Longevity

I was in conversation with friends about gymnastics recently where the claim of my friends was that high level gymnasts have long term injury problems because the sport is very hard on the body. I countered by saying that if the joints and connective tissues are prepped systematically, then you don’t have those issues.

 

Am I wrong on this?

It depends on the level of the sport. if you work to make competitions and you train 50+ hours a week the joint stress is high, the learning of the technical skills can lead to wrong execution and injury. a good physical preparation is a good way to avoid injury but sometimes they happen. 

if you a recreative gymnasts there or a GST practitioner there is no reason to get injured.

All fair points. When looking for a gymnastics program for kids, currently 9 and 7yo  and without any expectation of competition, what are somethings to look for?

Hi Jennie, 

I do not have experience working with kids but I would say that a good coach keeps the kids engaged, working hard and keeping them interested. @Alessandro Mainente may definitely have some better pointers! 

General locomotion, posture, alignments, changes of opposite alignments, basic runs, jumps, basic roll,  basic twist.

General total body physical preparation for all the muscles, no specialization in this phase.

Thanks for the response, @Alessandro Mainente! Would there be any exposure to the gymnastics equipment? Bars, beam, rings?

Yes for sure, this is the age where they can learn the vast majority of the movement patterns.

Thanks for clarifying!

Hi Jennie, a quick non-expert answer : I tried doing Foundation 1 with my boys 8yo and 10yo and they really liked it. I was a bit surprised by this. We'll see if their interest remains high as the course progresses. They are homeschooled so are accustomed to learning from video at home.