The World of Gymnastics

Archive for December, 2009

Gymnastics and dance are completely different sports, but a working knowledge and ability to perform each of these disciplines are a must to be a great gymnast and dancer. Every gymnastics floor and balance beam routine includes a vast amount of dance to connect gymnastics skills.

Serious and competitive gymnasts should take dance lessons along side with working out in the gym. Dance is an extremely important part of gymnastics. Gymnastics and dance go hand in hand, for this reason I refer to it as gymnastics dance. Gymnastics dance is crucial to a gymnasts’ success. In every balance beam and gymnastics floor routine ever performed, gymnastics dance is weaved throughout the entire piece. You may be a gymnast, not a dancer, but you are going to get judged on the dance you put into your routines. The neatest thing about gymnastics dance is it makes your routine unique and helps it stand out from all other gymnastics routines. Through gymnastics dance you are able to express your personality as an individual and a gymnast. This has a huge weight in your overall score, so make sure you go all out and make every move count. Amazing leaps, high flexible jumps, and perfect turns are a necessity for a high scouring balance beam and floor routine. Gymnastics dance is used in-between tumbling passes and gymnastics skills it is the fluidity that ties each part of your routine together making it whole.

Dance lessons will help you master these skills. I cannot express enough how beneficial dance is for gymnastics floor and balance beam success. It teaches great form, technique, grace, flexibility, fluidity, balance, and posture. Make sure your balance beam and gymnastics floor routines are choreographed specifically for you and no one else. By incorporating dance, skills, and tumbling passes that show your strengths.

Once gymnasts start to hit the pre-teen years they may start feeling uncomfortable in a gymnastics leotard. When gymnasts hit this stage, many parents buy their gymnasts gymnastics shorts. Is this helpful or harmful for your gymnast in the long run?

Gymnastics shorts are just like bike shorts (AKA mini bike shorts) but much shorter and usually much cuter; they usually come in a verity of colors. They also come in two types of material: lyrca and velvet. Gymnastics shorts are even decorative; they sometimes have rhinestones down the side or across the booty. These mini bike shorts may be cute and comfy BUT there are both positive and negative effects when it comes to wearing them.

First, I will start with the positives. Many girls who wear shorts feel like they need them; wearing them can give them more confidence and make them feel more comfortable with their body. The shorts keep the gymnastics leo in place which helps prevent wedgie picking.

Now for the negatives, shorts are NOT technically part of the gymnastics attire. When working out, the gymnastics shorts tend to twist from side to side. This causes the gymnast to have to stop what they are doing and fix them every time they twist (which is A LOT). Many gymnasts tend to hide behind their shorts. They can’t do gymnastics without them (so they believe). They rely on their mini bike shorts way too much and get very uncomfortable if they are made to take them off. But worst of all, once they are off the wedgie picking doesn’t stop. Without shorts their gymnastics leotards “ride up” even more. For this reason you may think shorts are great because they stop this problem but this IS NOT THE CASE! At gymnastics meets or gymnastics competitions your gymnast CANNOT wear shorts. Since they are NOT use to this, they may forget and pick their wedgies in their routines which will cause them to get a 0.05 deduction for each and every time they do it. This can add up and cost them their placement for an award!

I do not believe gymnastics shorts benefit a gymnast in any way. When my gymnasts ask me about wearing shorts I ask in return, “do you wear shorts over your swim suit when you go swimming”? Of course the answer is always “NO!” Then I tell them, “There is no reason to wear them here either.”

Keep in mind, you should practice the way you compete; this means No gymnastics shorts; at least not for those that participate in gymnastics competitions or gymnastics meets. They can be more harmful then helpful! If you have a correct fitting gymnastics leotard you shouldn’t have problems with picking wedgies anyway.