Gymnastics - my son's bad experience - advice please?

OP, I think you should try the other club.

DD has been doing gym at a very good club for nearly 8 years. The children progress as is appropriate for that child - some continue on with an hour or two a week whilst others move on to up to 10 hours a week. All of them are valued and encouraged and all can compete in club comps at the appropriate level.

Obviously some children show a particular flair (and are the right size/shape) from the start. They progress faster and move on to regional or national clubs pretty quickly. Sounds like your DS is one of them, HJ.

And yes, gymnastics is fantastic for all-round fitness - strength, stamina, balance, etc.

Would just like to add that sometimes a little bit of 'homework' can be helpful in these situations. Things like practising splits on an evening after a warm bath and buying a pull up bar to build some upper body strength.

Hi Musical. Thought I'd share my experiences with you.

My DS is 8 and does 25 hours gymnastics per week at a men's artistic gymnastics club. He's in the elite squad. At 8, he is due to participate in the BG National Elite levels this Autumn, something you cannot do until this age and stage. He will do level one.

Beneath him is a small group of 4 / 5 / 6 year old boys who are being "groomed" (for want of a better word) to learn the skills necessary to move up to this level when they are old enough. The recreational gymnastic coaches know to look out for any boy in the Rec. classes who appears to show a good level of strength and flexibility, with an emphasis leg lefts, chin ups, rope climbing, and ability to easily do splits and fold pike. The young boys are then invited into the 'competition' side of gymnastics. Certainly, a huge element of sibling / family connections comes into play. Young brothers / sisters of already competing gymnasts are often always invited 'to the dark side' as their parents are already committed to the massive workload, plus genes can play a huge part.

My point is that there is lots that can be done between the age of 6 and 8, and it's all the good stuff that balances strength and precision between the levels of risk taking. My DS is tumbling (round off, back flip, back somersault), doing giant circles on the high bar, and double backs on the trampoline. It's bloody hard work for them though. If I was you I would contact your nearest, largest British Gymnastics Men's Artistic club (will no doubt be part of a women's club also) and take your son for an audition. Blag him in if needs be. They will give you an accurate assessment of his current ability and his potential. Our club auditions boys all the time.

You sound keen, and clubs like that. Whilst I understand that some of gymnastics is pure talent, most is learned and worked towards but starting early is the key and 6 is definitely not too late.

As an aside, my DS was in a comp last week, competing on the same rotation as Daniel Purvis, as it was a regional club comp. So exciting to see the younger gymnasts in the same event as Olympians!

Apologies for the waffle/long post and if I repeat anything already said but I feel I can sympathise and offer some advice. If he really enjoys his gym there's no reason why he shouldn't carry on. I would maybe try classes at the other club and see how it go's. Where about's are you? Some area's have a fair few clubs and boys are usually better in an all boys class that's geared towards boys skills. It's often worth travelling a bit further afield to find somewhere that suits better.

My DS now 11, started recreational gymnastics at 5. I took him as it was a bit of fun and exercise. At 6 he moved to an all boys recreational class at a big artistic club as it was the only all boys class I could find, (most rec classes are aimed at girls). At this club, children are selected from the recreational classes for 'development training' between the ages of 5 and 7 and if they're over 7, they're 'too old'. My DS didn't have the natural strength and flexibility at this point to be selected by this club but he enjoyed the class so we carried on.
We then moved to a different area of the UK where he wanted to keep up the gym as he enjoyed it so, I found a class at an all boys gym club. They said straight away he could go into their development class and start training 4 hours (2x2hr classes) a week. We then moved back but his original club still said he wasn't good enough for them and, not wanting him to take a step back, I found a different club but this time doing Acrobatic gymnastics. He went straight in at 6 hours a week and now trains 12 hours and has done so for about 15 months. He did his first national competition this year and got a Gold medal, age 10. Many of the elite gymnasts at this club didn't even start training until they were 10 and are now European and World Champions.

What i'm trying to say in a roundabout way is some clubs are more 'elitist' than others and just because one club says no it doesn't mean its out completely, but also that there are other disciplines to consider, they don't have to do artistic. Yes, artistic is the only way if you want to be in the Olympics but the cost of getting there is high, most Olympic gymnasts have sacrificed a large part of their childhood and 'normal' life. At 6 they are expected to train at least 6 hours a week, rising to 25 plus by the time they are 11 or 12. The club my DS originally went to is attached to a school and children are offered places at that school so they can be taken out of lessons easily to train.
The UK does really well at Acrobatic gymnastics which has it's own national, european and world championships and is in the World Games (like the Olympics, every 4 years but lots of other sports). There's also TeamGym and Tumbling which also offer lots of competitions at various levels.

