Any parent's of little gymnasts?

[pygmyangel]

Just wondered if there were many other parents of very young gymnasts on here and how you/they cope with the training.
I have a DS (9) who has done gymnastics since he was 6 and for the last year has done acrobatic gymnastics for 3 x 2hour classes a week. DD(4.3) has therefore spent an awful lot of time watching him, trying to copy and started her own preschool class as soon as was possible. This was at a different club to DS as his club at the time didn't do a preschool class and doesn't do standard gymnastics. She then started a 'proper' gym class as soon as she was 4 (31st Oct) as the coaches of the preschool class thought she could cope. 8 weeks later, they moved her up into a mini development group training 2x 1.5 hour classes per week. This was just after Christmas.
Now i'm not sure I've done the right thing. When we are permitted to watch the class i've noticed that while she can do more or less everything the rest can (ages range from 4 up to 7) she can easily be distracted and isn't
particularly cooperative when she's supposed to be stretching. Her coach has also mentioned that she may just be a little bit too young and may benefit from a bit more 'fun' but isn't sure what to do as she's a bit too advanced for the recreational classes and would probably get bored.
I would like to point out that I don't and wouldn't force her to go and she always enjoys it. She is determined she's going to be better than her brother.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Anyone?

Go for the fun option imo. Or wait until she is older?

Go for the fun option.
Ime if the coach is telling you they're too young, it's often a polite way of saying they're being a bit of a nuisance.
3 hours a week is a lot for a child who's just 4yo, even if they love it. I was told one of the local gym clubs had their knuckles rapped for doing too many hours for tinies, as it can cause problems with their bodies later.

Go for the fun class! Your dd is only 4 and has many years of gymnastics (potentially lots and lots of training and committment) ahead of her. Let her have fun while she can.

If the coaches are suggesting it, it's because she's not ready for what they're asking her to do. I'm surprised that they're just suggesting it though and not recommending it as a course of action.

Thanks for the replies.
I think the coach doesn't quite know what to do. When she spoke to me I asked her if she was being a nuisance or distracting the other girls but she said no and that she's very capable but sometimes her attention wanders as the class is quite serious. She just kept saying that DD seems very little (she is tiny for her age) and that she 'may benefit from another few months of fun'. It just seems unfair to move her from one class to another so quickly, then just as she's making friends and settling in, moving her again.

Does anyone know how many hours is too much for a 4 year old? There are another 2 girls roughly the same age in the class. They don't push them into stretches yet, and any jumping about is done on a trampoline or sprung floor. I was hoping there may be a few other parents of gymnasts that started at a similar age on here.

I really don't want to turn into 'competitive mum' but at the same time don't want to deny her the chance to do something she seems to be naturally good at and enjoys.

Hi, my dd is a little bit older (5.5) but also gets distracted during warm up etc but she is certainly not the only one! Just in the last few months or so I have been able to get her to understand more that she has to do these bits if she wants to do the more fun bits of the class. She still does her 'fun' class and has recently started a 'pre-squad' class as well. I'm not sure the latter is a good idea at the moment as they have to cope with criticism (she needs to work on her arm strength for example) and I'm not sure she's ready for that. Her fun class is an hour and the other is 1.5 hours, it certainly doesn't seem to much for her at the moment, plenty of time for other activities/play etc and no injuries/strains etc either (though plenty of bruises!)

I coach gymnastics and would say a couple of hours is plenty for a 4 year old. 3 hours is the upper end of what I would think appropriate, but not excessive as long as she's enjoying it.

What I would say though, is that it is very easy to put off young gymnasts by making it too 'serious' too soon. And tbh, there really is no need. As with school, they can learn all they need to learn at this age, whilst having fun.

As classes become more serious and more goal-orientated, the gymnasts need to focus more and as a result of this are more likely to be told off and consequently put off. There is a lot of discipline needed.

I would say give her a few more months in the fun class. There really is no rush.

I agree with the fun class too.

My DDs do gymnastics and both are competition girls.

My eldest is 8 and she now does 12 hours a week. She does competitions for the county, regional and (next year her) national grades.

My youngest has recently turned 5. She is in a class of other 4 and 5 year olds (all reception year) selected for competing in the long term. At the moment she does one hour a week, and soon that will increase to two one hour sessions. I think that is enough for now.

My eldest DD has been doing gymnastics since she was 3 (and joined the development squad the term after she turned 5, doing 3 hours a week), and whilst she is good, there are some girls who didn't start until they were 6 or 7 and they have more than caught up. One girl in particular is very good, and I would say a fair bit better than my DD (although she is also almost a year older than my DD), so starting them early does not necessarily mean that they'll be better. Over the past 5 years of watching my DD do gymnastics I have seen girls come and go from the squad... and my observation is that they have to enjoy it to stick at it. There are (will be) times when it is difficult, when they can't get a new skill etc and if at heart, they don't enjoy it, then they'll just give up.

Good luck with it. I find gymnastics a real roller coaster of emotions. I didn't know what I was signing up for when my DD1 started (only sent her along so I wouldn't kill her she could get rid of some of that excess energy) and I'm always going between feeling very proud of my DD, not wanting to be a pushy mum, worrying that what she is doing is safe and not causing her long term damage, resenting the hours she spends training and wondering what the bloody point is seeing as it is highly unlikely she'll ever be a professional gymnast and wanting to support my daughter.

It's all about focus.You can train nearly any child to be a decent gymnast if they are determined to work at it,The cornerstone of any gain in gymnastic prowess is increased strength and flexibility.The recreational classes although they may look like a lot of fun, will be designed to promote strengthy flexibility balance and coordination.Just make sure she is steadily improving in these areas rather than worrying about what skills she can do

Mine started at 5ish, quit before her 6th birthday due to a move and started back up again at 7. She is now 8 and in the development program ready for regional this year. Watching different girls, it depends on the child. One can start early, at 4, but if there's no attention span or train ability, it'll be slow progress. Another can start at 6 and listens well and can do as well or even better than the one who started at 4.

My youngest is 2.5. She copies too but I have no plan on putting her into rec until she's 5. I have a feeling she'll be put into a squad too and while it'll be something she loves (she loves mum and me gym now), I want her to enjoy her little girl ness without all the gym hours.

Thank you for all your replies. I think we're going to give it until Easter and see how we're all coping. If she wasn't happy going into the class and complained when she came out then I would def pull her out now and wait a few years. As it is, she loves it. Every day when I collect her from the childminder or nursery she asks if it's her gymnastics tonight.
As long as the level of training isn't going to do any long term damage, I'm happy as long as she is.

I used to coach a 'mini squad' of 4-5 yos.They did 1.5 hours a week in the gym and had various conditioning exercises to do during the week at home.
young children often have lots of natural flexibility and if you can keep that up-good.Otherwise there is very little point in them doing so much at that age.