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Expert Advice for Gymnastics Training

Gymnasts improve their skills at Woodward Camp.

Gymnasts improve their skills at Woodward Camp.

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Woodward Camp director wants to get kids excited about gymnastics

By Matt Herb
Special to PlaySportsTV
 
The Woodward Camp in central Pennsylvania is a great place to learn about gymnastics. It has four huge gyms filled with equipment and features instructors from all over the world. 
 
Gymnasts have been coming to Woodward for decades to learn about the sport and improve their gymnastics skills. The Penn State men’s gymnastics team often trains at the camp. In addition, some of the best gymnasts in the world stop by to take advantage of Woodward’s world-class facilities and work with its coaches. They’ve even been known to help out young gymnasts. Imagine getting a lesson from Shannon Miller or a pep talk from Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Carly Patterson. 
 
A big part of Woodward’s job is getting kids excited about gymnastics. Campers aren’t required to have previous experience. All they need is a desire to learn more about the sport. 
 
Kim Blevins, the gymnastics director at Woodward Camp, and a former gymnast at Kent State, shared gymnastics training tips:
 
PlaySportsTV: What do kids get from their gymnastics experience at Woodward? 
 
Blevins: It depends on their age. Little kids are looking to have fun and do well and move up in levels. Once they get into high school, they’re looking to get college scholarships. Most of them aren’t national team members, but sometimes the national team will come in for a week.
 
PSTV: But you also have kids who come just because they enjoy gymnastics, right? 
 
Blevins: Right, some kids just like to have fun and do gymnastics.
 
PSTV: What’s a good age for kids to start gymnastics training?
 
Blevins: I started when I was 7. Lots of kids start when they’re 3 years old and are going to preschool classes with their parents. At that age, they don’t know what they want to do. It’s just what their parents want them to do. Usually when they’re in the first or second grade is when they start. They’re at the playground with their friends cartwheeling and now they want to try gymnastics. So it’s usually around 7 years old.
 
PSTV: What are some of the essential gymnastics skills that kids need to learn right away? 
 
Blevins: You can go into it not knowing a thing. That’s why there are lots of classes for beginners. You can go to your first day of gymnastics and not have a skill. There are also kids who try it for the first time and can do the skill, the natural-ability kids. So it depends on whether you’re a natural at it or are going to have to work a little harder. Every gym offers a class for beginners, people who have never done an ounce of gymnastics in their life.
 
PSTV: Do the young gymnasts you train tend to focus on a particular event, or do they want to be all-arounders?
 
Blevins:  A lot of the younger kids have a favorite event. Most little kids hate beam. They’re scared of it. It’s as tall as they are. Usually it takes a while to learn to love the beam. Bars is a really hard event. You have to have a lot of upper-body strength. A lot of little kids when they’re just starting like to tumble and run around. You need strength to do some of the other events. Most kids come for all four events. If they don’t want to (practice gymnastics), there are usually tumbling or cheer classes at most gyms also.
 
PSTV: Do you encourage young gymnasts to try a variety of events, or should they stick to what they’re comfortable doing?
 
Blevins: You start with what you’re comfortable doing, and then you build on that. You don’t want to push kids when they’re too young, but you do want to make sure they’re learning.
 
PSTV: Are there certain gymnastics skills that carry over and apply to all events?
 
Blevins:  A handstand is the most important gymnastics move. It’s used in every single event. You have to have a good handstand. You have to be able to hold yourself up.
 
PSTV: What are some of the most common injuries, and how do you avoid them?
 
Blevins: Oh my God, there are so many. There are lots of injuries. There are a lot of ankles and wrists, so you have to keep them strong. And you have to be flexible.
 
PSTV: How did you get started with gymnastics?
 
Blevins: I had lots of energy, and my mom wanted me to use it, so she put me in gymnastics. I came here as a camper two years later, and I was a camper for eight years here.
 
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Photo courtesy of Woodward Camp.

 





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