Dyspraxia

I didn't know where else to put this so I figured it would go here.

Has anyone had experience of doing gymnastics with dyspraxia, or know anyone who does gymnastics that has it?

For people that don't know what it is (which is probably most of you), it's a neurological disorder that affects motor control because messages from the brain aren't correctly transmitted to the rest of the body. It's not curable and AFAIK it can't really be treated, but in my experience it seems to have improved somewhat as I've aged so far (I'm currently 17 years old). I try to ignore it and pretend it's not there, but it does become evident during physical activities.

The relevant effects of it on me are poor balance, poor co-ordination and an inability to plan/remember sequences of activity (so it might take me much longer than other people to learn a given movement, unless it's very simple like push-ups or pull-ups or whatever). Mine doesn't seem to be terrible; it's only evident in things like throwing/catching, and generally things that require good balance or co-ordination. Other than that, you probably wouldn't notice anything different about me.

Does anyone know what I can do to work around it (i.e., should I just pretend it's not there? That's what I normally do), or how much it will affect training? Though it can't be cured, because it is a learning disorder, apparently if I practice enough it might become less evident (source: http://www.dyspraxia.com.au/Default.aspx?Module=HTML&Article=1&Page=article1). I don't plan to let it stop me doing gymnastics, but if anyone who has it or knows someone who has it can give any tips or anything, that'd be great.

Thanks

Unfortunately I haven't in 10 years of coaching. I've coached a few recreational kids who had learning disorders wherein they could not figure out what to do or how to translate verbal cues to what visually had to be done (so I basically had to do or motion them through everything).

I do remember over on the crossfit forum, one forum member had a motor learning disorder and I think they had started crossfit but I don't remember them posting say after 6 months after they started. Maybe a few week if anything.

Blairbob said:

Unfortunately I haven't in 10 years of coaching. I've coached a few recreational kids who had learning disorders wherein they could not figure out what to do or how to translate verbal cues to what visually had to be done (so I basically had to do or motion them through everything).

I do remember over on the crossfit forum, one forum member had a motor learning disorder and I think they had started crossfit but I don't remember them posting say after 6 months after they started. Maybe a few week if anything.

Well, I'll just ignore it like usual, then. It'll probably just take me longer to learn movements. I've put together a routine based on the killroy70 template and will be starting as soon as I get some rings (I can't buy the Xtreme Rings, it's too expensive to ship them to the UK).

Super cheap option for rings. Some rope and pvc handles that can fit in your handle. They sometimes slide a bit funny in support work but work fine for hanging stuff and basic ring supports (not for MU and I wouldn't do a HS on them). Probably costs 5 pounds or so.

Blairbob said:

Super cheap option for rings. Some rope and pvc handles that can fit in your handle. They sometimes slide a bit funny in support work but work fine for hanging stuff and basic ring supports (not for MU and I wouldn't do a HS on them). Probably costs 5 pounds or so.

Though this is getting a bit off topic now, there's no point making a new thread, so, I found these rings on the Internet:

They're a about as expensive as the Xtreme Rings but without the high shipping costs. They have pretty good reviews. What do you think? The only thing that bothers me is that they don't say how much weight they can hold, so I've e-mailed them to ask. I guess as long as they can support my weight (currently 55-60 kg, my long-term goal is about 70 kg) plus a little bit of breathing space (and some room for weighted exercises) they should be fine.