County

Information for parents

Most parents know little of gymnastics when their daughter begins training. Many parents have questions about the sport and its effects on the body, nutrition, training hours and age related training levels. The information given below may help parents who have questions about gymnastics.

Gymnastics is a sport many children can take part in regardless of their level of talent. Coalville Gymnastics Club provides a healthy, friendly environment for your child to take part in a varied and dynamic sport. Experts agree that gymnastics is a sport that underpins all other sports, improving skills like flexibility, strength, balance, co-ordination and agility. Children are developed and encouraged to achieve to the best of their ability, with the emphasis on a positive and enjoyable experience.

Although a talented gymnast (with the correct levels of strength and flexibility) is easy to spot at a young age, we also take care to ensure the child is sufficiently interested and enthusiastic about the sport; talent alone is not enough. Once a child with the required aptitude is spotted, nurturing that ability is extremely difficult, talented children don’t often develop into elite gymnasts. The sport of gymnastics is a difficult and varied sport with many factors influencing success, training - at all but the basic levels - is a dedicated and long-term process.

Optimal levels of training for young children are much debated; guidance is varied and ranges from vague to downright scary! There are many regulations and guidelines that prudent coaches adhere to, the most important being that we tailor the gymnastics activities to the needs and requirements of the individual. At Coalville Gymnastics Club children have an enjoyable experience with a wide variety of movements and skills, together with strength and flexibility activities that are beneficial to the age and level of the gymnast.

Gymnastics is a difficult and dynamic sport for any age. Whilst in the gym your child will be required to work towards a set of goals, they are likely to have difficulties to overcome like strength and flexibility limitations, lack of confidence in a move or seeing other girls progress more quickly. However, the determined gymnast will undoubtedly strive to overcome these complications with a high degree of self-motivation. Gymnasts who are driven by their own desire to achieve often do well; this self-motivation usually means they continue to work towards their goals whilst the coach is giving feedback to other members of the group.

Feedback is given to gymnasts to assist with their development, a coach will correct and explain how to improve a move or technique and encourage progress. The coach’s decision to tailor the training programme and select the appropriate skills for the needs of the individual is an educated one and is always in the best interest of the gymnast.

There is always a lot of controversy regarding weight and the gymnast. The uninformed are quick to accuse the sport of encouraging unhealthy weight expectations and causing eating disorders. Coalville Gymnastics Club can only comment on our own policies and expectations and there are as follows: Competition gymnasts are selected with the body size and type in mind, we encourage gymnasts to eat a healthy balanced diet with the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetable per day and a sensible control of fatty and sugary foods. We also encourage gymnasts to drink the recommended 2 litres of water per day, plus additional water during training sessions. Our philosophy at Coalville Gymnastics Club is that a health balanced diet together with the correct training programme will keep the gymnast proportionally ideal, fit and healthy, and will provide the energy the body requires to train.

Another frequently asked question is “ Does gymnastics training stunt the growth of the gymnast?” Research has proved very little and at best can only say that it is possible that intensive training may delay growth spurts but evidence indicates that do catch up eventually. The best answer we can give as experience coaches is that in general smaller, lighter girls are more ideal for gymnastics, gymnastics does not make them smaller and lighter! If you look at high-level national and international gymnasts you will notice there are tall gymnasts; those girls who are predisposed to be taller by genetics have still continued to grow tall despite a great many hours of intensive training.

So, we hope you have decided that gymnastics is not the terrible sport that you may have heard about and you wish to help your child to succeed and progress. Your next question is probably how can you help? If you want to help your child’s personal progression your could ask her coach if she needs to do any strength or flexibility work at home between sessions and over see these to ensure they are done safely. In more general terms Coalville Gymnastics Club are always looking for volunteers to help with activities like sponsorship and fund raising, open days, assisting recreational sessions etc. Or maybe you would be interested in coaching, judging or getting involved with the committee. Whatever your interest please talk to your child’s coach and they will point you in the right direction.

The views expressed within this Website are not necessarily the views of British Gymnastics, but are contributions from Coalville Gymnastics Club.