Gym Tips and Tricks from a Coach
We love hearing advice, tips, and stories from gymnasts, parents, and coaches from around the globe and featuring these amazing people on our blog. Today we’re going to highlight Ellie, a Level 2 Artistic Gymnastics coach who is sharing some amazing benefits of gymnastics. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, Ellie! Without further ado, let’s go!
- Increases Flexibility
One of the most common benefits that people associate with gymnastics is flexibility. And it’s indeed a core element of the sport. Flexible muscles are longer and more elastic, which helps to improve agility, posture, and muscle coordination while also decreasing the risk of injury. To increase flexibility, gymnasts learn to perform a wide range of motions, such as backbends and splits.
- Reduces Depression
Gymnastics can also lower anxiety and depression. There are several reasons for this. When you engage in physical exertion, your body releases endorphins that make you feel good. Physical activity also distracts you from negative thoughts and feelings by forcing you to be in the moment and only focus on your body’s movements.
- Increases Strength
Simple conditioning exercises such as leg lifts, chin-ups, and dips on steady rings, bars, and other equipment are all resistance training exercises that gymnasts practice to build their core and overall strength. Strength training has incredible benefits for adolescents, including improving their general motor skills and overall muscle fitness, which involves muscle endurance and power.
- Teaches How To Overcome Fear
It’s remarkable how gymnasts can perform countless somersaults in the air and leaps on a balance beam, seemingly without any fear. These actions can be scary to even think about for non-gymnasts, but gymnastics teaches children to push past their fears and excel, starting from the bottom and working their way up. Gymnastics doesn’t only teach how to overcome the physical fear of falling, but also the fear of failing.
- Encourages Teamwork and Communication
During training, gymnasts help each other when learning new skills, they work together to develop routines, and they encourage each other in performances. The act of collaboration not only improves their communication skills but also strengthens their ability to work together. Teamwork builds social skills and bonding.
Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson has also found that collaborating in teams enhances experimentation skills, cross-disciplinary problem-solving, and the generation of ideas. As the famous saying goes: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Thank you again for sharing your blog post with us, Ellie!
