How old is too old....for that gold?

[Morad]

I have two questions:

1) Does any one know of any case of an adult starting gymnastics late (20-25+) and striking it big?

2) Is it conceivable that a 25, 30 or even a 40 year-old man or woman makes to the Olympics or World Championship or Cup? why or why not?

Edit: A third question: What is the most an old beginner may achieve in the sport? why?

Please be generous with any information even remotely relevant.

[Morad]

Anyone

[XFatMan]

Unless you’re really gifted, it takes around 10 years of great dedication and daily training to become good at anything you can think of – playing the [put in any instrument here], programming in any language, speaking a foreign language, lifting weights, gymnastics, etc., etc. You just need to do the math now and see if you can find anybody who fits that description.

Take anybody who’s famous for something as example. Find out about this person’s life and you will see that he / she has been doing this specific activity for over a decade before becoming famous. Want examples? The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Diego Hypolito, Ronaldo, Stephen Prata, … It’s difficult to find people who were practically born into success / fame. Even if you find one, the parents had been working on their success / fame for a decade before. Want an example? Michael Jackson.

So to answer your questions:

1.) No.

2.) No, for the reasons already given.

3.) That depends on your dedication. I’m a language teacher and I can tell you that the amount of your dedication is directly related to the amount you will learn. And learning a language isn’t much different from learning photography, playing the piano, or gymnastics. Dedicate your entire power to what you’re doing, and you’ll be good at it within a decade. Dedicate less than this and you will always be average.

[Ari]

Also, just because something has never been done, it isn't necessarily true that it can't be done.

[Coach Sommer]

Am I Too Old?

You may find the following essay, "Am I Too Old?", informative:

http://gymnasticbodies.com/faq.html

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[XFatMan]

Also, just because something has never been done, it isn't necessarily true that it can't be done.

Yet we always assume that it can't be done - until someone proves that it's possible, right?

Those people cited in the article are very impressive. It always takes the same thing to get there - dedication. It doesn't matter what you do - without dedication, you simply can't get beyond average.

[Scott Malin]

For years I've had the following motto:

Success in any domain requires two things: a determination to achieve, and the knowledge to put that passion to work. In short, a blend of vision and practicality.

I believe that your #2 is conceivable, but at a cost. The dedication itself is a barrier beyond most people, but the practical side of it is perhaps even larger. If it's something you truly wanted I say pursue it, but don't let your passion make you the fool for doing so.

-Cory

[Morad]

Thanks everybody.

If it's something you truly wanted I say pursue it, but don't let your passion make you the fool for doing so.

-Cory

Cory, please do elaborate!

[Scott Malin]

I simply mean that there's a line between passion and obsession.

[Blairbob]

For men and possibly women, I could see someone coming into gymnastics late and possibly making it to nationals, or perhaps the world scene. Collegiate can be picked up fairly late for men. I think a female could be competitive in college if they went on a hardcore training regimen before high schol. There are some factors that also are necessary ( coaching, diet, physical prep, training a lot of hours, budgeting that with other stuff ). Of course someone could probably compete in college later in life if they could find a school that would let them walk on as a geriatric ( 25+ ).

1. Being able to stay healthy and not fall apart or break. I think there is a slight advantage to starting after being mature due to not having any wear and tear on growing bodies. However, injuries take longer generally to heal or can be career threatening at an older age. Sometimes training a more mature person can be more difficult due to thought processes versus a younger mind.

2. Lots of time which means enough money to train A LOT, eat and sleep right. Basically a disposable income where you don't have to work or go to school to find a career. How many people with such a disposable income are going to say, hey, why don't I take up gymnasts full time HC and see what I can do in 5 ( bare minimum probably for C level skills ) or 10 years for anything above.

And there ya go.

[Morad]

Blairbob, thank you very much.

How common are injuries in the sport? How do gymnasts get injured? Is it uncommon for a gymnast to be cautious enough as to not sport ANY injuries?

any books that help answering these questions? Better yet: web link(s)?

[Scott Malin]

As an athlete it's important to understand that injuries do happen. You can condition yourself as best you can but there's no 100% prevention. I've been lucky and the only injury I've experience was a broken left pinky playing volleyball (oh man, was my piano teacher not happy with me for a while!).

Here's some basic college statistics gathered by the National Athletic Training Association over a 16-year period from 1988-2004. Apparently only Women's Gymnastics was studied but the percentages ought to be fairly similar for Men.

http://www.nata.org/collegiateinjurystats07/play_by_play.htm

Women’s Gymnastics

Main results: Competition injury rates decreased four percent over the study period. A total of sixty-nine percent of all competition and 53 percent of all practice injuries were to the lower extremity; of particular concern are the number of knee ligament and cartilage injuries and ankle sprains. The majority of competition injuries (70 percent) resulted from either landings in floor exercises or dismounts on other apparatus.

Recommendations: Gymnasts with a history of ankle sprains should wear either ankle braces or use prophylactic tape to decrease risk of re-injury. Preventive efforts may incorporate neuromuscular training and core stability programs in the off-season and preseason to enhance landing and skill mechanics. Equipment manufacturers should re-evaluate the design of landing mats and other equipment to allow for better absorption of forces.

[Coach Sommer]

Long Term Taping is a Dead-End Street

Tape and other prophylactic aids are a dead-end street and should only be used for a critical injury situation. In my opinion, they are similar to the use of cortizone shots and allow an athlete to continue training on an area when they should be focusing on rest and rehab. It must be emphasized that while this gives the athlete the illusion of being pain free, they are not injury free. In fact, as the pain is now masked, the athlete often lacks the ability to effectively monitor their condition and ends up increasing the severity of their condition; something which will not become readily apparent until either the tape or other prophylactic aid is removed or the cortizone wears off. Thus begins an ever increasing cycle of dependence that often ultimately ends with the athlete being completely dependent upon the prophylactic aid to be able to perform at all.

The number one priority for safe, effective gymnastics training is an effective pre-hab and conditioning program that addresses all of the major joints of the body. This supersedes all other technical concerns. Such a program prepares the body to handle the rigors of high level gymnastics training safely and significantly extends the athletic longevity of the athlete in question while enhancing their quality of life. If all my many years of high level training have taught me one thing, it is that participating in any sport without an adequate joint pre-hab program is akin to swinging trapeze without a net.

The following is a very good discussion that developed along similar lines of thought:

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=148

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Scott Malin]

Perhaps I should've cut that out: NATA does at times tend to look at only the short term in regards to getting athletes back into practice/games.

[Blairbob]

Thanks, Coach. This story really hits the nail with the hammer when it comes to preventative maintenance and rehab. While I mostly deal with WAG than MAG, I have seen in my time more focus on rehab with poor execution and time and the same injuries and ailments reoccuring. I tend to see a lot of focus on periodization in WAG but with very poor joint or physical preperation.

While I do not think that all the gymnasts that I have an effect on will hit the collegiate or elite level, for them to be healthy and competitive at even compulsory or optional levels they should not be missing this. How many ex gymnasts or athletes have we known or heard of who after getting out of their chosen sport or ailed by their wear and tear ailments virtually all their life?

[Morad]

The more I read, the hungrier I become.

It would be rather cliche' to inquire about coach Sommer's book, so I'll just ask again for any book(s) or link(s) with plenty of concise and accurate information.