What...gymnastics please

Question

okay so im 14 years old and ive never done anything with gymnastics or cheerleading...the only sports ive done are tennis and basketball

but im willing to work my a*s off, can someone please explain to me in detail what i need to do to become a gymnast? i wonna be able to do most of the stuff before i take classes.

please say more then just eat sleep and breathe it.

Answer 1

ooohhhh boy.. so you want to be a gymnast.. let me tell you. it takes some INSANE hard work and you have to love it more than anything because it will take your life over.   Start working out a lot,  push-ups, different kinds of ab workouts, and squats.  and stretch a lot so you can do every kind of split there is.   start working on the basics like a back bend, hand stand cartwheel, round-off, kick-over, back hand spring, back tuck, and order some grips for the bars (you'll need them)  and also put rubbing alcohol on your hands twice a day to help callouses form. (so you won't get rips from the bars)  good fricken luck! lol

Answer 2

oh boy...ok gymnastics takes AMAZING DEDICATION!!!!!!

i had no idea what i was getting into....if you ask anyone they will say the same thing! I LOVE gymnastics and once you really get into it you'll know.

sometimes you want to quit and may think its not worth it, but really it is.

gymnastics also takes a lot of conditioning...i would start with think how many push ups and sit up and crunchs you can do and add 5 more.

Try working on the basics, cartwheels, handstands, and even though they seem easy try rolls, rolls work you to the top!

try holding a handstand for 30 seconds then a minute the a minute 30.........push yourself to try hard, once you get really good at this, i suggest buying the P90X video...those exercise videos can seem cheesy but i use this at my gym and trust me! THEY WORK!

the other thing you might need to know is that you are starting gymnastics really old, 8 is a good age to start because that way you have time to make it up to the time the next OLMPICS is.

It's cool that you are interested in doing a worldwide sport which really is super hard but in the end AMAZING!! just to let you know GOOD CHOICE! ( :

If i were you I would research gymnastics and learn gymnastic history, i suggest looking up the following

-Nadia Cominecci

-Mary Lou

-Nastia Luiken

-Shawn Johnson

-Shayla Worley

-Chelsie Memmel

-Ivana Hong

also Bela and Martha Karolyi they have an amzing camp in TEXAS

personally i LOVED it!

But if you think gymnastics is the right sport for you GO FOR IT!

(((( :

Answer 3

Gymnastics takes a great deal of strength and flexibility.  So the best way to prepare yourself is to get yourself strong and limber.  Stretch everyday... right, left and middle splits, as well as pike stretches and bridges.  Before you stretch, do some jogging or jumping jacks or jump roping to get your muscles warmed up; warm muscles stretch easier than cold ones.

Your legs are probably pretty strong already from tennis and basketball, but most athletes haven't developed the upper body strength that's required in gymnastics.  Pushups will help, and if you have a bar you can hang from, do some pullups/chinups and leg lifts.  Crunches and situps will help strengthen your core.

A great thing to practice at home is handstands.  Nearly every skill in gymnastics passes through a handstand position at some point, so a good, straight handstand is probably the most important skill you can learn.  Practice holding a handstand against the wall for 30 seconds to a minute; push strong through your shoulders, keep your stomach sucked in and your back straight (not arched), and squeeze your legs and bottom tight.  You can also practice walking on your hands, which will help build the shoulder and arm strength you'll need to support your weight on your hands.

As far as other skills... you really don't need to know anything in order to start a gymnastics class.  Your coaches will teach you everything you need to know.  I know you'd like to start your classes already knowing a few things, but it's really not a good idea to try to teach youself.  For one thing, you could get hurt.  But also... If you don't have a coach to guide and correct you, you'll probably learn the skill incorrectly.  It's very important to learn the basic skills with the proper technique, because all the more advanced skills are built upon the basics. If you've taught yourself a skill the wrong way, your coaches will make you back up and re-learn it... and that will just delay your progress.  So focus on the strength and flexibility.  If you go in with a good, strong body, the skills will come quickly!

Good luck, and have fun! =]