Find out whether it is worth giving your child from an early age to rhythmic gymnastics, and what disadvantages this sport hides. Rhythmic gymnastics is one of the most beautiful sports and the desire of mothers to send their girls to the section is understandable. Note that this is a fairly young sports discipline, and the first rhythmic gymnastics school in our country was opened in 1913. It was founded by ballet dancers who had previously worked at the Mariinsky Theater. Rhythmic gymnastics was included in the program of the Olympic Games only in 1980.
Features of rhythmic gymnastics classes
You should start doing rhythmic gymnastics at the age of five or six. Sometimes mothers decide to send their daughters to the section even at the age of three, but there is definitely no need to rush. Firstly, you deprive the baby of childhood, and, secondly, at the age of three, the child often does not understand what the coach wants to achieve from him. It is highly likely that the girl will be frightened by the large hall and the crowd of people, which will make her cry and want to return home faster.
It's another matter if the child is five or a little over. The baby will diligently follow all the instructions of her mentor, quickly master the basic gymnastic elements, and also make new friends. At the same time, it is not worth waiting for a long time, since as the child grows up, the flexibility decreases and it will be much more difficult for him to master the gymnastic elements. But at the same time, you can send your daughter to the section at a later age, without worrying about sports results. The health benefits of a child in such a situation will be obvious.
The selection criteria for the rhythmic gymnastics section are no less important. In this matter, much, if not all, depends on the goal pursued. When parents want to see their baby in big sports, slender and tall girls with excellent memory and high coordination of movements have the best chances of success. Do not think that we were mistaken in mentioning good memory as a requirement in the selection. Gymnasts must memorize a large number of gymnastic movements.
If a girl is inclined to be overweight and cannot control her body well, then the trainers are unlikely to be interested in her. If the sports performance of a child does not matter to you, then there are no restrictions. Often, parents are sure that rhythmic gymnastics classes will help improve the baby's posture, eliminate excess weight, and also make her more feminine.
Quite often, girls who fully meet the selection requirements cannot achieve good results due to lack of diligence or flexibility. Experienced trainers can determine a child's potential in a couple of weeks of training. Most often, a sports career in rhythmic gymnastics ends at the age of 17. However, athletes can continue to train, but in a different capacity.
What do you need to practice rhythmic gymnastics?
Get ready for the fact that you will need to purchase special clothing before starting classes in sports clubs. For rhythmic gymnastics, gym shoes and a leotard are the minimum requirements. The simplest models are suitable for training, because beautiful swimsuits are used only during competitions.
Very often girls, having come to the rhythmic gymnastics section, dream of beautiful exercises with a ribbon and other sports equipment. However, they will begin to master them only after one or two years of training. Most often, all sports equipment will be provided in the section, which is good news, because their cost is quite high. Thus, if your baby soon changes her mind about doing this sport, then you will not have to regret financial investments, because they are minimal.
Rhythmic gymnastics: what are the benefits and harms
Let's see what benefits and harms rhythmic gymnastics can bring. It is quite obvious that along with positive aspects there will be negative ones, which parents should definitely know about.
Rhythmic gymnastics harm
It is one of the most elegant and aesthetic sports. Athletes in beautiful bright swimsuits demonstrate masterly control of their bodies, performing complex acrobatic numbers. This spectacle cannot leave anyone indifferent. However, only the trainers and their pupils know what lies behind this grace.
All movements can be brought to automatism and honed solely through regular hours of practice. Very often, training is accompanied by severe pain and fatigue. However, all these moments are not known to the audience and many are sure that rhythmic gymnastics is the best sport for a girl. Today we talk about the benefits and harm that rhythmic gymnastics can bring, and let's start with the negative aspects.
- Pain in the muscles - most often, up to the age of seven, girls are engaged only in general physical training and only after that they move on to the study of gymnastic combinations. In this sport, stretching is of great importance and when performing special exercises, very often girls have tears in their eyes due to pain.
- Strong physical activity - I start young athletes with training for a couple of hours a day. Gradually, the duration of classes increases and in preparation for tournaments the training can last about 10 hours! All this leads to injuries of the spinal column, joints and even nervous breakdowns.
- Hungry fainting - a gymnast should not have problems with being overweight and have to severely limit the indicator of the energy value of her diet. As a result, hungry faints are not uncommon among female artists.
- School missed classes - in order to achieve good results in big sports, girls are forced to skip school classes, because a lot of time is spent on training. Very often they have to do their homework right in the locker room before starting a workout.
These are the main negative effects that can be obtained from rhythmic gymnastics. It is quite obvious that they are all related to professional sports. Unfortunately, great sport is very rarely combined with good health.
Benefits of rhythmic gymnastics
Speaking about the benefits and harm that rhythmic gymnastics can bring, one cannot only talk about shortcomings. This is especially true for those situations when a child attends the sports section for his own pleasure and is not expected to have high sports performance. Let's find out what are the benefits of this sport.
- Excellent physical shape - from the very beginning of classes in the section, the child forms the correct posture, as well as the gait. Young athletes stand out sharply against the background of their peers with excellent plasticity, high flexibility and harmony. Girls are taught a sense of rhythm, and they can move great to any music. Do not forget about self-confidence, which is characteristic of all athletes.
- Improves health - Scientists are confident that regular physical activity contributes to the harmonious development of the child's body. Rhythmic gymnastics is an excellent way to combat early scoliosis and even clubfoot.
- Tempering character - sport makes children purposeful and instills discipline in them. These former gymnasts who have completed their sports careers assure that thanks to sports they can solve any life problems without strong emotions.
- The consequences of stressful situations are eliminated - Scientists have proven that sports are the best antidepressant. This is due to the increased production of endorphins during exercise. In addition to all of the above, gymnastics can be considered as a hobby.
Whether to give a child to rhythmic gymnastics: expert opinion
Most of the parents, whose children were involved in rhythmic gymnastics, are sure that in order to achieve great sports results, it is necessary to go to Moscow. In the regions, this is much more difficult, because often parents are forced to independently purchase sports equipment and pay for the child's trip to tournaments. Also, you should first consult a doctor and closely monitor your girl's health.
Professional trainers recommend pouring a child into the professional section from the age of 4. You can sign up for amateur groups a little later, and with good natural data, it is possible even at ten years old. Trainers agree that physical activity is good for the body, but only if it is moderate.
A rather significant drawback of rhythmic gymnastics, according to the experts themselves, is the need for a serious restriction of the diet. You should not send girls to the rhythmic gymnastics section, whose muscles do not recover well after microtraumas. We have already said that in this sport, great attention is paid to stretching and if muscle tissue is restored for a long time, then severe pain cannot be avoided and almost every activity for a girl will turn into torture.
Also, at the end of the conversation about the benefits and harm that rhythmic gymnastics can bring, it is worth recalling that it is important to find out the opinion of the child himself about this sport. If the girl goes to gymnastics, then training will be her joy and will only benefit. Of course, first of all, this statement is true for amateur sports.
More about rhythmic gymnastics in the following video:
