How to become a gymnast: tips for girls and their parents

The right choice of sports school, section and coach

If you decide to enroll your child in a sports section, answer the simplest question: “Why?” Few people dream of raising their children to become Olympic champions. Most parents bring their children to sports for general development or for health. If you belong to this category, any gymnastics section in Moscow will suit you. You can choose a sports school based on geographic accessibility or cost of training. The situation is similar with rhythmic gymnastics. Without dreaming of world fame, you can limit yourself to training in a school section or the nearest cultural palace. But if you want your child to try to make a sports career, a lot depends on the school and the specific coach. Look for masters of their craft who have raised more than one generation of champions. It is such a specialist who will best explain to your daughter how to become a gymnast.

Optimal age to start training

Some sports have strict age restrictions. Gymnastics is one of them. Most sports schools and clubs recruit girls from 4-6 years old. Sometimes you can find advertisements with the text: “Gymnastics for children from 3 years old.” A section making such an invitation should make you wary. Professional trainers believe that training should begin at 4-5 years of age. At the age of three, a child is not always able to fully understand what the teacher wants from him. And at 6-7 years old, natural flexibility is lost, and it becomes more and more difficult to develop stretching. Training started in elementary school can be painful and ineffective. If you want to benefit the health of your first-grader daughter, give preference to artistic gymnastics at the amateur level instead of rhythmic gymnastics.

How to become a gymnast at home

Becoming a gymnast at home - developing muscle flexibility. Every woman strives to always stay in good shape and look the part. And especially in winter, when physical activity decreases significantly and excess weight accumulates.

Naturally, this prospect is not suitable for everyone and an active search for a solution to this problem begins.

You will never be able to get your body in great shape only with the help of diets - all the kilograms that go away will return in double size in a couple of weeks. Playing sports is a great option to keep your body and figure not only toned, but also in excellent shape from both a physical and aesthetic point of view.

However, fitness alone will not give great results. The body needs to be warmed up and the muscles stretched so that they form correctly. You can even try to become a gymnast at home.

Equipment and warming up

Having set such a goal, it is important to learn to control your body. After all, the main point of physical activity is to give all muscles the opportunity to work, thereby throwing out excess energy. And the intensity of exercise should be chosen taking into account age restrictions and health status.

It is important to choose a smooth and measured pace so that the muscles receive a certain load and not injury. Because they will eventually cause interruption of classes.

To do gymnastics (fitness) at home, you don’t need virtually any special equipment. It is enough to have in stock:

Dumbbells;
Jump rope;
Horizontal bar;
Soft mattress or blanket;
Ball.

Before starting classes, you should do a preliminary warm-up (so that all joints and muscles warm up).

You can perform a set of very simple exercises, such as: circular movements of the pelvis, hands, and ankles. They also bend forward while doing this, trying to reach their fingertips with their hands.

After warming up the muscles, you can begin the main activities.

Main set of classes

Before becoming a gymnast at home, you should work hard. And for this, a certain set of physical exercises has been developed that will help significantly simplify the task:

Twenty push-ups are performed in three sets (with legs widely spaced).
The next exercise is to pull your legs up to your chin. Do this exercise while lying on your stomach, the same number of times as in the first case.
Twenty times three sets of squats, standing on one leg.
Twenty push-ups, three sets each, with legs not wide apart.
The next exercise involves swinging the press - it is best performed in three sets of thirty times.
Three sets of thirty squats.

As an addition to the developed system of exercises, you can jump rope for a few minutes.

When performing the exercise, you need to take into account your condition. If the load is too large, it must be reduced.

This complex allows you to strengthen all the muscles of the body:

By doing push-ups, you can pump up your triceps well and emphasize your chest and shoulders.
The leg pull-up exercise helps strengthen your back.
And jumping has an impact on the hamstrings.

The main disadvantage of this exercise system is that the body quickly gets used to it. And the main load becomes insufficient. Therefore, it is recommended, as an addition, to use dumbbells and an expander.

If there is a lack of exercises designed for the back, you can do a bridge. It is best if you can perform it from a lying or standing position. Regular exercise significantly strengthens your shoulders and back.

Muscle stretching

After fitness, you should move on to muscle stretching:

When the muscles are well warmed up, it will be quite easy for you to stretch them.
Lie on the floor (arms along the body, palms down), in this position, do the birch tree 10 times, remaining in the raised state for 5-7 seconds - this will help stretch the back muscles.
Sit on the floor, spread your legs as wide as possible and alternately reach for the toes of one or the other leg, trying to clasp your heel with your hands, hold in the final position for 7-9 seconds. Repeat this exercise at least 10 times on each leg.
Get on your knees, put your hands on the floor, making a “cat” pose, bend and arch your back so that you feel the tension in the side muscles.

