i was just wondering
how flexible do i need to be and what things to do i need to know?
thanks
xoxo
I'm really impressed how many good answers there are here already.
I absolutely agree that you don't need massive flexibility for artistic gymnastics and it is something you can develop as you go along.
Certainly you don't need to know anything in terms of skills to start with and you shouldn't try to teach yourself anything like that before you start because apart from the risks of hurting yourself if you learn bad habits of technique you will actually find it much harder to learn to do the skills properly than if you were starting with a blank slate.
If you want to work on improving your flexibility before you start then you can do though. You can also work on improving your strength and general fitness. Strength is hugely important for gymnastics. (Although again you don't need to be strong to start because it is something that you can train and improve.)
If you want to improve your flexibility you have to do it the right way though so that you don't pull muscles. First you start with a warm up that gets your heart rate up and your joints loosened up. Then you do the stretches starting with the more gentle stretches. If you are going to do splits and bridge you do them at the end. You always need to stretch in a way that is gradual and controlled (no bouncing, no forcing, no jumping into stretches) which is safer and more effective and you hold the stretch where you feel a strong stretch but not pain until your muscles relax, With stretching it is more effective to do short sessions often than a longer session less frequently.
For strength you would do body weight exercises (things like push-ups, dips, V-sits, dished and arches raises, rocks and holds.) If you do strength and stretching in the same session then start with the strength when you are feeling fresh and do the stretching afterwards when your muscles are more tired out for best effect.
Skipping is a great way to improve general fitness and skipping ropes are cheap and portable. You can also do this as a warm up before strength or stretching.
Swimming also makes great cross-training for gymnastics as it is great for general fitness and is a whole body exercise which improves your strength.
Hi! So for artistic gymnastics you don't have to be insanely flexible. Flexibility helps, but there are a lot of gymnasts i know that are not completely flat on their splits. When you start gymnastics, you will also be working on getting more flexible!
Rhythmic gymnastics is another story though. I dont know as much about rhythmic gymnastics, but i know you have to be pretty naturally flexible. I think you were talking about artistic gymnastics, though.
Also, when you start gymnastics, you will be put into the recreational gymnastics practices, not the team. Team is competitive. Everybody starts in recreational gymnastics then moves to team gymnastics. Anyway, you will learn everything basic that you need to know from recreational gymnastics.
By the way, all this information was for club gymnastics, which is gymnastics at a certain business, instead of school.
Hope i helped!
Like any class, you are there to learn. You are not expected to already know things.
So, you are there to learn gymnastics. Most of the classtime is spent warming up, stretching, etc. This is where you find out how to properly do these things.
You don't need to know anything or to be flexible. All of that comes with time and instruction.
You don't need to go in knowing anything. You'll be in a beginning class where they will teach you everything you need to know. You don't need to be flexible. You don't need to know anything about gymnastics either. They will teach you everything. Just make sure you wear the proper clothes. Wear stretchy shorts such as yoga shorts, spandex or cheer shorts and wear a tank top, cami, tight tshirt or leotard.
If you want to start stretching a little before you start classes that's fine. It's not necessary but it never hurts to stretch and work on flexibility. Sit in a straddle (legs apart in a v) and reach to one foot, then the other, then the middle. Sit in a pike (legs straight and together in front of you) and try to touch your toes. Do lunges and try to do splits. It's absolutely okay if you can't do the splits yet. They are hard and you will learn them eventually with time and practice. You can also do crunches, sit ups and push ups to get stronger.
But don't worry. You will learn everything you need to know in your class!
