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Why Gymnastics?

IT’S THE FOUNDATION FOR ALL OTHER SPORTS.

Gymnastics teaches kids how to move with confidence and competence – better than any other sport! That’s why it’s not only a great sport on its own, it’s also the ideal springboard to all other sports – a fact that’s recognized by The International Olympic Committee.

Gymnastics teaches the fundamental movement and sports skills that are at the core of every other sport. Fundamental movement skills include skills like climbing, swinging, balancing and landing. It develops the ABCs of athleticism: agility, balance, coordination and speed. In fact, gymnastics is so good at developing these skills that Canadian Sport for Life recommends gymnastics programs as a way to help children learn these skills!

The importance of having fundamental physical skills cannot be overstated. When kids learn these skills, they are developing physical literacy. Experts agree that physical literacy is just as important to a child’s development as learning how to read and write. Read more “Why Gymnastics?” →

Grips, Hand Guards and Loops

Looking for Grips, Hand Guards or Bar Loops/Straps?

Grips are strongly recommended for Level 3 Gymnasts and above. We’ve compiled the resources below where you can source your own alternatively we can measure, size and source these for you. Read more “Grips, Hand Guards and Loops” →

Deliberate Practice

Lately we’ve been talking with the kids on Deliberate Practice. Focussing on specific parts of skills and making sure that every attempt of a skill has a deliberate focus.

We found this and thought we’d share.

What is Deliberate Practice

Deliberate practice refers to a special type of practice that is purposeful and systematic. While regular practice might include mindless repetitions, deliberate practice requires focused attention and is conducted with the specific goal of improving performance.

The greatest challenge of deliberate practice is to remain focused. In the beginning, showing up and putting in your reps is the most important thing. But after a while we begin to carelessly overlook small errors and miss daily opportunities for improvement.

This is because the natural tendency of the human brain is to transform repeated behaviors into automatic habits. For example, when you first learned to tie your shoes you had to think carefully about each step of the process. Today, after many repetitions, your brain can perform this sequence automatically. The more we repeat a task the more mindless it becomes.

Mindless activity is the enemy of deliberate practice. The danger of practicing the same thing again and again is that progress becomes assumed. Too often, we assume we are getting better simply because we are gaining experience. In reality, we are merely reinforcing our current habits—not improving them.
Read more “Deliberate Practice” →

The benefits of gymnastics outside the gym

An amazing video on how gymnastics can further ones achievement in other sports and life.

Several gymnasts explain how their participating in gymnastics helps them in other important areas of their lives. For example:

it facilitates learning and participating in other sports
it gives one physical literacy (body awareness and control) and strength
the requisite perseverance and drive can push oneself to excellence in other areas
it forces one to be a good student, to do both it and schoolwork
it may lead to a university scholarship

Hand Care for Gymnasts

General Hand Care

Gymnasts will undoubtedly form callouses on their hands from working on bars. Hand Grips are recommended during gymnastics training and competitions to aid in the prevention of Rips. Please note gymnasts may still Rip under grips.

You can fin our Post on Grips, Hand Guards and Bar Loops here or alternatively contact us and we can measure, size and source these for you.

Read more “Hand Care for Gymnasts” →

Fast and Slow Twitch Muscle Fiber Types

The concepts of physiology are well developed in gymnastics training. I recently came across this article that explains the concept of fast and slow twitch muscle fibres from verywellfit.com which aligns well with the latest approaches on some of the concepts for competitive strength (or even better – Power) training.

While there is much more to it in terms of power vs strength this article outlines some of the target muscle fibres that our programs (in the higher levels) are designed to target once fundamental levels of strength are achieved.

Nutrition for Gymnasts

We receive a lot of questions around suitable nutrition and dietary demands for Gymnasts. Here we provide some advice from recent conferences that we have attended with sports dietitians on good eating habits for gymnasts.

There are numerous resources and beliefs regarding nutrition. We do recommend if you have any questions that you refer these to a qualified Sports Dietitian registered with Sports Dietitians Australia.

