10 Reasons Your Kids Should Do Gymnastics
Gymnastics
Children in the world today have hundreds of different activities that they can adjoin to. Participating in a sport can help kids develop socially and physically. Gymnastics is a sport that carries benefits for both your body and mind.
I did gymnastics from the age of three until eleven. This sport has had a magnificent impact on my life and still does today. I have used what I have learned from being a gymnast in my everyday life.
So, I want to share with you the benefits of gymnastics and why you should sign your kids up!(:
When should you start?
Now. No, but really, there are gyms that start enrolling toddlers right when they start walking. Starting young will help set your child on a healthy active path. The beginning of the learning should be less serious and more about figuring out the sport and falling in love with it.
Some children don’t have the opportunity to start at a young age but that does not mean that they shouldn’t try at all. The desire to learn the sport is more important than the age. And don’t be discouraged many gyms offer classes for teens and even some have classes for adults as well.
No matter which age it is that you start, all children should stay in the sport at least four years to get these benefits.
1. Physical Strength
Gymnast uses their body weight for resistance as they perform different jumps, flips, and routines. You are doing exercises that are working against gravity with the force of your own weight. Strength will increase over time and tricks that once seemed impossible will become easier. Your muscles will become more defined and your bones will become denser.
Swinging from bar to bar and doing flips across the floor requires you to hold your own weight. Building strength over time is a promise when it comes to gymnastics.
I remember being able to do more push-ups than any other guy in my P.E. class. Still, to this day people find it impressive how much stronger I am than they would expect. I thank Gymnastics for that!
2. Flexibility
Before every class or practice, the gymnast warm-up their muscles with some stretches. Being flexible allows the gymnast to flip, jump, and move in a variety of different ways.
Flexibility has been shown to reduce injuries and help with the range of joint movements. Along with preventing growth defects and even fatigue.
I have used my flexibility from gymnastics in different areas outside of gymnastics such as cheerleading, yoga, tae-kwon do, and even now as I begin Ariel Circus Arts.
3. Balance & Control
Gymnastics is one of the best areas to learn how to focus on your body and control your balance. The sport has a whole event called the “balance beam” dedicated to this skill. The balance beam is only about four inches wide. At a young age, learning to walk on a low beam and eventually moving up to a high beam will create balance.
I have used this to my advantage multiple times over the years. I can remember plenty of times when I was balancing on a small ledge (trying tricks) or catching myself before I fell (being lazy).
Another neat thing is, not only can I balance on my feet but I can still walk around the house on my hands for over a minute!
4. Fitness & Health
What better way to benefit your child than educating them on fitness and health? The U.S. is increasing in numbers of the of how many obese children that there is. This sport keeps kids active while they are in the gym but it also has been shown to encourage them to stay active even outside of the gym.
Not only does fitness within this sport help you maintain a healthy body. But it also can help prevent diseases such as asthma, diabetes, and cancer. Along with improving their health within their joints and muscles and healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Standing on the mascot, Bull at my college but little do you know how hot (temperature wise) this was and how much balance this took!![/caption]
5. Coordination
Gymnastics is a great way for kids to learn how to make their body follow what their brain is telling them to do. This is a time to develop hand-eye coordination and body awareness.
As a gymnast, there won’t be a startling response to a sudden imbalance or throw off. I have used the coordination that I learned in gymnastics in many areas but one that has benefited me a lot is how to fall correctly without getting hurt. I know the right way to control my body and know that if I am falling, I can coordinate my body to fall safely.
Last year, I spent a day with my friend’s learning how to longboard. We came to a part of the trail where there was a large hill. As we went down the hill, the speed began to catch up (quicker than I thought) and I literally flipped off! My friends freaked out immediately but right when I fell I did a forward-roll/somersault out of it. I was going so fast that I would’ve landed on my face or broken something. Knowing how to fall properly prevented me from being hurt at all, I ended up with zero cuts or hurt bones. And, my friends told me it actually almost looked like I was trying to impress them with a trick!
6. Cognitive Benefits
During practice, the gymnast is encouraged to think for themselves and use their imagination to prepare for their routines. Basic skills in this sport use communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
This sport keeps your child engaged with multiple parts of their brain at once. Their mind is engaged while crawling through tunnels and hoops, up and down rope swings, and bouncing on the trampoline. Gymnastics does not just exercise your body but exercises your minds as well! Focus and concentration from this sport is an essential benefit and can be carried over to be used in academic achievements.
7. Self-esteem
There are a number of different ways that gymnastics can help boost your self-esteem. First, you must know that gymnastics is considered one of the toughest sports in the world. Routines that are practiced use every muscle in the body. Being able to perform in a sport this intense just sounds cool itself.
Practicing over time will also build confidence because of the progress you will make. You might start off one day barely being able to do a handstand and then a year later, you can do a handstand on the balance beam. Personal achievements drive the gymnast to feel good, want to succeed, and shoot for more. Performing at competitions can enhance your confidence. Some kids might be shy and this is a great way to help them overcome this fear. Being able to show off the tricks that you have learned to an audience that is cheering you on can definitely boost your ego.
Lastly, while practicing in the gym you will surround yourself with other ambitious and confident gymnast. These teammates will encourage you and compliment you when you accomplish a new goal.
I was flipping on a stage while performing in Denver, Colorado w/ “Up with People.”.
8. Discipline
In the gym, there are different guidelines and expectations to keep the gymnast safe. These can vary from your coaches rules to the equipment safety rules. The gymnast needs to have the discipline to follow these expectations to stay out of trouble and keep from getting hurt.
Also, having self-discipline is important because you will need to be able to focus on what the coach is teaching you and stay on task even when they are busy with another teammate. If you don’t stay on task then your coach might discipline you and at the end of practice give you some extra body conditioning to do.
9. Fun
Not only is gymnastics a workout but it can be a FUN workout. You can’t get bored easily when it comes to this sport, because of the variety it offers. There is always another step to learn and it is possible that your child will be working on something new each class. Not only is there four events; bars, beam, vault, and floor. But workouts usually include trampoline use, climbing the rope, and even swinging into the pit!
This gives your children time to release energy while increasing their physical development. Also, they will be able to build connections with their teammates. If they decide to continue in this sport, you will be assured that they will be spending there years in a supervised environment. Keeping them from making bad decisions and being involved with the wrong crowd.
Hanging 60 feet in the air upside down!!
10. Transfer Skills
It is known that some kids would like to try more than just one sport in their childhood. The best thing about gymnastics is that you can use the skills you learned in other sports too! Skills such as flexibility, agility, and coordination can be beneficial for other exercising as well. This can help you pick up on sports more easily.
Gymnastics is one of the most diverse sports when it comes to exercises and developing strength. The vault helps with power and speed and bars is known as an endurance event. Beam improves your balance and a lot of coordination is made within a floor routine.
Overall, gymnastics is a great sport and can be beneficial in a variety of areas. These benefits can not only help as a kid but can be used throughout your life. This sport is accessible to all different ages and abilities and is beneficial throughout all the stages. So what are you waiting for? Come and sign your kid up…or yourself!!
What do you think about Gymnastics? Have you ever tried it or considered putting your child in the sport?
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