Am i the right build for gymnastics?

Question

i'm 5 foot 2 and i'm 11 years old and i'm 48 kilos when i'm older i should be about 5 foot 8 but i would do anything to become a famous gymnast do u think an olympic or national team would accept me

Answer 1

you're weight and hight are adeal hoever.

they aslo look for bone structure

wethere there are any bents or problems with the spinal cord.

also the size of the plevis/hip bone is another thing they look for in a canidate.

if the hip is  too small you wont be able to do some of the more flexable mooves.

Answer 2

You are eleven. Anyway, it is unlikely ANYONE becomes an Olympic athlete. And, I hate to break it to you, but a few more inches and you are done growing. If you haven't started already don't even bother starting if you have foolish aspirations of becoming amazing at it. It's something you start when you are six or seven and dedicate yourself to.  

Answer 3

I'm afraid that it's a little late to reach an olympic level of ability if you start now. I have a friend who is a Romanian P.E. teacher and in his country gymnastics is a bit of a national sport, and they are quite famous for it. However, he told me that all girls who end up participating at international competitions (including the Olympics) start their training around the age of 4. I know that sounds really harsh, and moreover, they train for about 7 hours every day. Basically they spend all their childhood in the 'sponge room'. In other words, it's not just the amount of training that matters, it's also doing that training in a time when your body grows so that you can make it develop in a certain way over time. However, many permanent cells and body tissues (including bones) finalise their development during the ages of 8-14 years old, so for you now is not a bad time to take up a sport.

Actually here lies the great downside in sports. If you want to become a player of international fame, you have to start at a time when you don't really have much decision power of your own. I mean what decision power do you have at the age of 4?! It's mainly parents and relatives pushing you in that direction. Many olympic gymnasts state in interviews that they always wonder what their life would have been like had they given up gymnastics in time to do something else. On the other hand, when someone does have the ability to take an educated decision, it is often too late to become an ace in that sport. So you see, it's quite complicated.

However, if you really feel that taking up gymnastics would make you feel happy and fulfilled, then by all means, DO IT. It's not a foolish decision, don't ever let people tell you that. You have no idea how many friends I have who say to me 'I wish I had taken up football' or 'I've always wanted to learn how to dance'. They feel a lot of resentment for having held their true desires back just because other people never supported them. It's never too late to do something that makes you happy. Actually you can still win competitions if you are dedicated to it, even if they won't be international.

Finally, it depends what sort of gymnastics you want to do. Rhythmic gymnastics is slightly - and I stress, *slightly* - easier than artistic gymnastics. You can also take up dancing, which is even easier, and you have more chances of becoming a pro at it. I've pasted a link with a vid of rhythmic gymnastics for you. Good luck!

Answer 4

Hi,

First of all, thank you for bringing out a very important issue here. I am going to say something now that is probably not what exactly you want to hear.

To be utterly honest, you are a bit too big for gymnast at elite level, your body is fine for armature level. It depends on how good you want to be.

I give you an example: Zhang Nan - a female Chinese Gymnast who have won an All-Around medal in World Championship and Olympic Games.

She is 147.5cm (4.8ft), 38kg (83.8lb).

Small, light athletes have a huge advantage in acrobatic sports.

Some female World and Olympic competitors weigh as little as 70-80 pounds (31-36kg). These young women are tiny, though the average height and weight must be increasing as difficulty becomes more important relative to artistry.

A study focusing on talent selection included these points of interest:

1. Girls who are naturally small in structure and slim have a greater chance of being a good performer.

2. Although bigger gymnasts also had stronger legs, this did not help them to outperform the smaller more agile gymnasts. Hence it may be that a small structure is a better predictor to good performance than being strong.

3. Gymnasts who had a high strength to weight ratio also produced high levels of performance. Therefore, strength is only a relevant predictor of good performance if it is considered closely with body mass. This was particularly obvious in skills where there was less technique involved. The results indicate that as the skill became more technical (ie the back salto) girls with good technique could outperform those with a high strength : weight ratio.

4. To be able to perform a gymnast twists successfully she needs her body to be as narrow as possible to permit speedy (twisting). That's why for female gymnasts, shorter limbs, very narrow hips are required.  

However, It's not all bad news. Why don't you consider to become a Rhythmic Gymnast?? It doesn't have a such harsh requirement of as artistic gymnastics, as in rhythmic gymnastics acrobatic skills are not required. Your body size is far more suitable for rhythmic gymnastics.  

Hoping this helps.

All the best.  

Ta.