You can also check out SDA’s Nutrition for Gymnastics recommendations at the link: Food for your sport – Gymnastics or their Food For Gymnastics Factsheet.

Gymnastics Australia recently released this article on Nutrition for Gymnasts: http://gymnastics.org.au/GA/Posts/News_Articles/2018/09_Sep/Nutrition_during_training.aspx

Nutrition forms a key component of and hence contributes significantly to an Athletes training program which includes;

Strength and Conditioning,
Nutrition,
Skill Training and Development,
Stress Management and,
Recovery

Appropriate Nutrition in Gymnastics is critical for;

Performance,
Health,
Growth and Development,
Body Composition and,
Recovery

General Principals

The body only absorbs proteins in small quantities from each meal. Protein is a critical part of soft tissue recovery. It is recommended that gymnasts have an intake of 4-6 meals a day containing 20 grams of protein each. This is to aid muscle recovery and development.

What does 20g of protein look like?

25g of whey protein powder,
90g of chicken or turkey,
100g of lean beef,
110g fish,
200g Greek yoghurt,
3 large eggs,
290g red kidney beans,
70g “Natural” peanut butter

Meals should be balanced. Using the ideal meal plate model this means 50% vegetables or salads, 25% Low GI carbohydrates and, 25% lean proteins.

Whole foods are recommended over packaged foods. Consider replacement of packaged foods with the real alternative. Whole fruits, cut raw vegetable sticks, boiled eggs, lean meats are a great alternative to packaged foods.

Muscle cramps are often associated with lack of hydration or sodium deficiency.

Sports drinks are not recommended due to their high sugar levels. Hydrolyte sachets are a consideration in extreme circumstances. Water and a good balanced diet is strongly recommended over supplements.

Snack Advice

Avoid packaged snacks where possible with replacement for whole foods.

Juice poppers can be replaced with a piece of fruit and water. Be aware of the sugar levels in packaged drinks.

Some great snacks may include:

Whole Boiled Eggs
Cheese and Crackers: Easy to make at Home!
Ham or Ham and Salad Sandwiches
Up and Go Drinks
Whole Fruits
Yoghurts: Chobani and YoPro are good considerations
High Protein Low Sugar Muesli Bars such as;
- Carman’s Protein Bars
- Carman’s Oat Bars
Smoothies: Yoghurts, Fruits
Tuna on Cruskits

Avoid Packaged foods, Packaged fruits in syrups, foods high in fats, high sugar muesli bars, juice poppers (high in sugar), packaged “Veggie Straws”, Nutella, Packets of Chips.

Read more “Nutrition for Gymnasts” →

💫⚡ The Power of Yet ⚡💫

“I’m not good at this…”

“I’m not good at this…yet.”

It’s amazing how that small three-letter word— yet —changes the entire meaning and direction of the sentence. Read more “💫⚡ The Power of Yet ⚡💫” →

Ten New Year Resolutions for Gymnasts

After such an AMAZING 2018! We are excited for 2019!

Here’s a few resolutions that your Gymnast may like to read through and choose a few to help them not only at Gymnastics but at school and home.

