Choosing The Right Gymnastics Gym
It can be hard knowing how to pick the right gymnastics gym, especially if you are new to the sport of gymnastics. Snowflake Designs is here to help you make sure you select the right gym for your new gymnast!
1. Coaches
A coach or teacher can make or break your child’s gymnastics experience. While you’re at the gym looking at the equipment, watch the coaches working with the gymnasts. Are they attentive? Do they get and keep the kids motivated? Do they seem knowledgeable? Ask a few parents how their children enjoy the coaches. Coaches and staff should be approachable for comments, questions, and concerns.
Are they CPR and First Aid certified?
Have they been fingerprinted and had a background check?
Does the gym provide ongoing education to ensure that they are using proper spotting techniques and progressions?
Most professional organizations such as the United States Association of Gymnastics (USAG) require members to submit to background checks and remain CPR/First Aid certified. Beyond the training and certification, the coaches must engage with the kids, be dressed appropriately, and generally look like they enjoy what they are doing.
2. Class Ratio
Smaller classes allow for more personalized attention for your gymnast. The coach will be able to correct improper techniques and stop bad habits before they develop. There isn’t a magic number for the student-to-coach ratio, but sit in on a few classes. Does every child look like they are being monitored at all times by an instructor?
The following are USGA's recommended ratios:
Parent/Child Class 10:1
Three year old Class 6:1
Four/Five year old Class 8:1
School Age Class 8-10:1
Pre-Team Class 10-12:1
3. Facility
Proper equipment is necessary for the safest training environment. Take a look around. Does the equipment seem clean and in good shape? Are there plenty of mats under the equipment? Do they have all of the equipment and extra training equipment for gymnasts to use: a pit, tumble track, trampoline, harness, etc.?
Is the gym clean and well lit?
Does the equipment look properly maintained?
Are there enough mats, bars, beams, etc. for everyone?
Let’s get this out in the open now-there will be chalk dust on mats, and during class times the gym may look like an obstacle course of equipment and flying/flipping/falling bodies. That’s okay. But all equipment should be in good repair and there should be enough stations that a class can keep moving rather than wait to use the same beam, board, or mat.
4. Students
Are they dressed properly?
Do they appear happy and active?
Are they being spotted, praised, and corrected by the coaches?
Gymnasts should be dressed in leotards (woohoo, Snowflake Designs) for girls and singlets or t-shirts with shirts for boys, whenever possible. This is not a requirement at all facilities, but proper clothing makes the sport safer for athletes and coaches. Plus, Snowflake Designs sells quality leotards as low as $19.00. You can’t beat that!
5.Other Parents
Is there an area for them to comfortably watch their children practice?
Are they happy with the instruction their children receive?
Parents should have a space to observe practice. They write the checks, drive the carpools, and raise the kiddos the other 19-23 hours of the day. It stands to reason that they should be welcome to observe practice. Emphasis on the observe part, but that’s a topic for another time.
6.The Program’s Philosophy and Rules
What is the goal of the gym?
What are the policies regarding dropping off, picking up, and make-ups?
How often are children evaluated and what is the procedure for moving up a level?
Different gyms have different goals. Not every gym has the goal of sending gymnasts to the Olympics (very few do, actually). Reputable gyms emphasize the development of life skills rather than winning at all costs. The blue ribbon little Suzy won at her first meet is not going to mean anything when she is in her first semester of college and away from home. Her ability to manage her time, keep her body healthy, and work well with others; all lessons she learned from gymnastics, will make the difference.
7. Take a Trial Class!
You can’t know unless you give it a try. Right? Take advantage of trial classes – most gyms encourage walk-ins and will allow you to schedule one.
We hope these tips help make the decision of picking a gymnastics gym a little less stressful for you, but after all, you know your future gymnast the best and what they need and want in a gymnastics gym.