Reallytired offered some good insight to the way gym clubs operate.

Flexbility - all elite gymnasts will be hypermobile to start with, obviously your son isn't so I think the Olympics is an expectation that you need to manage.

You asked the question and the gym club gave a valid response, you don't like it but its probably the truth. Try another club or go to more than one club. Look at trampolining/teamgym/acrobatic gymnastic classes. Look at other sports - climbing, diving etc...

" but I can't get my head round why a club wouldn't let a child do a bit more if they want to get better at a sport."

The large club probably has a massive waiting list and wants to give as many children the opportunity to do gym as possible. Our club wants to teach the entire world gymnastics regardless of talent! What is so hard to understand that they would rather take a child off the waiting list than give a six year old two sessions a week.

"In the smaller group he is getting the right age group, the all boys and the ability to progress at his own pace, I should think that's a better set up for someone who wants to do a bit more!!"

Are there holiday classes at either club? I think you should move to the smaller club if you feel he will be happier there. A smaller club without a waiting list may well be happy for your son to do more sessions. Infact there is nothing to stop your son going to both clubs!

I feel you should be realistic about your son's sporting chances. An bronze olympic medalist gymnast visited my son's school and told my son that he did a range of sports when he was little. I don't think that our club has any children as young as six in the squad. Many olympicans have the ablity to turn their hand to any sport.

Is it really a good idea to over specialise at the age of six? Prehaps he should have the chance to learn music, draw or simply relax?

(ReallyTired - your gym sounds the same as ours!...)

Ah - your last post makes more sense of the conversation. It seems they were probably trying to tell you that he is in the right group for now (recreational) rather than the competitive group. I don't see why that is a problem? The small gym would be the equivalent of the recreational group.

I was surprised earlier on about the emphasis you placed on competitions for a 6 year old too. At that age, unless elite material, I would hope my daughter would be working through her badges. She will be joining a mixed group (they separate by stage though) and they progress through the badges as they are able.

musicalfamily what badge is your son on. I think its unreasonable to expect your child to be put in the squad if he has not completed all the gymnastics badges.

Our gym club has single sex gym from the age of five for all classes except special needs. The children are grouped according whatever badge they are working towards.

The fact that the recreational section is over crowed is probably why the club will only offer you one session a week. At the age of six it is better to do a range of sports and than concentrate on one. A child needs to build up muscle, stamina and suppleness to be good at sport. How about him trying karate, football, tennis or whatever other sports takes his fancy.

"This is why I was pushing to get my DS1 out of there, as he wanted to do more than once a week and he wanted to do boys gymnastics rather than mixed recreational. And that's what led to that conversation I had."

Is it YOU who wants him to do more serious gym or your six year old. Are you trying to live your dreams through your child? Is doing high level gym his ambition or yours?

I feel enlightened by this thread. I take my 2 year old to a toddler gym class which is part of a bigger gym club. I was really shocked by how seriously some of the parents take it, but if kids get written off at 6 then I guess they have to take their nearly 4 year-old seriously. Mad. I'm still working on getting DS to stay in the room...

I am shocked by this thread. Is the OP sure that there has been no misunderstanding.

My daughter goes to a large gymnastics club that cater from all levels ie. severe special needs to international level. My son went there and was utterly dire at gym and they really bent over backwards to help him. (my son nearly failed to get badge 6 as he was so poor at gym)

This particular gym club is one of the best in the country and produced a bronze medalist gymnast. They have special needs, recreational, intemediate, development and squad groups. I was under the impression that most major gym clubs offer the same. They need the recreational gymnasts to subsize the cost of the equipment and the high level squad.

Has your son completed all his badges? I know that my children's gym club has various level of classes for everyone. I also think you have to decide what you want to achieve for your children.

I would move him to a club where he can be in a group suited to his ability so that he can enjoy himself. I am a sprts coach in a different discipline and coaching groups are split according to ability.
The guy who came to your school and said he saw 'something' in your son would be comparing him with other children in the group he was observing. of course your son would stand out as he has already had some degree of coachining.
There is quite a hike in the difference between a school ability child and one who has been coached for the activity at a dedicted club.

