At what age should a child be allowed to try a back bridge in gymnastics?
The USA Gymnastics “Kinder Accreditation for Teachers” program recommends that children not be required to do bridges until they are at least 5 years of age. This recommendation is based on advice from USAG medical and sport science advisors who suggest that: 1) the effect of bridges on very young spines is unknown, so it is better to error on the conservative side, 2) there are other ways to work on shoulder and lower back flexibility. Therefore, a bridge is not strictly necessary at a very young age, 3) children with sufficient balance and flexibility can learn a bridge at any age. There is no advantage in teaching it prior to age 5, 4) the proportion of head size to arm length during early childhood makes it quite difficult for some children to maintain control of the bridge position, 5) Back bends into a bridge should be strictly avoided. The back bend increases stress on the spine and puts the head in a very precarious position should the child lose balance. Rather, early bridges