Have a positive attitude. It’s easy to get upset when something goes wrong, but the problem can’t be fixed if you allow yourself to be down about it. Instead, make the most of the situation by considering how it could have been handled differently and vowing to try it that way next time. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, in addition to being more upbeat!
Put your all into practice. You may feel like the only performance that matters is what you do the day of meet, but realize how you approach practice makes all the difference. Maximize your use of time in the gym, and you’ll be happy with the improvements you’ll see. Even if you don’t compete, it’s a good idea to always give it your all in order to start that trend in every aspect of your life.
Find a good balance. No, we’re not talking about the balance beam! We’re referring to all that you have going on in life. From practice to competitions to school to friends, there’s no doubt that you are busy. Don’t rely on Mum and Dad to keep it all together for you. Make a schedule of your own and discuss it with your family so that you can find balance and have it all.
Take care of yourself. Like we said, you’re always on the go. This means you’ll need to take good care of yourself to ensure you’ve got the energy to do it all. Get at least eight hours of sleep per night, and eat as healthy as possible to be in tip top shape for meet season or life in general.
Listen to your Parents and Coaches. Believe it or not, your coaches and parents know what they’re talking about. Your coaches watch you practice and perform day in and out, so if they make a suggestion, try it. On the other hand, your parents have a pretty good idea what’s best for you outside the gym to help you find success in other areas of life, so give them attention too.
Support your teammates. When you think your struggle is all too real, remember that your teammates are facing the same exact or very similar challenges. Be especially kind when someone is down and find support in knowing you’re in it together.
Do what makes you happy. If you’re putting in huge hours for training make sure you take time out to do something you enjoy. Sure, you may not feel like you have a spare minute, but know that you need to do whatever it is that makes you most happy.
Remember to smile. The stress of a new gymnastics move or in competition can cause you to forget one truly important thing – your smile. It’s especially crucial at meets, when your contagious smile can move the crowd to cheer and even bring in additional points from your judges. So make it a point to smile whenever possible, and it’ll come naturally when it’s needed most.
Be confident. Being confident is important because your attitude alone plays a huge role in how you’ll perform at practice or in competition. If you’re working hard to be your best gymnast, you should find confidence in that simple fact. Believe us when we say you deserve it.
Challenge yourself. Maybe you want to improve your scores over last year; maybe you want to go for gold; or maybe you just want to pull off that back handspring at the gym. No matter where you are in your gymnastics career or hobby, challenge yourself to be better.

Gymnastics Today. Character for Life.

❤️❤️❤️

A brilliant video on the life lessons from gymnastics.

#nwgmountisa

#thebenefitsofgymnastics

Learn more about The Benefits of Gymnastics here.

20 Reasons your Preschooler should do Gymnastics 🤸‍♀️🤸‍♂️

20 Reasons your Preschooler should do Gymnastics
(That have Nothing to do with Learning Gymnastics)

What if Johnny never learns a cartwheel? Or how about if Janie never masters holding a handstand? Would there still be any value in putting your preschooler in a gymnastics class?

Yes, I say.

Absolutely, yes.

In addition to it being a lot of fun, here are twenty reasons your preschool aged child should do gymnastics that have nothing to do with learning gymnastics.

How Gymnastics Helps Your Child Succeed in School

Harvard School of Education released their findings on their latest research project; and, they could have simply titled it “Why Your Kid Should do Gymnastics if You Want Them to Develop the Kind of Character That Helps Them Succeed at School.”

To the Gymnast who needs a Pep Talk 💜

Hang in there girl, it will be hard…but you got this!

Gymnastics is hard. I know. But, I also know that is why you love it. The challenges gymnastics faces you with everyday in the gym are the reasons you show up to practice everyday. You “want” to get better. You “want” to make it to the next level. You “want” to be just like the “big girls” in the gym. But being successful in the sport of gymnastics takes a lot more than “wanting”.

Being successful in gymnastics takes a life consuming dedication to the sport. You may be having a hard day, week, or month in the gym right now but don’t give up on yourself or the sport that loves you just quite yet. You are a gymnast, that means you are currently training in one of the hardest sports in the world. You may not realize it right now, but this sport will teach you so many life lessons. You are a tenacious girl, with a fiery spirit who can out do all the boys in a pull-up contest on the playground any day. So here is my letter to you. Gymnast to gymnast, I know you can get through this…all you need is a little pep-talk.

9 Beliefs That Will Lead Your Gymnast to Quit…

It has been said life is equal parts what happens to us and how we process what happens to us.

I think that is very true in gymnastics. The attitudes and beliefs that a gymnast has about herself and the sport will inevitably shape how long she participates, or at least how happy she is while she is involved.

WAG Routine Resources

Here you can find various resources for the NWG Competition WAG Routines.

It is important to note that the ALP video’s are not always 100% correct and there are a some options on the skills performed in some routines (especially in beam Level 4+) however they do provide the flow of the routines well. Known errors in the video’s are listed at the bottom of this page.

View the WAG Routines on our YouTube here.

You can find info on our Competition Season here! Read more “WAG Routine Resources” →