How gymnastics classes help New Year’s resolutions stick

Every year, much of the population sets New Year’s resolutions, some of which they stick to and many to which they don’t. For some, it comes down to willpower and for others it’s lack of discipline. Here’s an interesting thought—did you ever consider how gymnastics classes could help you stick to your resolutions?

We’re not just talking about staying true to a resolution of taking more gymnastics classes or having perfect attendance at them—though those are good resolutions too. It’s more about how spending time at a center or school for gymnastics can give you the tools you need to improve your chances of sticking to those goals for changing your life. Here are a few ways that gymnastics can help you.

Discipline. Practicing regularly at a school for gymnastics will help you develop the discipline that is essential to having success not only in the sport, but in other areas of life. It will help you to stick to the resolution to start something new or end an old habit.

Positivity. Regular practice and participation in performances and competitions helps you develop the confidence and attitude necessary to adhere to your resolutions. The progressive element of gymnastics helps build self-esteem as students move on to more advanced levels, which instills the “can do” attitude needed to stay on track with the promises made at the New Year.   

Skills. One of the amazing benefits of gymnastics is that significantly improves performance in other sports and physical activities. Flexibility, power and strength are all developed from the first class taken. The flexibility helps prevent injuries in other sports, while the power and strength garnered can boost speed and agility, helping you to hit a golf ball harder, run faster when catching a football, or navigate through intense defense when heading down the basketball court. In addition, gymnasts learn components that are essential to teamwork, such as cooperation, sportsmanship and consideration. Whether it’s with golf, Pilates classes, volleyball or participating in a mud run, gymnastics will boost overall performance.

image credit: gladstoneobserver.com.au

How Gymnastics Classes Boost Performance in Other Sports

If you or your child has ever attended gymnastics camps or gone to a gymnastics school, you know that this incredible sport boosts overall fitness in a variety of ways. It significantly improves strength, helps to develop coordination and balance, and increase flexibility. But did you know that taking gymnastics classes also provides a solid foundation for many other sports and physical activities?

A no-brainer is that attending at gymnastics school benefits those who participate in cheerleading, whether competitive or non-competitive. Yet some of the other sports it helps to improve may surprise you—gymnastics provides a solid basis for training in martial arts, dance, swimming and diving. While much of this is due to the agility, strength and power one develops through gymnastics classes, it can also be attributed to the discipline, focus, confidence and ethic that one also attains.

Since gymnastics is unrivalled as a sport when it comes to flexibility, it significantly helps with the prevention of injuries, which obviously benefits any other sports the student participates in. Yet the advantages spread much further than that—for example, a student that we interviewed at a Torrance gymnastics school informed us that she also played for her school’s basketball team. The strength and agility she continues to develop further enhances her performance in this seemingly unrelated sport.

Many other students at this same Torrance gymnastics school also play softball, baseball, football and basketball because these sports benefit from increased flexibility. Gymnasts also have the maximum bone density of any other athletes, which enables them to further boost their power and strength, which enhances any sport that requires you to hit or throw a ball—even tennis players and golfers will reap the benefits!

Attending gymnastic camps can even help sports that require mental clarity and concentration, as students learn to listen and follow directions, set goals, cooperate with others and work as a team. More importantly, gymnastics teaches students about sportsmanship, dedication and fair play, traits that will help them in every aspect of life.