooooo different to a 5 year old with these that she may not be able to do them at all.

I will ditto this. She looks pretty close to my child who is currently 6. I too thought my child was a tumbling phenom, and let's face it, being able to tumble like that at a young age is pretty impressive. I think your daughter looks amazing myself. But, my daughter's form is apparently off (tiny details) in ways we can't see as parents like the mom above pointed out.

If it makes you feel any better, the first gym we had my daughter at placed her at level one for this year, and they weren't even giving her the opportunity to up train. We moved her, and the new gym says probably level 3 next year. I think there is a back handspring in floor, but no tuck. And they want them strong on all 4 events.

Also, if your DD initially tumbled at a cheer gym, it is apparently a big difference. Again, I don't think it's anything to brush off that she can do these skills at 5. Even if her body type/proportions/whatever "aren't ready to perform the skills," I think it's huge that the lack of fear is there at this age.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Speaking as a parent of a former-wanting-to-do-backtucks-at 5 kid, I can tell you that the posters above are just trying to give you their best, expert (some are coaches) advice. When my DD switched gyms after level 7, age 10, her new coach took her back to basics on many skills. The fundamentals are important not only for form but also for safety.

I don't think anyone here is trying to be unwelcoming or negative, everyone gets what it's like to be a proud parent but we have to all let the coaches do the coaching. Good luck to you and your DD

 

[Fijiwater]

Guilty of having a phenom tumbling toddler a couple years ago. She's so much better now and way more safe! Just be sure your at a good gym and let the coaches do their job.

 

[gymdog]

If your coach is having a five year old do RO BHS back tuck like that then you have a problem. But if you are not open to any "opinions" that aren't telling you how to magically make a five year old do something physiologically impossible, then I'm not sure what advice I can give you.

And 6 year olds doing double backs? I think people are getting ages wrong. Some 9 year olds are the size of six year olds but that is still completely different. 6 years old is never close to doing double back. To state that one gym has multiple kids doing it is impossible to believe. I know done parents will come on here and say that I am saying things are impossible without giving the kids a chance or whatever, and I guarantee they will be parents. So I guess we can just agree to disagree on what is correct gymnastics form and development.

You have not posted any videos of your daughter doing BHS with form that would lead me to believe she is ready to do back tuck. I have coached more than one five year old with a roundoff back handspring, and they too WERE NOT close to ready to do correct back tucks. But I am sure if you persevere your child can learn a head out whip back close to the ground. Your question was how to correct it and the answer to that is wait until she's older. That's just the bottom line. I can't make the story different.

 

[Mileyfiveandfabulous]

If your coach is having a five year old do RO BHS back tuck like that then you have a problem. But if you are not open to any "opinions" that aren't telling you how to magically make a five year old do something physiologically impossible, then I'm not sure what advice I can give you.

And 6 year olds doing double backs? I think people are getting ages wrong. Some 9 year olds are the size of six year olds but that is still completely different. 6 years old is never close to doing double back. To state that one gym has multiple kids doing it is impossible to believe. I know done parents will come on here and say that I am saying things are impossible without giving the kids a chance or whatever, and I guarantee they will be parents. So I guess we can just agree to disagree on what is correct gymnastics form and development.

You have not posted any videos of your daughter doing BHS with form that would lead me to believe she is ready to do back tuck. I have coached more than one five year old with a roundoff back handspring, and they too WERE NOT close to ready to do correct back tucks. But I am sure if you persevere your child can learn a head out whip back close to the ground. Your question was how to correct it and the answer to that is wait until she's older. That's just the bottom line. I can't make the story different.

Being new a simple "its great she has the passion but there really is no way to correct it until she is older and her body is physically able and here are the reason why xyz....." would have sufficed. There are quite a few people who stated facts/advice politely and I do appreciate their advice and will take it into mind. We are in it for the longevity and as I stated i dont care how long it takes her to get skills. I DO want it done correctly. I found some to be condescending, judgmental, and in attack mode and yes it rubbed me the wrong way being new here.. and put me on the dedensive to be honest. So thanks for your advice to those who shared their experience and or advice without being snide, i really will take it to mind and heart but I will no longer be posting anything on here as I don't feel comfortable. Good luck to everyone's gymnasts. We wish then the best.