Introducing your child to gymnastics early in life helps improve their coordination and physical development. Most gyms offer classes for young toddlers and their parents to work on these early skills. Some gyms focused entirely on babies and toddlers with special programs using music and games. The purpose of these gyms is to introduce basic hand-eye coordination and to encourage fun in physical activity.



Once they progress beyond this stage, if they are still interested in gymnastics as a sport, children should be enrolled in a gym that offers age-appropriate classes focusing on age-specific skills at each level. Most gyms offer not only recreational gymnastics for the general public, but also more advanced classes for those with a special interest or natural ability for gymnastics. Some of these gyms will usually have a competitive program in place for these children.

As the children progress from one level to the next, the physical demands will increase. Not only do they learn new skills, they have to do more physical conditioning. It is not uncommon for them to spend hours at a time doing conditioning exercises. Children sometimes get discouraged because they are concentrating less on skills and focusing more on strengthening, which can cause some short-term discomfort. It can be difficult for them to understand that the physical grounding is important in order to move on to more difficult skills. However, learning patience and discipline is an important lesson in life.

Even if they leave gymnastics, children often have developed enough skills that they can excel in almost any sport. The upper and lower body strength gained in gymnastics will help with kicking in soccer and batting in baseball/softball. The coordination, endurance and speed contribute to their ability to perform in swimming and track. The flexibility also allows them to move on to dance and cheerleading. Almost any other sport can be improved by participation in gymnastics. Although boys may be teased for being in gymnastics, which has often been considered a girls? sport, male gymnasts are among the most physically fit and strongest athletes.

Competitive gymnastics also help children develop confidence in themselves and their bodies. At first, a timid child may display anxieties about performing in public. However, they soon learn to channel those anxieties in a more positive direction as the adrenaline produced carry them through their routines. They begin to develop mental aggressiveness and competitiveness.

If you have an interest in gymnastics as a sport, you must remember that not only does it require a lot in terms of physical demand, but also time commitment. Competitive gymnasts spend anywhere from twelve to thirty hours at the gym, depending on their level of achievement. This is a major time investment, but it has long-term rewards.