If he sticks with it he will improve his strength and flexibility, and will eventually get to compete at whatever level is right for him.Lower level competitions particularly have heaps of medals and when your DS wins his first one he will feel like an olympic gymnast!
I work for a large competitive gym and we would never say to parent of a 6 yo that a child has no future at this club, unless there was a reason why we wanted rid of them I hesitate to say this but does he behave well, listen and do as he is told? You can eventually make nearly any child who has the focus and dedication ,into a reasonably good gymnast able to competemtly compete at regional level if they work hard enough.

That's exactly what DD is able to do, she has fun, gets the odd badge and learns a few tricks to show off to her friends and irritate her PE mistress (DD2 we're doing long jump not cartwheels!)

Her recreational class is part of a big club with brilliant facilities and lots of coaches, our small club cannot offer foam pits and sprung floors etc. it's very basic and both DDs gave it up long ago as boring.

You need to talk to your big club and see if they offer a more relaxed pathway or if DS will be made to feel second best.

Be very glad that your kid enjoys sport and is going to have a normal childhood. Most 6 year olds want to be train drivers or the like. He will get over the Olympic gymnast idea soon enough, especially if you don't allow yourself to be carried away by his childish ambitions.

My DDs do competitive gymnastics, and from my experience I'd say he would be unlikely to make it as an Olympic gymnast from the small club, but I'd also question whether that is something you really want? To be a top level gymnast, you pretty much need to sacrifice your childhood, and there's no guarantees and very little future in gymnastics. My youngest daughter (also 6 1/2) does competitive gymnastics, and she trains 7.5 hours a week. One of her friends has just moved to a very serious gym club, and at age 6, she will be doing 17 hours a week (this will increase as she gets older). She has been identified as having potential to make it (she's now going to one of the Olympians clubs) and fair play to her, but I'm not sure I'd make the same choices for my child, given the sacrifices that comes with it.

My eldest (9) trains 18 hours a week (split over 5 days, including Sat and Sunday) term time, and over the summer holidays its around 23 hours. Already, my daughter has to sacrifice so much - she misses birthday parties, sleep overs, play dates so much because she is always at the gym. But this is her choice, and she loves it. Yet, even on 18 hours a week at age 9, she is never going to 'make it' as a gymnast. Sure she can do some pretty good tricks - tuckbacks, straightbacks and the like and she competes at a regional level, and will hopefully take her national grades next year. But to even stand a chance at international level, she would have to do far more hours, miss time off school etc.

However, they don't need to be an Olympic gymnast to have a great time doing gymnastics. My DD trains, has a close knit circle of friends in her gym friends, enjoys competitions and learning new tricks. There's far more to gymnastics than being that elusive Olympian, which so few children achieve (and believe me, there are thousands upon thousands of gymnasts out there!)

Being honest, if the big club says he is unlikely to make it - then he probably won't make it as an Olympian, most clubs know exactly what it is they are looking for. And even out of those they think are going to make it, few will. But, get him to enjoy gymnastics for what it is (and it is a fantastic sport) and he will probably still be able to compete and enjoy himself at the smaller club. The Bigger club would probably offer more opportunities, but as that door is closed, then enjoy the smaller club. And if he gets on brilliantly, then in a few years maybe look at another bigger club if he shows promise and perhaps move him then. Different clubs do look for different things, and he may well make excellent progress and you can review things later.

If they really said that, then it is pants. I would really let him go to a different club.

It is different for my boy who still has pretty much invested in him, as do all the kids, even if all they do is roly-polys and star jumps!

All the kids are valued and special and absolutely love it.

I would stay with the bigger club. At 6 he is very young for them to take such bombastic standpoint.

My son was invited to try for the squad gymnasts when he was 6 1/2 but was rejected. They said they would still keep an eye on his development.

A year later he took Gold medal for his age at the club championships (large London club) Aged 8, he is now in the "top set" in his club, and is taught in a small group of just 5 children, working on backflips etc.
He is not a squad gymnast, but he is learning fast, has fun and is developing and has great progress.

There are plenty of children of all abilities in the club, all having fun and receiving coaching appropriate to their level.

I hope you have not told your son about his "rejection" - my son never new he was trialing for the squad! If he enjoys gymnastics, and you think he has a future, keep him in the bigger better club.

But you could let him join the other club too, and see if he could gain more flexibility. My son is very strong, is proud of his "six pack", can walk on his hands, and has excellent stamina. He is out on his trampoline every day. He is also swimming once a week, which is excellent for developing long lean muscles.

I think any self respecting club would be cautious with such young children and not give parents big ideas.

Why dont you take the hint about his strength and flexibility and sign him up for additional clubs that will support his gymnastics, such as swimming, trampolining, etc?