Preparing Your Child for Gymnastics: Gear and Equipment Buying Guide

Gymnastics is a type of sport consisting of different types of physical exercises. It requires great strength, balance, flexibility and coordination. It’s recommended for children to start with gymnastic training at a young age in order to achieve better results. Stay tuned to learn everything a kid needs before starting to train.

Girls Gymnastics Wear That Offer Comfort and Flexibility

Gymnastic clothes are essential for any gymnast because they are made especially for that activity. Gymnastics requires gymnasts to be really flexible and have a full range of motion. That’s why gymnastics wear is tight-fitting and very light. Baggy clothes can cause serious problems for gymnasts while practising because they can get caught on the equipment and cause some serious injuries.

There are two types of girls gymnastics wear. The first one is the leotard. Leotards are skin-tight one-piece garments made out of elastic fabric (lycra or spandex). They are designed to be pleasant and comfortable to wear. They cover the wearer’s body from the shoulders to the top of the thighs. They can have sleeves but can also be sleeveless.

When shopping, make sure you’re buying the right fit of gymnastics leotard. Leotards are elastic but wearing a smaller size can be uncomfortable. They should fit perfectly – not too tight or too baggy.

The second type of gymnastics clothing is crop top sets. They’re made from the same material but instead of a one-piece they’re a two-piece garment containing skin-tight shorts and skin-tight crop top. Sometimes the shorts can be worn on top of the leotard but that’s only for practice. It’s not allowed to wear shorts in competitions.

Gymnastic outfits can be found in many different colours and designs. They can be basic for every day practising or sparkly for competitions. For older gymnasts, the crop tops are double strapped and have under bust elastic for additional support and comfort throughout the day. Also, the materials absorb sweat quickly, keeping the gymnast cool and dry at all times.

And let’s not forget about the disposable strips famous for repairing wardrobe malfunctions. The adhesive on the strips is gentle to the skin, hypoallergenic and leaves no residue behind. It’s a great option for a quick fix.

Gymnastic Shoes That Prevent Slipping

Gymnastic shoes are similar to slippers and are very tight-fitting on the feet. The most commonly used material for the production of gymnastic shoes is leather with traction on the bottom in order to prevent slipping. Gymnastic shoes are important since they offer protection to the feet while exercising or competing on a higher level.

It’s recommended to wear gymnastic shoes if you’re performing a lot of leaps and jumps, flipping or practising the beam every day. By wearing gymnastic shoes, serious injuries can be prevented which otherwise might affect the whole training and competing in the future.

Gymnastic Equipment

Various pieces of gymnastic equipment are used for exercising and performing.

Female gymnasts use a balance beam. This is a rectangular artistic apparatus, usually small in size, wooden and sometimes covered with leather material. On it, gymnasts perform leaps, jumps and 180-degree splits.

Next, the gymnastic floor is a special exercise surface that is also considered as part of the equipment. It provides bounce while landing and prevents injuries from the big pressure from all the jumps and leaps. It’s usually made from rubber foam and plywood and varies in size.

Uneven bars (parallel bars) are a type of gymnastic equipment on which only women perform. They’re believed to have appeared in the 1930s in France. It consists of two bars that are set at different heights and the gymnast moves from one to the other. The frame of this equipment is made out of solid steel while the bars are fibreglass with wood coating. On the uneven bars, gymnasts perform mounts, transitions, release moves and elementary skills.

The vault is an apparatus that originated in Germany. Some know it as a “horse” or “vaulting horse”. Both male and female can perform on it. The way to perform on a vault is by using the hands. Many different positions are performed like saltos and twists.

The trampoline in gymnastics is used to provide a bounce for gymnasts that perform acrobatics. Many different types of twists are performed during the short period of time the gymnast is in the air. It’s made out of a strong fabric that’s stretched over a steel frame with the help of many strings. The fabric itself is not elastic. The bounce actually comes from the strings.

Benefits of Gymnastic Training

Gymnastic training has many benefits for the proper development of children. It helps improve their coordination through all the new positions that the body adapts to hold. It also plays a role in having a proper posture and straight walking.

With regular practising, children’s flexibility improves and with that comes great mobility and a lower risk of injuries. It also improves muscular strength and core strength.

Discipline is another thing that gymnasts acquire despite new techniques and skills. They have to be devoted in order to learn and that devotion will stay as a habit for everything later in life.

As children progress and master the skill of gymnastics, their self-esteem and confidence grows. They have a positive body image and a sense of satisfaction for achieving something they weren’t able to do before.

Gymnastic training is also good for developing proper interpersonal skills. Gymnasts spend a great portion of the day together practising, learning and helping each other which makes them more social.

And let’s not forget about goal setting and cognitive abilities. The more kids excel at gymnastics the bigger their goals will be and they will try harder to understand instructions from the coach and apply them in practical training. These are qualities that will serve them a great purpose in life.