DS is six and is doing his second year of a one hour rec class. At his age he spends half his time in class pretending to be a Ninja or rescuing people from the "pit monster", but he also really loves the gymnastics. Now that his older sister is on the Xcel team he's been asking me when he can join a boys team. I'm open to him giving that a try down the road, but our gym doesn't have a boys team. At what age do boys generally begin team gymnastics? Is there an average for hours a week they train? Any tips on things I should look for in a boys program?
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Sasha
Proud Parent
That's great he is looking for a team experience. Boy gymnasts rock 
I have an 8 year old on team. He started pre-team at 5 (almost 6). Here are some tips from my experience and from reading on here...
Boys can start team gymnastics "late" (later than girls to be competitive) and still have a great and competitive gymnastics experience. This is because the men don't 'peak' in their muscular development until age 18+ and the elite men are still skill-building well into their 20's. So starting at 9 or 10 as a first year competitor on a team is quite common, even later. That said, the most competitive kids are usually starting some kind of pre-team around age 4-6. But a later starter can catch up since the competitive road is long for boys.
Boys are at perhaps higher risk than many girls for dropping out of gymnastics as so many other sports pull them away. Building a crazy-strong body from gymnastics training makes you better at soccer, football, baseball, track, etc., and by the time gymnastics gets more serious (requiring 4-5 days training a week) many boys realize they cannot continue to balance gym and their other favorite sport, and drop gym. For this reason, the TEAM at the gym is key. The boys need that team-bonding to keep them in the sport. Look for a gym that has older boys on team to look up to, and enough younger kids (your boy's age) to bond with. How your son relates to the Coach is also key. Try out a program to see if the coach brings out his best and makes him feel good about himself, yet is also firm and provides structure (kids not running all over the place doing dangerous stuff).
As for hours, your son might start on pre-team (or possibly in a level 4 group if he has developed good skills from Rec). Likely pre-team is 3-5 hours per week, and will go up from there. Roughly, Level 4 (the first boy's level for most gyms) might be 6-9 hours of practice per week, level 5 might be 6-12 hours per week, and level 6 10-14 hours, etc.
Note there is not currently an "Xcel" type track for boys, so unless you have something regionally that is unique, there is only the JO track, which is usually higher commitment (hours-wise) than girls Xcel.
Gymnastics is soooo great for boys! Good luck finding the right fit!
I have an 8 year old on team. He started pre-team at 5 (almost 6). Here are some tips from my experience and from reading on here...
Boys can start team gymnastics "late" (later than girls to be competitive) and still have a great and competitive gymnastics experience. This is because the men don't 'peak' in their muscular development until age 18+ and the elite men are still skill-building well into their 20's. So starting at 9 or 10 as a first year competitor on a team is quite common, even later. That said, the most competitive kids are usually starting some kind of pre-team around age 4-6. But a later starter can catch up since the competitive road is long for boys.
Boys are at perhaps higher risk than many girls for dropping out of gymnastics as so many other sports pull them away. Building a crazy-strong body from gymnastics training makes you better at soccer, football, baseball, track, etc., and by the time gymnastics gets more serious (requiring 4-5 days training a week) many boys realize they cannot continue to balance gym and their other favorite sport, and drop gym. For this reason, the TEAM at the gym is key. The boys need that team-bonding to keep them in the sport. Look for a gym that has older boys on team to look up to, and enough younger kids (your boy's age) to bond with. How your son relates to the Coach is also key. Try out a program to see if the coach brings out his best and makes him feel good about himself, yet is also firm and provides structure (kids not running all over the place doing dangerous stuff).
As for hours, your son might start on pre-team (or possibly in a level 4 group if he has developed good skills from Rec). Likely pre-team is 3-5 hours per week, and will go up from there. Roughly, Level 4 (the first boy's level for most gyms) might be 6-9 hours of practice per week, level 5 might be 6-12 hours per week, and level 6 10-14 hours, etc.
Note there is not currently an "Xcel" type track for boys, so unless you have something regionally that is unique, there is only the JO track, which is usually higher commitment (hours-wise) than girls Xcel.
Gymnastics is soooo great for boys! Good luck finding the right fit!
samsmama
Proud Parent
There are lots of really experienced boy moms around here, come hang out with us on the Men's Gymnastics forum!
I only have about a year and a half of experience as the mom of a gymnast, but I'm happy to share what I can. Boys can start competing as young as 6, and some will be on pre-team even younger, so your son is at a good age to start. My son started at 7, did two months of pre-team, a year of Level 4, and is now a Level 5; every gym will have different practices around what is required to start competing and when they move up.
As for hours, that will vary too. My son did 4 hours/week on pre-team; 8-9 as a L4; and now trains 12 hours/week (3 practices).
