I was watching the British Championships at Echo Arena just over a week ago and it was great to see how brilliantly all the British gymnasts are performing and the increased interest in the sport. It was actually a record breaking event with nearly 16,000 fans in attendance.
Joe Fraser is only 18 years old and this is his very first year as a senior and so he must have been delighted to win the Senior Men’s all-around title. He actually won a total of 7 medals over the 3 day event.
Olympian Ellie Downie became the Senior Women’s all-around British champion for the first time in her career and claimed 2 more apparatus titles with a Gold Medal for Vault and Uneven Bars.
With the World Cup of Gymnastics taking place this weekend on 8th April at the O2 Arena and some more record-breaking performances in the pipeline it got me thinking about what it is that makes a good gymnast become a champion gymnast?
Most champion gymnasts start gymnastics classes early at around the age of 4. Starting well and not getting into bad habits from an early age gives your child a headstart on their peers. The more we do something, the more it becomes a habit and habits form a skill = success
The most important thing is to stick at it. Practice makes permanent. I know that there are so many different choices and clubs out there and it can be really hard to stay focused, but allowing yourself to be torn in different directions breeds the ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ mentality. If your child has a natural talent then you must support them by encouraging them to keep on going, even when the going gets tough.
I can remember days when I didn’t feel like going to train at the gym club but once I was there I soon got stuck in and was happy that I’d made the effort. To be a champion you need focus, tenacity and sticking power. A champion gymnast needs to commit themselves totally to the sport and make sacrifices along the way. After all, they will be training for about 30 hours a week! It’s all about concentrated effort, persistence and repetition.
Here at Flair I want your budding young gymnasts to be the very best that they can be whilst having bundles of fun along the way. I know that PROGRESS = HAPPINESS and I want your children to be very HAPPY!!
I can 100% say that my own TV and movie career has only been possible due to the focus, discipline and complete set of life skills that my gym club and gym coaches taught me. Passing this onto our members, coaches and Flair family is my focus and I want to share this with each child that steps through the doors of a Flair Gym Club through our development programme, teaching syllabus and expert coaching.
I am very pleased that we have a NEW club opening in FARNHAM on Sunday 23rd April. If you are a parent of a budding young gymnast in the FARNHAM area and would like to take part in a class at our launch on Sunday 23rd April at All Hallows School in Farnham, please head over to www.FarnhamGymClub.com to check out times and further info.
We can’t wait to meet you!
Best wishes,
Richard
Founder and CEO at Flair Gymnastics
P.S. If you are a parent of a budding young gymnast in the FARNHAM area and would like to take part in a class at our launch on Sunday 23rd April at All Hallows School in Farnham, please head over to www.FarnhamGymClub.com to check out times and further info.