A Gymnastics Success Story

Last week I ran into the mother of one of my former students. Her daughter started gymnastics with me at her school at the age of 4. She continued for several years and eventually took up volleyball. Kim is now 17 and has college recruiters looking at her volleyball skills. They asked what other sports Kim had done. When told that she had participated in gymnastics, they said 'no wonder she has such great body awareness'. Her success can be attibuted in part to her early gymnastics training! It's the best sport for developing coordination and body awareness.

This week we are working on the gymnastics bar for strength and skill training. Each week we practice cartwheel drills and handstands. We are working with the Beanie Babies for eye hand coordination.

Balance Beam and Parachute

This week we are working on the balance beam. Gymnasts will work on forward, backward, sideways and bear walking on the beam. We will also do leaps and cartwheels over the beam. More advance gymnasts will do these skills ON the beam.

We will also work on cooperation and social skills with the parachute. The gymnasts really love to play cat and mouse, shark attack and to run under the parachute.

Gymnastics provides the opportunity to learn about team work, sportsmanship, fair play and dedication. Because gymnastics is so very difficult to perform, the learning time is long when compared to other sports. The long time required to attain mastery of the fundamental skills requires patience, dedication, perseverance, and planning. Gymnastics helps people learn to work hard for objectives that can take years to achieve. In the modern world of quick-fixes, instant communications and instant entertainment, there needs to be a place for children to develop their character.

A New Year Of Gymnastics!

I am thrilled to begin a new year of training with all of my gymnasts. Great things are in store for them. All of the gymnasts will be challenged with the right level of skill for their ability. This means enough difficulty to make things challenging, but not so difficult as to be overwhelming.

Our first lesson is the peanut ball. All of the gymnasts love to see this piece of equipment. It's been requested many times! We are doing forward rolls and back limber over it. Very advanced gymnasts are doing front limbers over it.

We are also working on eye - hand coordination with the balls. These skills will give your child an advantage when they join a basket ball, base ball or volley ball team. Coaches love to have players who have gymnastics experience.

Please encourage your child to do their gymnastics 'homework', better yet, do it with them! This will be a real treat for your child.

The Mailbox and Hula Hoops

The gymnasts are enjoying working on the mailbox. We are doing back limbers, cartwheels and vaulting skills on the mailbox. The gymnasts are vaulting on top of the mailbox, jumping off with tuck, straddle and turns. We are also trying to 'stick' our landing and finish with a big stretch.

Hoops are a favorite activity for many of our gymnasts. We are working on coordination and rhythmic skills with the hoops. Please see how long your gymnast can hold their handstand against the wall.

Gymnastics Bar and Strength Training

The gymnasts are working on skills on the gymnasts bar this week. The bar takes a great deal of strength. Shoulders are strengthened by doing front supports (and the 'space walk'). Core strength is build by doing leg lifts (by taking a Beanie Baby for a ride!) The bar is also a great deal of fun! Most gymnasts say it's their favorite piece of equipment (though a some children find it a bit scary.) It's always a big moment when they can 'flip' over the bar by themselves.

The gymnasts worked on improving their balance with the 'monster stompers'. They were ever so cute doing this activity! We also worked on our eye - hand coordination with the ring toss.

Please ask your child to 'climb the wall' for you and show you how long they can hold their handstands.

The teacher goes to school!

Miss Jeanie went to a great gymnastics workshop this weekend. All good gymnastics instructors attend workshops and training seminars to keep up with the lastest trends in the gymnastics world. This Gymnastics Educational Seminar covered skills for preschoolers and school age gymnasts on the bar, beam and floor. It included hands on spotting techniques and skill progressions. Look for some new cartwheel drills and fun activities for your child.

This week's lesson includes balance beam skills and parachute games. The beam is great for developing coordination, agility and balance in children. Parachute games help children learn to cooperate in a group ~ they are also so much fun! Ask your child about the 'cat and mouse' game on the parachute.