Best sports for gymnast to transition into??

[gym_fun]

Do you think gymnasts will have an easy time or hard time picking up other sports...do they transition well into other sports because they are in good shape and tend to be athletic? I know it would probably depend on the sport. Just curious on what people thought or heard. I have heard gymnast make great pole vaulters...anyone else heard this?

 

[KarenUK]

I know the local judo coach (who coaches my son and the county squad) is very keen to have my daughter. She's done a couple of sessions - she's strong, flexible, fit, has good co-ordination and body awareness, and follows instructions/corrections to the letter. And is apparently the perfect shape for judo...

 

[cbone]

They've done scientific studies. On the whole, if you take athletes from all major sports and have them compete at each sport, gymnasts perform the best all around (pun intended). That's a long-winded way to say that gymnastics is an excellent base for ANY sport.

 

[Esoteric]

Any sport is easy to transition into after gymnastics. The strength, flexibility, agility, spatial awareness, coordination, mental toughness, and familiarity with team bonding is the absolute perfect combination. The gymnasts who have been with it a while have amazing endurance, as well.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

We know several gymnasts who became pole vaulters and divers. My oldest "retired" from gymnastics a year ago. She's cheering and on the track team - didn't want to pole vault but she's pretty good at long jump and high jump.

 

[Empowered]

I have seen gymnasts move into cheerleading, dance, diving, soccer, volleyball, track (pole vaulting and hurdles), softball... basically every sport imaginable. They will have such an advantage because they are so much stronger and so much more fit than kids who don't have the gym background.

Gymnasts are required to be so much more focused and mature than other kids their age, which enables the to pick other things up and transition very quickly. Plus they have no fear... hell if you've split a beam you can survive anything

 

[wandrewsjr]

I have a daughter that did pole vault after retiring from gymnastics. Not many girls/women have the upper body strength for pole vaulting, gymnasts do. Gymnast also develop the air awareness needed for vaulting.

 

[gymgal]

Dd's coach has said several times that all the middle and high school coaches look to bring gymnasts on their teams -softball, track, x-country, volleyball - you name it. A middle level gymnast is an all around athlete.

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[gymnastbeth]

Yes, pole vaulting! I'm pole vaulting with my school's track team this year, it's SO much fun. (and comes naturally for gymnasts; who else is used to running full speed towards station objects?) Gymnasts have enough upper body and core strength to pole vault, in fact, the best pole vaulters in my league are all ex-gymnasts.

I've also heard diving comes naturally to gymnasts, but takes a little bit of getting used to, as they land on their heads instead of their feet!

 

[gym law mom]

I've know quite a few gymnasts that started pole vaulting---2 were good enough to get full ride track scholarships. Also diving and cheer seem to be natural transitions.

 

[SignHere]

So right now, my DD has NO interest in any other sport besides gymnastics. She is a level 5. I' m worried she's going to decide to quit in a few years an d have no other sports to fall back on (not having done any other sports in the meantime). So I can relax, let her be single minded about gymnastics right now, knowing that if she decides to quit as a level 7 or 8 she'll still be able to pick up another sport that she HASN'T been playing since she was 6 years old?

 

[DND]

Do you think gymnasts will have an easy time or hard time picking up other sports...do they transition well into other sports because they are in good shape and tend to be athletic? I know it would probably depend on the sport. Just curious on what people thought or heard. I have heard gymnast make great pole vaulters...anyone else heard this?

In our gym one of my DD's coach's is still in pole vaulting and is a teacher now. She competed in the Pan American games in Mexico this winter.

May just be coincidence, but I think gymnasts can transition into many track and field events.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

Daughter quit gymnastics last year after doing it pretty much from the age of 5 to 11 was on the team 4 years. Just about everything sport she has done since she has excelled at. Some more than others cheer leading track swimming and dance she has done the best at. She did do volleyball and basketball and did average at those. I would not worry daughter has placed 1st in many competitions track swim and Irish dance after doing these activities only 1 to 2 years wear other kids have done them there whole childhood. Kids that do gymnastics I think can transition very eAsily into other sports I would not worry, let your daughter enjoy it you never know she may want to continue for many more years. One thing I learned is that there is no predicted who will continue and who will quit I have been very surprised to see some girls who were amazing devoted gymnasts quit while other I thought would never last have stuck with it

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

All the sports already mentioned. Cheer, trampoline, diving, etc. Plus several times when at the rink with my ds playing hockey, the coaches are always telling dd and I how GREAT gymnasts are at hockey, especially at playing goalie.

Adding that yes, a former level 9 Eastern Champion from our old gym up and quit gymnastics to focus on track and is now competing at the national level in several track and field events.

 

[wgagym]

My entire high school gymnastics team both competed diving and pole vaulting on our off seasons. We were recruited for both because of the air sense and strength needed. Although I think gymnasts can transition into about any sport. They are stronger than most other kids and have a crazy work ethic. And yes no fear.

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

I' m worried she's going to decide to quit in a few years and have no other sports to fall back on (not having done any other sports in the meantime). So I can relax, let her be single minded about gymnastics right now, knowing that if she decides to quit as a level 7 or 8 she'll still be able to pick up another sport that she HASN'T been playing since she was 6 years old?

DS gave up swim squad to focus on gym. He still makes his school swim team every year, despite no formal swim training for the past four years. Both DS and DD were selected for their school representative team in both track and cross country, again neither do any training in these sports.

I used to have the exact same worries that you had, what will happen when they quit? Then I realised that gymnastics has made then fitter, stronger, more flexible and agile, given them better balance and made them more focused than the average kid their age. They have respect for coaches and are able to listen and they can make corrections when asked.
And again they have no fear of anything. They know how to work hard, and they know that to achieve a goal they need to work hard.

At the moment they both manage to still squeeze in one other sport each that they play with their school teams, the coaches always comment on their strength and fitness, and also how "coachable" they are.

 

[JessLW]

I quit gymnastics when I was about 15 and I took up martial arts and did really well at it and progressed really fast. I did Tai-Chi to start off with and it really took my awhile to let go of needing to be tight all the time, since Tai Chi especially requires you to be completely loose. But my flexibility and balance really worked in my favor.

Like others said though, gymnasts can transition into most sports pretty easily, and there are also activities that are pretty directly related to gymnastics, stuff like cheerleading, acrobatics, dance, and tramp, that can be less intense options for former gymnasts.

 

[my4buffaloes]

The reverse has happened in my house. My son requested to start taking gymnastics so that it would help his strength and flexibility for other sports. He plays baseball, soccer, track and more normally. He loved gymnastics and it really did improve his strength. he still does the work outs at home some to help him with other sports.

 

[Trixiebelle]

DD recently began playing field hockey and softball. Softball was great as she had a lot of strength to throw and could sprint fast! Field Hockey was more challenging as she didn't have the cardio endurance (25 minute periods of all out running!) but loved it. She has teammates who dive and another is a great pole vaulter!

 

[thefellowsmom]

A girl from our gym recently quit as a level 8 and she started equestian vaulting and absolutely loves it. It isn't something everyone would have access to, of course, and certainly wouldn't be for everyone, but it is a quite natural transition. The trainer said she came in as if she had years of experience and she is already excelling.