By doing this small list of exercises for 3 weeks, you will be able to do the splits with ease, and then you won’t be far from big gymnastics.

From all of the above it follows that performing such exercises at home is quite effective. The main thing is not to overdo it, but to do everything in moderation.

You should start training with the complex that you can handle. If after a certain number of sessions it becomes clear that a set of exercises is quite easy, you can move on to the next one.

It is not advisable to start performing complex exercises without some preparation. Because the main indicator in this matter is mild fatigue, and not a complete loss of strength.

What will you need to practice rhythmic gymnastics?

Be prepared for the fact that when you enroll in the sports section, you will be asked to purchase special clothing for training. The required minimum is a gymnastic leotard and Czech shoes. If your child has just joined a sports school, you can choose the simplest and most inexpensive models for training. Sequined swimsuits are worn only during exhibitions and competitions. When wondering how to become a gymnast, many girls dream of graceful “dancing” with various apparatus. In fact, exercises with a hoop, ball and ribbon begin only in the second or third year of training. The section often provides its own equipment to young athletes. And this is very good. Accessories for rhythmic gymnastics are not cheap at all. If over time you decide to leave this sport, you won’t have to regret the money spent.

How to succeed in rhythmic gymnastics

Many parents send their children to rhythmic gymnastics sections simply to improve health, develop good posture and an attractive figure, and instill discipline and responsibility. Other parents dream of raising Olympic champions who dedicate their lives to this sport.

Ambitious parents need to know what components form success in rhythmic gymnastics, and what is necessary for a career in this sport.

The first term: physical data

The easiest way to achieve success in gymnastics is for girls with a thin, asthenic build, who are not prone to being overweight, and who have natural flexibility. A developed sense of rhythm and a good ear for music are important. External data is also important - attractive features, a beautiful smile.

Of course, you can send a child who does not meet the standards to the section, but he will have to work much harder to achieve the results that his more naturally gifted peers achieve effortlessly.

The second term: health

Serious chronic diseases often become a contraindication to sports, including gymnastics. These are, first of all, disorders of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Health can deteriorate after the start of classes, often in adolescence. Diseases of the spine, joints, and blood vessels can cause the abandonment of initial ambitious plans.

The third term: timely start

The best age to start classes is 4-5 years. Young children are not disciplined enough and tolerate stress less well, although some schools work with three-year-olds. When starting classes at primary school age, it takes a lot of effort to catch up.

Gymnastics is considered a children's sport. The sports career of gymnasts ends early; many athletes switch to coaching, including in related fields - choreography, fitness.

The fourth term: performance

Excellent natural data cannot be considered a guarantee of success. You need to work hard. Therefore, willpower, discipline and efficiency are absolutely necessary for future champions. The good news is that these qualities can usually be taught to a child.

If a girl willingly trains 4-5 hours a day and is ready to train more, not paying attention to muscle pain, bruises, abrasions and failures, she has a chance of success in sports.

The fifth term: lifestyle

For future champions, gymnastics is not an ordinary hobby or passion, but something more. Sport subordinates other areas of life, training is a priority compared to other activities. The child will not have time for classes in other sections, learning languages, ordinary children's games, walks, entertainment. A minimum of time is allocated for preparing lessons.

Your training schedule affects your daily routine. Gymnastics also affects diet: gymnasts should not gain weight even during periods of active growth, so a healthy diet is necessary, and in difficult cases, strict diets. Parental control is necessary here, because young gymnasts sometimes cannot resist the temptation, especially at an early age.

Lessons without ambition

After the first year of training, the gymnast’s chances of becoming a big-time sports star are determined. Future champions train according to a complicated program, while others can continue training for the sake of health and beauty.

Only a few become champions. Many initially do not strive for medals, considering all the changes that occur in life thanks to gymnastics as success. This sport will develop character, improve posture, increase flexibility, make movements graceful, teach you to control your own body and feel confident in a variety of situations.

The undoubted advantages of rhythmic gymnastics include the fact that this sport is considered low-traumatic, unlike sports gymnastics. And while professional gymnasts may still be at risk of injury, exercises “for the sake of health” are practically safe and beneficial.

