Artistic gymnastics is one ofolympic bearing, in which women and men compete separately in different apparatus and in different modalities. Yes, as you read it, men and women, and it is considered artistic gymnastics, which we also call sports gymnastics. Popularly, especially in the female category in Spain we talk about rhythmic gymnastics. But men's gymnastics is artistic, and there are also boys practicing men's rhythmic gymnastics, although it is not yet an Olympic modality.
Whether you have sons or daughters, artistic gymnastics requires certain physical qualities such as balance, flexibility, coordination, and strength. These must be developed progressively and without forcing for a complete and healthy balance of the child. We tell you what are all the benefits of this sport.
Benefits of artistic gymnastics
Artistic or sports gymnastics, practiced by boys and girls, is considered one of the fundamental sports for the development of basic skills and abilities. There are other sports that also meet these conditions, such as athletics, or swimming.
Some of the benefits that artistic gymnastics offers are:
- A emotional level helps develop self-confidence. It is very beneficial for shy boys and girls, since it implies the management of expressiveness. It also helps discipline, concentration, and develop emotional stability. It promotes social character such as camaraderie, solidarity, respect for the opponent and love for a team.
- A physical level develops many physical and motor qualities, also corrects and improves body posture, develops the sense of rhythm and speed of reflexes. It also increases resistance and respiratory efficiency.
Girl gymnasts, who want to compete or who come to compete at a high level, are physically characterized by being: thin, short and with long limbs, arms and legs. But artistic gymnastics does not have to have a high competition goal, our daughters can practice it even if their body is not ideal.
When should you start practicing?
The practice of artistic and rhythmic gymnastics is one of most popular extracurricular activities, especially among girls. It is considered an early specialization sport, which is why it is said that the ideal is to start it between 3 and 5 years old. It is the moment that the girl acquires the postural habits and the development of basic motor skills, which are necessary to later learn more complex elements.
However, artistic gymnastics It can be started during adolescence or later. Always keeping in mind that the levels of development that have been started before will not be reached, but that they are always beneficial for the person.
It is the parents who have to put limits on children's aspirations. It is very common that many boys and girls aspire to be Olympians, only a few will achieve it. The methods of teaching gymnastics are very demanding, and at advanced levels, require children to give up other areas of their lives. Taking one or two classes a week, training a few hours a week or learning gymnastics with friends is reasonable as long as you don't want to make the boy or girl an Olympic representative.
Denying some hoaxes about artistic gymnastics
First, both artistic gymnastics (sports in Spain) and rhythmic suitable for both boys and girls. Since 2005 the Royal Spanish Federation allowed men to compete at the national level in rhythmic gymnastics.
Extreme physical exercise can delay puberty in girls. Both boys and girls can be susceptible to developmental delay from overtraining, extreme dieting, and the stress associated with gymnastics. But this in extreme cases, not when it is taken as just another sporting activity. It is scientifically proven that the body structure is predominantly hereditary.
Although artistic gymnastics is a sport of high impact, the chances of injuries, broken bones and serious sprains have to do with the quality of the training and the qualities of the trainer coach.