I only have about a year and a half of experience as the mom of a gymnast, but I'm happy to share what I can. Boys can start competing as young as 6, and some will be on pre-team even younger, so your son is at a good age to start. My son started at 7, did two months of pre-team, a year of Level 4, and is now a Level 5; every gym will have different practices around what is required to start competing and when they move up.
As for hours, that will vary too. My son did 4 hours/week on pre-team; 8-9 as a L4; and now trains 12 hours/week (3 practices).
samsmama
Proud Parent
Sure! Always happy to help recruit another boy gymnast.
What Sasha said about boys starting older is definitely true. At our Level 4 meets last year the 8- and 9-year-old age groups were huge; in our area that is clearly a popular age to start competing! There were slightly fewer 7-year-olds and only a dozen or so 6-year-olds. As an 8-yr-old Level 5, DS is always in the youngest age bracket.
What Sasha said about boys starting older is definitely true. At our Level 4 meets last year the 8- and 9-year-old age groups were huge; in our area that is clearly a popular age to start competing! There were slightly fewer 7-year-olds and only a dozen or so 6-year-olds. As an 8-yr-old Level 5, DS is always in the youngest age bracket.
l.c.o
Proud Parent
Hi!
My DS is going on 9 and this will be his first season of level 4. He was invited to team at age 6, but after trying it for a week, he wasn't ready. He took a break for some 9 months, then begged to go back to join team.
I was skeptical but figured why not try? At that point he was almost 7.5, so we did two rec classes/wk until they started a new preteam group about 7 months later. Rec was, by our design, two 75 minute classes, and preteam was two 90 minute classes. He spent about 4-5 months on preteam before they converted all of those boys to "team" last spring and his hours increased to 2 hrs 3 days per week. He's now going 7 hours/wk and starts competing later this month. He's loving it, and is a very median age for the boys in his group.
The rec-to-team process seemed way simpler, quicker, and far less stressful for my DS than my DD.
I'd maybe start looking into other nearby gyms and see what they have to offer. Don't be afraid to be up front when you call. Explain you have a team-interested boy (with an Xcel sibling at gym XYZ) who maybe isn't ready yet, but would like to eventually compete. I did this, as my DD's (JO) former gym had recently disbanded their boys program when DD was asking to go back. Anyway, this way if the gym is weird about sharing team families (some are), you'll know that right off the bat, and you can also find the best starting point for him within a given gym's system. Sometimes gyms are hush-hush and have "secret" class offerings that are maybe even sometimes in the brochure (but always "full") for rec kids gearing up for team. I know DD's current gym used to do this (unsure of today, but she was in one of those!), though this may be less likely for boys. Good luck!!
My DS is going on 9 and this will be his first season of level 4. He was invited to team at age 6, but after trying it for a week, he wasn't ready. He took a break for some 9 months, then begged to go back to join team.
I was skeptical
but figured why not try? At that point he was almost 7.5, so we did two rec classes/wk until they started a new preteam group about 7 months later. Rec was, by our design, two 75 minute classes, and preteam was two 90 minute classes. He spent about 4-5 months on preteam before they converted all of those boys to "team" last spring and his hours increased to 2 hrs 3 days per week. He's now going 7 hours/wk and starts competing later this month. He's loving it, and is a very median age for the boys in his group.The rec-to-team process seemed way simpler, quicker, and far less stressful for my DS than my DD.
I'd maybe start looking into other nearby gyms and see what they have to offer. Don't be afraid to be up front when you call. Explain you have a team-interested boy (with an Xcel sibling at gym XYZ) who maybe isn't ready yet, but would like to eventually compete. I did this, as my DD's (JO) former gym had recently disbanded their boys program when DD was asking to go back. Anyway, this way if the gym is weird about sharing team families (some are), you'll know that right off the bat, and you can also find the best starting point for him within a given gym's system. Sometimes gyms are hush-hush and have "secret" class offerings that are maybe even sometimes in the brochure (but always "full") for rec kids gearing up for team. I know DD's current gym used to do this (unsure of today, but she was in one of those!), though this may be less likely for boys. Good luck!!
profmom
Proud Parent
Most boys' teams are really happy to hear about another potential team member. Go for it! It's a great sport for boys. My guy's first competitive season was as a seven year old. Most boys' programs do not do the crazy hours for little guys. DS was in the gym around five hours a week at L4 and his hours didn't start ramping up until his third competitive year. At this point he's pretty much topped out at approximately 20 hours per week and doing well.
munchkin3
Proud Parent
Boy gymnastics is better than girls even! It really teaches them how to focus, how to manage time, and they tend to be more mature that their school friends. They also take it less seriously than the girls. It is more 'fun'.
I have always felt that boys gymnastics is the best sport for guys.
My son started at 6.
I have always felt that boys gymnastics is the best sport for guys.
My son started at 6.