Benefits of classes

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport that involves performing various exercises with or without apparatus to music. According to the classic training program, girls up to about 7 years old are engaged in general physical training, during which maximum attention is paid to stretching. Such classes under the supervision of an experienced trainer are incredibly useful. The child develops correct graceful posture and develops plasticity. According to some experts, good stretching reduces the risk of future fractures and sprains. We should not forget about the psychological component of sports education. Regular training is a regimen, discipline, and determination.

Is it true that rhythmic gymnastics is dangerous to health?

While girls ask their mothers how to become a gymnast and ask to enroll in a gymnast, many parents are seriously worried whether such training will cause harm. There are full-fledged horror stories about this sport. The most common of them are that gymnastics can lead to gynecological diseases and foot deformities. Such problems are indeed sometimes observed in adult professional gymnasts who train for a long time every day. If you are afraid of injuries, choose a “calm” sport, such as chess. Any active training can cause your child to suffer a sprain, fracture, or even more serious injury. But do not forget that injury can also occur during a normal walk or home games. This is rather a matter of personal luck and the physiological characteristics of a particular child. How to become an artistic gymnast; perhaps this sport is safer than rhythmic gymnastics? If for your child sports activities are only part of their comprehensive development, you can safely choose any section. Artistic gymnastics, just like rhythmic gymnastics, is aimed at the harmonious development of body muscles and includes many stretching elements.

How to become a gymnast: tips for parents for their children

Rhythmic gymnastics attracts the attention not only of young athletes with its sparkling costumes, but also of their parents, who want their children to grow up beautiful and physically developed. The trainer of the Regional Center for the Development of Gymnastics will tell you what your child needs to succeed in this sport.

The difficulty of this sport is that it is simultaneously acrobatics, dancing and good psychological preparation. To achieve new results, athletes often train to the limit of their strength and capabilities, which can lead to psychological and physical injuries. We have highlighted a list of key points to pay attention to.

Age

The sooner a child starts training, the greater her chances of succeeding in this sport. Of course, the development of each person is individual and this issue can always be discussed separately with a coach.

Rhythmic gymnastics can be practiced regularly from the age of four. Until this age, you can bring your baby to the gym once a week so that he gets used to the environment. There are also children who, at three years old, can be as well physically developed as four- to five-year-olds, and coaches are trying to find such children, because they are more likely to become professional athletes.

Schooling

At an early age, children engage in rhythmic gymnastics for up to three hours a day, three to four times a week. As sports skills increase, the workload will only increase; trips to competitions and training camps interfere with full-fledged studies at school. But you need to take into account that a child, having a busy schedule, becomes more disciplined, increasing his productivity. Almost all gymnasts study well and excellently, showing themselves to be active and proactive students.

Trainer

As in any sport, the child will have a coach. Since your child’s outcome largely depends on this person, it is important to build a relationship with him. Since in the future you will need to work closely together, decide for yourself the issue of trust right away so that in subsequent stages this problem does not become a sabotage to your child’s success.

There is no point in arguing with the coach - it will only harm the child, who spends dozens of hours a week with the student and will always be able to recoup, for example, by not paying enough attention in training. After a damaged relationship, moving to another coach will be a difficult task.

Costs

Of course, any sport requires expenses: payment for training, costumes, travel. But for young athletes, this is, first of all, hard work, which will not immediately show its results, so parents can create a motivating atmosphere for their children by delighting them with beautiful training clothes and accessories. In this context, a child begins to receive payment for his work from an early age.

Well, and most importantly, do not forget that it is not sport that makes a person, so when choosing gymnastics as an activity for your child, it is worth remembering that joy and pleasure from constant development is the need of every person, therefore, with the right and healthy attitude, your child will certainly achieve the highest results in this area.

Sports career or hobby?

Wise parents allow their children to decide for themselves what to become at a conscious age. This is a good position, but there is one problem. To the question: “Can you become a gymnast at 14 or 15?” - any coach will answer you categorically: “No.” In principle, it makes no sense to start doing gymnastics after 6 years of age. This means that the decision about sports activities and their intensity must be made by parents. If you like rhythmic gymnastics, then why not give your own child the opportunity to try this sport? Most experts agree that the success of a gymnast largely depends on natural talent. Having talent, you can choose any section and, if you wish, over time, retrain from an amateur to a professional. In any case, gymnastics for children from 3 years old, whether it be a section or a sports school, will bring more benefit than harm. As a last resort, you can always quit any sport, don’t forget about that.