So DD and her team just finished level 4 states and have started doing skills for the next level. And a lot more conditioning including splits. DD is 7, and is not terribly flexible. She did have her left and right leg splits down for a short time last year, but since the coaches have not worked splits consistently (maybe once every 2 weeks during meet season), she can't go all the way down anymore, especially the straddle split.
So they have been working splits for about a week. Today one of her coaches came in while they were doing splits and pulled out the girls she considered the least flexible to "stretch" them. Of course DD was in this group. She had them straddle between two low beams and she pulled their legs toward her while her knee was on their back to keep them from moving back. This hurt enough to make a couple of (7 yo) girls cry. Girls who are generally pretty tough and not cryers.
The coach was asked about it after practice and she said that it had to be done to get the girls more flexible. There was no other way to get the flexibility that they needed. I understood that there would be pain involved and asked if maybe a more gradual approach with less (but still some obviously) pain might work (especially since they haven't been working splits consistently, and are only 7 years old). Of course she said no and this was the only way. She said to bring it up with the owners/HCs if we had a problem with it (and I've already asked to set up a meeting with them), and that she won't be stretching our kids if we didn't want her to. Which I agreed with. I'm not trying to tell the coach how to do her job, but it is my job as a parent to protect my kid as well. And inflicting that kind of pain seems to go too far (unless there is some agreement between coaches and kids).
So am I overreacting? I asked DD to see if maybe it didn't hurt as much as it looked, and she just said she didn't want it done again. I told her that working splits more at home would be one way to help this, but wondering if the coach is right and she does need to go through that pain if she wants to get her splits down. Would love to get some opinions from coaches.
So they have been working splits for about a week. Today one of her coaches came in while they were doing splits and pulled out the girls she considered the least flexible to "stretch" them. Of course DD was in this group. She had them straddle between two low beams and she pulled their legs toward her while her knee was on their back to keep them from moving back. This hurt enough to make a couple of (7 yo) girls cry. Girls who are generally pretty tough and not cryers.
The coach was asked about it after practice and she said that it had to be done to get the girls more flexible. There was no other way to get the flexibility that they needed. I understood that there would be pain involved and asked if maybe a more gradual approach with less (but still some obviously) pain might work (especially since they haven't been working splits consistently, and are only 7 years old). Of course she said no and this was the only way. She said to bring it up with the owners/HCs if we had a problem with it (and I've already asked to set up a meeting with them), and that she won't be stretching our kids if we didn't want her to. Which I agreed with. I'm not trying to tell the coach how to do her job, but it is my job as a parent to protect my kid as well. And inflicting that kind of pain seems to go too far (unless there is some agreement between coaches and kids).
So am I overreacting? I asked DD to see if maybe it didn't hurt as much as it looked, and she just said she didn't want it done again. I told her that working splits more at home would be one way to help this, but wondering if the coach is right and she does need to go through that pain if she wants to get her splits down. Would love to get some opinions from coaches.