Boys gymnastics is a lot more laid back in general than girls gymnastics, though you will find some variation in this depending on the gym. It can be a lot more difficult to find a gym with a boys program, though, so you may need to be willing to drive further. We have had times where I wasn't extremely happy with the coaching and gym management at our gym, but it's really not an option for us to switch gyms, as I'm not willing to drive any further than we do. (Mostly we're happy with the gym, and it's probably a good thing that it wasn't an option for us to switch.) Our state's men's gymnastics association has a complete list of all the men's programs in the state, so you may search there to see where the available programs are located.
My son joined team when he was 5 and competed as soon as he turned 6, but some of the more dedicated team members are the ones who started later. They have generally had the chance to try other sports already, and they are more mature with a better work ethic.
Good luck!
My son joined team when he was 5 and competed as soon as he turned 6, but some of the more dedicated team members are the ones who started later. They have generally had the chance to try other sports already, and they are more mature with a better work ethic.
Good luck!
gracyomalley
Proud Parent
my boys joined team at ages 6 and almost 11. both had done lots of rec at their sister's gym (no boys team) but hadn't seen half of the men's equipment so were "ahead" in floor and vault and woefully behind in pommel, etc.
My older boy is a level 8 this year and began progressing very quickly with puberty - he's old, 15, and may never make it to Nationals because of the structure of the age groupings for men's gym- but who cares! Finding time to be in the gym enough to be safe and do well at that level, while doing well academically and with other activities is challenging, but he keeps working the system to make it work - his self discipline and work ethic are really developing, as well as sense of priorities, etc. He and his older team mates seem to the be kind of boys who are more intellectually bent than many high school athletes but still love being strong, working hard and throwing themselves through the air in multiple scary ways! Because of the limited number of men's programs and coaches they've been through their share of coaching drama - but the sport in general is so much healthier for the boys than the girls at upper levels (not physically healthy - the amount of tape and massage going on at the meet this weekend was impressive - but psychologically.) Perfectionism is still a part but the coaches here at least make a point of emphasizing work ethic and effort/improvement over perfect scores - and laughing off a bad event is the norm. (DS told his teammates his high bar routine was "exemplary" yesterday - with no dismount due to ankle injury, a few skills fallen out of and a few made up and thrown in to finish it out!)
My little guy started competing L4 at age 6 - cuz his siblings were competitive gymnasts. he likes gym, has good friends there, it keeps him active and he's waiting to see if puberty will "gift him" strength like it did his brother. He is a wiggly one, and even at 11 dances around before events (I have to admit it drives me crazy, but when its time to compete he always focuses...), so the coaching discipline is very good for him. He might have gotten lost (as in in his own world) with a more "team sport". My only kid who was an early start fast mover burned out at Level 8, (DD) and I admit that makes me love boys gym so much more when I see kids of all talent levels at meets having fun and learning/growing athletically...
even if its only for a level or 2, men's gym creates a strength and body awareness (as does womens) they can take to any activity later - and usually its really fun for the boys!
My older boy is a level 8 this year and began progressing very quickly with puberty - he's old, 15, and may never make it to Nationals because of the structure of the age groupings for men's gym- but who cares! Finding time to be in the gym enough to be safe and do well at that level, while doing well academically and with other activities is challenging, but he keeps working the system to make it work - his self discipline and work ethic are really developing, as well as sense of priorities, etc. He and his older team mates seem to the be kind of boys who are more intellectually bent than many high school athletes but still love being strong, working hard and throwing themselves through the air in multiple scary ways! Because of the limited number of men's programs and coaches they've been through their share of coaching drama - but the sport in general is so much healthier for the boys than the girls at upper levels (not physically healthy - the amount of tape and massage going on at the meet this weekend was impressive - but psychologically.) Perfectionism is still a part but the coaches here at least make a point of emphasizing work ethic and effort/improvement over perfect scores - and laughing off a bad event is the norm. (DS told his teammates his high bar routine was "exemplary" yesterday - with no dismount due to ankle injury, a few skills fallen out of and a few made up and thrown in to finish it out!)
My little guy started competing L4 at age 6 - cuz his siblings were competitive gymnasts. he likes gym, has good friends there, it keeps him active and he's waiting to see if puberty will "gift him" strength like it did his brother. He is a wiggly one, and even at 11 dances around before events (I have to admit it drives me crazy, but when its time to compete he always focuses...), so the coaching discipline is very good for him. He might have gotten lost (as in in his own world) with a more "team sport". My only kid who was an early start fast mover burned out at Level 8, (DD) and I admit that makes me love boys gym so much more when I see kids of all talent levels at meets having fun and learning/growing athletically...
even if its only for a level or 2, men's gym creates a strength and body awareness (as does womens) they can take to any activity later - and usually its really fun for the boys!
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