Sport Survival Guide: Dos and Don’ts for Parents of Gymnasts

As a parent, it’s only natural to anticipate your child’s success in everything they do. From education to extracurricular activities, you are your little one’s biggest supporter, so you want to celebrate their wins and provide comfort during their struggles.

While being involved in your child’s extracurricular activities is something to strive for, it’s easy to get carried away and fall prey to questionable behaviors.

As you read through this gymnastics sport survival guide, you’ll learn the dos and don’ts for parents of gymnasts. Continue reading to learn more!

Don’t: Compare Your Child’s Progress to Others’

Every parent wants to see their child succeed; however, some parents may take things too far as to compare their athlete’s ability with that of their teammates. Doing this can negatively impact your little one’s confidence in themselves.

Confidence is a coveted quality to have in the sport, and without it, you now risk your child’s performance faltering, especially when they’re learning more difficult skills.

Do: Get To Know Their Teammates’ Parents

Being in gymnastics, your child is part of a team! They’ll get to know their teammates and collaborate to ensure the group’s success during competitions. However, collaboration doesn’t end with the young athletes.

You want to get to know the parents of the other children as well! Doing so encourages stronger bonds within the group, increasing team morale.

Don’t: Allow Your Child To Miss or Be Unprepared for Practice

Missing practice or constantly being unprepared for training is detrimental to your child’s progress. Encourage your child to attend each practice as an opportunity to improve skills and develop confidence in performing among peers.

Consider helping your child pack their bag the night before to ensure they have everything they need for a successful practice session.

Consider reaching out to their coach or other teammates’ parents to learn what they should wear for gymnastics practice and any additional essential information.

Do: Allow Coaches To Coach

Coaches have responsibilities that include coaching and ensuring young athletes are able to safely perform moves and skills to the best of their ability.

It may be tempting to interfere or offer suggestions during practices and competitions. However, this advice may negatively impact their ability to provide your child with the assistance they need to overcome obstacles in the sport.

Gymnastics is a beneficial sport for children of all ages, and as parents, there’s nothing you enjoy more than watching your athlete thrive. However, letting emotions get the best of you and interfering with your kiddo’s love for the sport can decrease their interest.

Fortunately, these dos and don’ts for parents of gymnasts offer an insight into bad behaviors that you can correct so you can support your young athlete in the best way possible.