Gymnastics is an excellent sport for young girls and often considered as one of the most inclusive exercise programs which promote strength, flexibility, balance, speed, power, coordination and discipline. If your girl is willing to start doing gymnastics, all she needs is passion and the perfect leotard. Gymnastics leotards are an essential part of the wardrobe for gymnasts. There are plenty of different colours and fabrics and a variety of shapes and cuts available, however, you need to primarily pay attention to features such as comfort and durability. You also have to keep in mind that gymnastics leotards are always designed smaller than other clothing, so the size and measurements might not be the same as for other clothes. In order to help you pick the best gymnastics leotard for girls, here is everything you should pay attention to.
First of all, you need to determine the right fit. Will your girl wear it for training or for competition purposes? If it is for training, the most important thing is for it to be comfortable so the gymnast can be focused on their exercises. If it is too tight or too loose, they can easily get distracted and make mistakes. You should always keep in mind that the gymnastics leotard for girls for training purposes should fit in the shoulders and torso well, but have a little more room near the buttocks. On the other hand, if it is for a competition, it needs to feel like a second skin, so you should look for a sleek fit in order for the judges to notice the muscle definition and precision. However, it shouldn’t be restrictive as it could interfere with the gymnast’s movements.
Secondly, you need to see which type of sleeves will fit your girl best and feel most comfortable. You can choose among sleeveless leotards, 3/4 length sleeve leotards, and long sleeve leotards. All of them have advantages and disadvantages. For example, the sleeveless leotards allow the sweat to escape but they don’t keep the person warm in cold weather and are not preferred for competitions. The 3/4 length sleeve leotards are great for cold weather and bring you the benefits of the other two types. Also, they can be worn in competitions. Finally, the long sleeve leotards keep the gymnasts warm in cold weather but most of the gymnasts find them uncomfortable because their arms are covered.
Thirdly, there are many different leotard back styles. Thus, you can choose a racer, tank, cami straps, keyhole and wide open back styles. Comfort doesn’t depend on the style of the back as much as it depends on the type of sleeves, in fact, the different types of backs are there just for design purposes. What you need to consider, though, when choosing a leotard style back, is the type of undergarments your girl will wear because if you choose wide open, cami or keyhole back, you need to think about covering the bralette or the bra. The best solution if the girl wears a brais the tank style leotard.
Finally, the fabric of the leotard. There is an abundance of choices and the most popular ones are those which provide comfort. Lycra is popular as it is extremely stretchy. However, there can’t be any rhinestones, appliques, foils and other decorations added on it, so it is not a great choice for competition purposes. The metallic fabric, on the other hand, is a preferred choice for competitions as it is flashy and bright. The downside of this fabric is that it is restrictive so many gymnasts might be uncomfortable wearing it. Then, the nylon/spandex fabric is considered to provide a good balance of the aforementioned types. It also comes in a variety of colours and designs. And last, but not least is the velvet or velour fabric which reached its peak of popularity in the late 80s and 90s. Today it is still popular because it is extremely forgiving and holds up well. The disadvantage is that it can make the performers sweaty very fast.