Start Improving your Gymnastics with 4 Easy Steps {Free Downloadable Game}

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improve your gymnastics

It can be overwhelming thinking about improving and reaching the next level in gymnastics. I’m here to tell you that improving your gymnastics starts with 4 easy steps.

I’ve also put together a fun gymnastics game you can play to get you started on the path to improvement!

Want to play?

gymnastics game

1. Consistency

The first step to improving your gymnastics is to be consistent in your effort. I’ve done a whole article about how consistency is the key to success, but doing a little every day will add up to a ton of time over weeks and months.

One of the ways that SkillTrakker has been so helpful to the gymnasts that use it is that it provides incentive and motivation for them to do a little every day.

But even if you aren’t a SkillTrakker user, you can do something daily to help yourself improve.  Block out some time for yourself to put in the consistent effort. Here are some ideas of what you can do with the time:

  • Stretch
  • Do conditioning exercises
  • Practice your handstands with Spiderman Against the Wall
  • Practice your balance with relevé walks
  • Work on increasing the speed of your sprint to help improve your vault

Gymnastics Journal

2. Repetition

Another principle that is crucial to improvement, is the power of repetition. I’ve written an article about this before, and in it I tell a story about how I improved my cartwheel as a kid by doing it over and over throughout a weekend.

Now I see the power of repetition being shown constantly with the users of SkillTrakker. They repeat drills and progressions over and over again until they show real improvement in the skill they are trying to master.

You can do this too by practicing the skills you want to learn over and over. If the skill is one that you need to be doing in the gym, make sure you use the time you have there wisely! If the skill is a basic that you can practice outside of the gym, then add some practice at home to what you do in the gym.

3. Work on your Strength & Flexibility

Improving your strength and flexibility is an important part of working to improve your gymnastics skills. Most skills require you to have one or the other, if not both!

I’ve written about important strength principles, and also about flexibility, but here are some key takeaways:

  • A study was done on Elite gymnasts trying to improve their flexibility. During the study the gymnasts did complexes of both kicks and jumps. At the end of the study, all of the gymnasts had improved their flexibility. (I make sure SkillTrakker users work on these consistently, by putting together different kick and jump complexes.) The takeaway: working on your kicks and jumps at home is an easy way to help you improve!
  • You need overall strength, and skill specific strength with muscle memory in gymnastics. You can easily spend some time working on your overall strength when you’re away from the gym. At the gym, focus on the drills your coaches give you because these could be designed to increase your skill specific strength and hone your muscle memory.

4. Master the Basics

Gymnastics is a sport where basics are really important. Most skills in gymnastics build off of each other, starting with the basics like:

Spending time mastering these skills, and others like them, isn’t a waste because they are the foundation for other, more advanced skills.

Improving the consistency of your effort, increasing your repetition, working on your strength and flexibility and taking time to master the basics are 4 easy steps you can take to improve your gymnastics.

If you are serious about improving, consider joining SkillTrakker to help you implement these steps!

Skilltrakker ad

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6 comments… add one
  • Loraine Day June 30, 2018, 10:18 am

    Your emails are always so helpful. Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • gymnasticshq June 30, 2018, 5:12 pm

      Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
  • Callie January 14, 2020, 4:22 pm

    I love Gymnastics HQ you are really helpful

    Reply
  • Audrey March 26, 2020, 4:03 pm

    I want to know basic skills I should know and how to do it

    Reply
  • Gymnast93 March 31, 2020, 2:01 pm

    Hi everyone! GymnasticsHQ, you are very helpful!

    Reply
  • Kyeleigh April 20, 2020, 10:10 pm

    I’m kyeleigh and I’m 13 but I’m at a level 4 skill but now we’re under quarantine I can’t get any practice at the gym and I don’t know how to practice my back hand springs without the proper equipment to keep them in shape

    Reply

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