Parents Summer gym skills

[Peachy88]

Do you find that your kids accelerate faster once school is out or about the same? I kind of feel like this post season/pre summer time is weird. Everyone is getting ready to switch levels, doing some uptraining, etc. our gym doesn’t change schedules for the summer so same night practices, but I imagine the kids have more energy not being st school all day?

 

[spider_monkey]

Ours do lots of extra conditioning over the summer, which really tends to wear them out. Also, even though they aren't at school, playing in the pool all day and then going to practice in the evening can wear them out fast. I've gotten words from the coach before about letting DD spend the day in the sun before evening practice, but I'm not about to tell my 10yo that she can't enjoy her summer because she's a gymnast.

 

[Cheryl]

Our gym uses summer to introduce new skills in the summer. If they get the skills, or show they are on track to get the skills, then in the fall, they work to get them meet ready for the fall.
Around Nov, they start compiling routines and honing skills. My son is always super enthusiastic after Regionals because it’s all about new skills, and he’s kind of bored of working on the same stuff for 5 months.
Also we practice 9-1 in the summer so they have all afternoon to play, swim or do other activities

 

[Greatlakesmom]

As soon as competition season is done, our girls start up training. This is always a fun time of year for the girls as the pressure of meet season Is over and they get to focus on new skills. Conditioning has already gotten harder but that is offset with working on new skills. There definitely seems to be renewed energy. Our summer session has the majority of the girls practicing in the morning or afternoon. While this schedule can be a challenge for working parents, I suspect the girls have more energy than they would at evening practice.

 

[aerials]

At first the girls are so excited to not do routines and the skills seem to come fast. However mid summer the momentum tends to lessen. My dd seems to need meets/competition to push her.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Up training begins in earnest after States/Regionals.

Do the skills come quicker. Yes and no.
They are spending more time at practice doing new stuff then during the season. So it seems that they come quicker.

Also its been my experience that there are drills they have been working for a skill. Those times where it "looks" to the untrained eye that they really aren't doing much. After meet season concludes those drills are put together and what appears to be "suddenly" to the untrained eye they have "gotten" a skill. I remember when there seemed to be a lull in vault (at least it appeared that way to us parents). And the next thing you know summer arrives and they are flipping tsuks. Ahhhh thats what all those "nothing, I just don't get it" things they were "messing" around with were for...............

As summer winds down the focus returns to fine tuning the newly aquired skills, getting them to muscle memory, putting them together into routines, so it looks like progress is slowed because they are working the details. And of course that first flipping vault is a big deal. Taking it from say a tuck to layout appears less big, but it is.

Then onto meet season

Repeat

 

[NutterButter]

At first the girls are so excited to not do routines and the skills seem to come fast. However mid summer the momentum tends to lessen. My dd seems to need meets/competition to push her.

Yes! This is what I see too with both DD and her teammates.

 

[OrchidZ]

At first the girls are so excited to not do routines and the skills seem to come fast. However mid summer the momentum tends to lessen. My dd seems to need meets/competition to push her.

Yes! This is what I see too with both DD and her teammates.

Ditto for my gymnast. I wish it were more a consistent pace, but this is what it is.

I've never understood the gyms that back off the hours during the summer. I would think that it would make more sense to do more hours in the summer, really work hard for new skills.. then maybe back off a little in the school year to focus on fine tuning and just continuing to make steady progress (and allow them more time for school and rest!). I'm specifically referring to gyms that do 36 hours in the school year and 24-28 in the summer. It just makes no sense to me - but I'm not a coach!! I just see the affect on the kids, and it makes me sad. Poor kids are exhausted all school year. A bit of re-balancing just seems to make sense..

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I would think that it would make more sense to do more hours in the summer, really work hard for new skills.. then maybe back off a little in the school year to focus on fine tuning and just continuing to make steady progress

This is how our gym works. Average 20-22 hours in the summer if you do all the hours offered.

9 hours, (up to 12-14, if you choose) during the school year