Introduction
You’ve seen it, channel-surfing on a Sunday in your pants. It begins like a ballet recital at a junior school and quickly becomes an astonishing sequence of improbable jumps and flips, executed diagonally across a square presentation floor. Alternatively, people do ridiculous things with parallel bars, pommel horses, rings and springboards. Welcome to gymnastics. Please drive carefully.
The basics
In artistic gymnastics, participants perform various acrobatic feats – jumps, leaps, turns, handstands etc – either on the floor or on fixed pieces of equipment, in an attempt to demonstrate balance, control, flexibility and strength. If you’ve ever fallen over attempting a cartwheel, your journey has already begun. Men compete in six events – floor, horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar – while women do four (all except the high bar and the rings).
Rhythmic gymnastics, in contrast, takes place on a floor mat but requires ribbons, ropes and hoops for routines performed in time with a musical soundtrack. British Gymnastics is meanwhile encouraging the growth of general gymnastics, a non-competitive form featuring team displays which is open to all ages and ability levels. GMPD (Gymnastics and Movement for People with Disabilities) is also on the up. In any discipline, control and form are the prized virtues.
And if you’re doubting whether you can handle it, here’s a video of a superb parallel bars display by 86-year-old Johanna Quass. Now get out there.
Health benefits
Gymnastics improves flexibility and upper- and lower-body strength, tones from top to bottom, and builds power in the hands and feet.
Equipment, costs and practicalities
A good adult leotard – yes, you’ll need to wear one – costs around £20. Clubs cater for total beginners, both juniors and adults. Berkhamsted Gymnastics Club, for example, asks for a £20 annual membership and then £7.50 on the door each time, and offers tuition with “an open approach [that] gives you the support you need and the freedom that you want to progress at your own pace”.
Trendiness rating: 5/10
A leotard resurgence might be on the horizon in east London, but for most it isn’t a good look. Not, that is, until you’ve toned up with a bit of gymnastics.
Inside line
Vera Atkinson, British Gymnastics: “Gymnastics is a beautiful sport, recognised since the very first contemporary Games in Athens in 1896. It produces all-round body fitness – strength, mobility, endurance, flexibility, body control and co-ordination are also aspects that can be used when entering all other sports. Gymnastics training also requires great self-discipline and personal organisation skills.
There are many forms of gymnastics but to begin very little equipment is required. A number of floormats will allow participation in basic floor exercises. Modern gymnastics at a high level is taught and practised in specialist facilities with equipment such as foam-filled landing pits, so new skills can be learned safely.
Whatever the age, the level of talent and the taste, there’s a gymnastics discipline to satisfy your needs. Just look on the British Gymnastics website for your nearest club.”
Find out more
totalgymnastics.co.uk – dedicated gymnastics company set up by gymnast Beth Tweddle to encourage children to get involved. Has details of academies around the UK.
british-gymnastics.org – UK national governing body for gymnastics.
You may also like
Synchronised swimming, trampolining.
You might hate
BMX, basketball.
Over to you
Are you a gymnast? Help us build up this resource by sharing tips, videos, links to clubs and anything else that beginners might find useful.
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