The Sport of Gymnastics -- Why Gymnastics?
"Gymnastics helps teach young people great lifelong skills, including teamwork, fitness, self-discipline, and other important values which sustain a healthy and successful approach to life."
--Steve Penny, President of USA Gymnastics
As an after-school activity, gymnastics has been growing dramatically in popularity each year, and with good reason. Parents are becoming increasingly more aware of the sport’s health and educational value, while children just want to keep up with an activity that helps them feel good about themselves, both physically and emotionally.
Gymnastics is more than just another sport. It is an activity that offers something different to each participant. In gymnastics, the highly active child has a positive outlet for their energy while the less-physically-motivated child is thrilled by learning a skill suited just for them.
Developmental gymnastics is composed of such a myriad of skills that children of all abilities can enjoy the challenge of learning new and exciting skills each time they attend class. This provides an opportunity for repeated success experiences that motivate the child to strive to new heights. These success experiences build the self-esteem and the self-confidence needed to enjoy the many challenges of life.
Gymnastics is one of the most fundamental and exciting of all physical activities. Basic gymnastics skills develop attributes that are perfect stepping stones for other sports and activities: flexibility, balance, strength and agility. And through proper instruction, children enrolled in gymnastics programs demonstrate progress in a number of key developmental areas. A NASA study showed that gymnasts have highly developed "vestibular mechanisms" which increase general learning, (academic as well as physical).
The Inner Child
Concentration:
Problem Solving:
Goal Orientation: The progressive nature of gymnastics teaches a child the purpose and value of setting goals for his/her efforts — a valuable lesson at any age.
Confidence: Gymnastics training is based on learning a progression of skills. As a gymnast moves from easy movements to more complex skills, he/she develops a sense of accomplishment and a natural confidence in his/her abilities.
Discipline: Gymnastics is its own best reward. As gymnasts progress, they learn that in order to improve, certain things have to be done a certain way each time if it's going to work. That requires discipline. The incentive for applying that discipline is basic: pure fun! Children learn very early that discipline can lead to some very enjoyable successes.
Organization: Still in its early stages, recent research suggests physical training in gymnastics enhances a typical child's ability to think logically. In order to progress (and have more fun), a child is required to be organized, disciplined and focused on the task at hand. As a natural outgrowth of training, children learn to approach the challenges of life logically, sensibly and with confidence.
Creativity: Gymnastics allows children to express themselves in a unique and individualized way. So much of gymnastics is exploration. Children are constantly challenged to try new skills, to discover just how much they can accomplish through hard work and creative thinking.
The Outer Child
Self-Awareness
Strength
Coordination
Body Awareness
Agility
Posture
Balance
Flexibility
Fitness Habits
"Gymnastics helps teach young people great lifelong skills, including teamwork, fitness, self-discipline, and other important values which sustain a healthy and successful approach to life."
--Steve Penny, President of USA Gymnastics
As an after-school activity, gymnastics has been growing dramatically in popularity each year, and with good reason. Parents are becoming increasingly more aware of the sport’s health and educational value, while children just want to keep up with an activity that helps them feel good about themselves, both physically and emotionally.
Gymnastics is more than just another sport. It is an activity that offers something different to each participant. In gymnastics, the highly active child has a positive outlet for their energy while the less-physically-motivated child is thrilled by learning a skill suited just for them.
Developmental gymnastics is composed of such a myriad of skills that children of all abilities can enjoy the challenge of learning new and exciting skills each time they attend class. This provides an opportunity for repeated success experiences that motivate the child to strive to new heights. These success experiences build the self-esteem and the self-confidence needed to enjoy the many challenges of life.
Gymnastics is one of the most fundamental and exciting of all physical activities. Basic gymnastics skills develop attributes that are perfect stepping stones for other sports and activities: flexibility, balance, strength and agility. And through proper instruction, children enrolled in gymnastics programs demonstrate progress in a number of key developmental areas. A NASA study showed that gymnasts have highly developed "vestibular mechanisms" which increase general learning, (academic as well as physical).
The Inner Child
Concentration:
Problem Solving:
Goal Orientation: The progressive nature of gymnastics teaches a child the purpose and value of setting goals for his/her efforts — a valuable lesson at any age.
Confidence: Gymnastics training is based on learning a progression of skills. As a gymnast moves from easy movements to more complex skills, he/she develops a sense of accomplishment and a natural confidence in his/her abilities.
Discipline: Gymnastics is its own best reward. As gymnasts progress, they learn that in order to improve, certain things have to be done a certain way each time if it's going to work. That requires discipline. The incentive for applying that discipline is basic: pure fun! Children learn very early that discipline can lead to some very enjoyable successes.
Organization: Still in its early stages, recent research suggests physical training in gymnastics enhances a typical child's ability to think logically. In order to progress (and have more fun), a child is required to be organized, disciplined and focused on the task at hand. As a natural outgrowth of training, children learn to approach the challenges of life logically, sensibly and with confidence.
Creativity: Gymnastics allows children to express themselves in a unique and individualized way. So much of gymnastics is exploration. Children are constantly challenged to try new skills, to discover just how much they can accomplish through hard work and creative thinking.
The Outer Child
Self-Awareness
Strength
Coordination
Body Awareness
Agility
Posture
Balance
Flexibility
Fitness Habits
About Gymnastics
