Myths About Kids and Gymnastics: Busted

Gymnastics really is a sport suitable for both boys and girls, for both toddlers and teens and for young bodies of all shapes and sizes. There are, however, some ongoing myths and misconceptions about gymnastics that prevent parents from encouraging, or even considering, allowing their child to enroll in a gymnastics class. And that’s a real shame, so it’s about time to debunk some of the most commonly heard of them.

My child is not very coordinated (flexible, strong) so gymnastics is not going to be right for them.

These ‘weaknesses’ that parents perceive their child has are actually great reasons for a child to be enrolled in a gymnastics class. Gymnastics helps even the youngest children improve their basic gross motor skills, improve their flexibility and it’s great for building overall strength.

My child isn’t ever going to make a competitive team so why bother?

Once you get beyond the obvious question – why are you so sure they won’t make a team? – the fact is that gymnastics is a wonderful activity for young people in general, even if they never do pursue it competitively. In addition to all of the physical benefits it offers, it’s a great tool for learning self-discipline, for boosting self-esteem, for making new friends and simply having fun, all of which are beneficial for any kid.

It’s too dangerous for my child

If you casually watch the professional gymnastics championships then yes, you will hear of competitors being sidelined with injury. But that is the same in every sport! The fact is that gymnastics coaches have to be highly trained in issues like injury prevention, gym safety and, if needed, advanced first aid.

When and if a child progresses to higher level competitive gymnastics they may indeed face an injury at some point, but the chances of that are no higher than for a child who plays baseball, football, soccer or any other popular youth sport. So a fear of injury is no reason to prevent a child from pursuing something they may very well come to love.

My child is (is going to be) too tall for gymnastics

Yes, many of the greatest professional gymnasts have been rather petite, but that does not apply to all of them by any means. And in reality height is no barrier to success at the level most young gymnasts aspire to and if they are interested, and participating and having fun, why let any perceived difficulty limit them?

My child is too old for gymnastics

Many children do indeed begin to take gymnastics classes in late toddlerhood. But that does not mean that tweens and teens cannot become involved in gymnastics if they are interested in it. In some cases they may be a little old to make a competitive team – although maybe not – but they can still reap all of the mental and physical benefits that gymnastics has to offer.

Gymnastics is a girls sport and I have sons

This is a very common myth and one that the many supremely talented male gymnasts in the world laugh at. The fact is that there are few sports that provide such great ‘cross-training’ for males as gymnastics does, which is why an increasing number of pro athletes in other sports, especially football and baseball, now incorporate gymnastics into their training regimes.

And as for those male gymnasts? For three years running now, in their annual ‘Fittest Athletes’ rundown Men’s Health magazine have placed Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura third on the list, behind only US decathlete Ashton Eaton and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, miles ahead of all of the footballers, weightlifters and other pros some people consider to be ‘more manly’.

Visit the Gymnastics section and review the goals and description of our classes to find out which one best fits the needs of your child. Our lesson plans are designed to accommodate every age group and skill level. For questions and inquiries, feel free to give us a call 913-766-8918 or email us: tumble@integrityop.com