Avoiding An Injury While Practicing Gymnastics

Gymnastics can be a rigorous and demanding sport, especially for kids who are just being introduced to it. Although child-based floor gymnastics techniques don’t involve the kind of twisting and turning you see in the more competitive side of the sport (such as vaulting), young people still need to be careful in order to avoid injury.

The gymnastics class at Fancy Feet Dance Studio is for students age 3 years old to high school age and placed in classes appropriate for their age and skill level. Regardless of your child’s age, it is still important to know the basics of preparing for a class and what they can do to avoid getting hurt whether they are practicing their basics or their more advanced aerials and back handsprings.

Common Injuries In Gymnastics

Going into a gymnastics session unprepared can cause injuries. The most common injuries for young gymnasts include:

Ankle sprains
Wrist sprains
Muscle soreness
Back muscle strain
Finger sprains or fractures
Bruises
Stress fractures in the leg bones

Accidents happen, but proper preparation can help to avoid injury on the training mat. What are some of the things that you as a parent can do to maximize the benefits your child will get from a Floor Gymnastics class at Fancy Feet Dance Studio?

Know Your Child’s Limits

Knowing how far, both physically and mentally, a child can go with any activity is a good start to setting limits. Although pushing our kids to do their best is a natural part of parenting, being aware of their limits allows us to set boundaries that keep them safe.

If your child shows any doubt or apprehension about performing a particular gymnastics technique, make sure to talk to them and reassure them that they won’t be pushed to get it right the first time. Let them know that practice can eventually breed success by allowing them to “warm up” to what they’re attempting to do, even when the odds may at first seem insurmountable. Once your child becomes comfortable with the routine, their confidence will climb, and confidence can lead to success.

Just remember: we all have limits, and children are no exception!

Keep Your Child Hydrated

Getting enough water through the day is important enough for any person, but proper hydration is especially relevant when it comes to kids and exercise. Although adults are generally knowledgeable enough when it comes to staying hydrated, a child will often ignore the signs that their body gives them when it is telling them to drink more water.

Always make sure your child has a bottle of water at hand when they are training or dancing, and avoid giving them free access to hydration products like Gatorade due to the amount of sugars and calories these items can contain. Although Gatorade does have healthy electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium, all of which are important to maintaining proper functionality of nerves, heartbeat, and muscles, getting too much of them can cause adverse reactions in a young person’s body. Just remember that hydration products are good in moderation and you won’t have any problems!

Feed Your Child A Balanced Diet

In general, it is obviously important for kids to get a balanced diet, but that’s doubly true when it comes to gymnastics classes. Getting enough healthy protein and carbohydrates before and after any kind of workout will ensure that your child has the stamina necessary to make it through a gymnastics session at Fancy Feet Dance Studio.

Avoid junk food and energy bars! All a kid needs to keep up their energy is fruits, vegetables, grains, and healthy meats. Pretty simple, isn’t it?

Tags: Children's Gymnastics Classes Gymnastics Classes for Kids Kid's Gymnastics Classes