I always admire dancers and gymnasts when I watch their performances and admire not only how masterfully they perform tricks, but their amazing flexibility.
It seems that these girls have fewer bones in their bodies than ordinary people, so they slide across the parquet like beautiful snakes.
Naturally, I also thought about how to become flexible like them.
I did something in this direction, and the gym sessions, which I don’t miss, include several stretching exercises.
It is clear that I have not reached the level of flexibility of dancers and gymnasts, but no one is stopping you from working on yourself to become a snake girl.
Is it even possible to become flexible?
Flexibility is a very interesting concept.
Well, first of all, how to determine whether a person is flexible or not?
The one who can tie his body into a knot is certainly flexible, the one who, bending over, does not reach the floor with his hands, is a wooden Pinocchio.
But there is also an intermediate link.
So, what to do with girls who can do the splits, but don’t demonstrate any other special tricks?
Should they try to become more flexible or not?
Another question that worries the minds of girls is whether it is possible to become flexible at all or is it a natural talent?
The true answer to this question lies somewhere in the middle.
There are people who are already born with gutta-percha, and there are those who, through long training, manage to develop at least a little flexibility and their results do not seem too impressive to anyone.
It depends on your luck, but any girl can become sufficiently flexible if she is not lazy.
Why become flexible and do special exercises?
- You strengthen your muscles, especially your legs and back.
- Make your posture more beautiful.
- You gain elegance and grace.
- Better sleep.
- Become more resilient.
- Activate your sexual energy.
- Increases the overall tone of the body.
Optimal age to start training
Some sports have strict age restrictions. Gymnastics is one of them. Most sports schools and clubs recruit girls from 4-6 years old. Sometimes you can find advertisements with the text: “Gymnastics for children from 3 years old.” A section making such an invitation should make you wary. Professional trainers believe that training should begin at 4-5 years of age. At the age of three, a child is not always able to fully understand what the teacher wants from him. And at 6-7 years old, natural flexibility is lost, and it becomes more and more difficult to develop stretching. Training started in elementary school can be painful and ineffective. If you want to benefit the health of your first-grader daughter, give preference to artistic gymnastics at the amateur level instead of rhythmic gymnastics.
Think about whether you want to become flexible?
You can test your level of flexibility to see what you need to work on in the following ways:
- Gradually lowering your head, try to reach your chin to your chest.
If you were unable to do this or felt pain during the exercise, this indicates insufficient flexibility of your spine.
- Start bending back, you can even try to stand on the bridge with the support of a reliable partner.
Are you in pain?
Do you hear a nasty crunch?
This indicates that you don't move much and could use some flexibility.
- Can you lean forward and place your palms on the floor?
Yes?
Then you are not a completely lost person in terms of flexibility.
- Slowly begin to sit in a diagonal split.
Does not work?
Is there at least 30 cm left to the floor?
No problem, special exercises will definitely help you.
If after all these checks you find that you lack flexibility, then think carefully about whether you are ready to work on this problem.
Becoming flexible without having the natural ability to do so is not so easy, because:
- Flexibility develops quite slowly.
- Exercising too intensely will exhaust you and can lead to health problems.
- To achieve good results, just home training is not enough.
The right choice of sports school, section and coach
If you decide to enroll your child in a sports section, answer the simplest question: “Why?” Few people dream of raising their children to become Olympic champions. Most parents bring their children to sports for general development or for health. If you belong to this category, any gymnastics section in Moscow will suit you. You can choose a sports school based on geographic accessibility or cost of training. The situation is similar with rhythmic gymnastics. Without dreaming of world fame, you can limit yourself to training in a school section or the nearest cultural palace. But if you want your child to try to make a sports career, a lot depends on the school and the specific coach. Look for masters of their craft who have raised more than one generation of champions. It is such a specialist who will best explain to your daughter how to become a gymnast.
What activities can you do to become flexible?
You can significantly improve the flexibility of your body by playing sports.
If you choose the right sport, which devotes a lot of time to stretching, then you won’t have to do special flexibility exercises at home.
What sports are the best to help you become flexible?
- Yoga.
She will work magic even with those who are made of rigid wood.
It is enough to devote 15 minutes a day to yoga to show decent stretching within a month.
- Dancing, of any style.
It doesn’t matter what you do (be it strip dancing or hip-hop), any dancer needs stretching.
- Gymnastics.
Naturally, you won’t demonstrate Olympic results as an adult, but you can become more flexible.
How to lose weight by summer: what should you do?
In general, to become more flexible, you can engage in any kind of sport.
Going to the gym, running in the morning, and even 15-minute exercises at home help improve stretching.
What does it take to become flexible at home?
If you don’t like to exercise in the company of strangers or don’t have extra money to pay a trainer, but still want to become flexible, then you can successfully perform special exercises at home.
Training flexibility and stretching without the supervision of a trainer can be dangerous, but if you follow the precautions, nothing bad will happen:
- It will take at least a month for you to see real results.
Remember that you are not trying to set an Olympic record, but are training stretching solely for yourself. Take your time, don't be nervous and everything will work out.
- It is advisable to do stretching exercises in the morning, on a half-empty stomach.
- It is very important that you feel good and are in a good mood.
What is Thai massage?
- Wear comfortable clothes for flexibility training that do not restrict your movements, you can even train in underwear if you live alone or are not embarrassed by other family members.
- Before you start doing flexibility exercises, you should do a 5-minute exercise to warm up your muscles.
- Plan your workout so that it includes different exercises: stretching the arms, legs, spine, buttocks.
You cannot pay attention to some parts of the body and ignore others.
- If you feel severe pain, stop pulling the muscle immediately.
Our goal is to become a graceful flexible girl, not a disabled person.
How to become a gymnast at home
Many parents send their children to various clubs and sports sections from a young age.
And it is right. For example, it is best to start doing gymnastics at about 5-6 years of age. But there are also people who are interested in the question of how to become a gymnast at the age of 11? We will dwell on this issue in detail. How to become a gymnast at 10 years old.
At 10 years old, of course, it may already be too late. But you need to understand that there are two types of gymnastics. It can be both sports and artistic. At the age of 11, you need to send your child to rhythmic gymnastics. However, it won’t be too late for sports either. At the same time, you need to understand that you will need to practice a lot in order to still get an answer to the question of how to become a gymnast at 10 years old.
How to become a gymnast at home.
If you are interested in how to become a gymnast at home, then you must understand that this is not an easy matter. Firstly, you will need certain equipment for classes. It will be enough to have in stock: a jump rope, dumbbells, a horizontal bar, a ball, a soft mattress, a blanket. To practice gymnastics at home, you do not need to have any special equipment.
Also, if you are interested in how to become a gymnast at home, then you need to understand that it is very important to choose a measured and smooth pace. It will allow the muscles to receive a certain load.
Before starting classes, you need to do a preliminary warm-up. This is necessary so that all muscles and joints warm up. To do this, you can perform a set of very simple exercises. This can be circular movements of the hands, ankles, and pelvis. After the muscles are warmed up, you can begin the main activities.
Of course, in order to become a gymnast at home, you will need to work hard. You will need to perform a wide variety of exercises. So, this could be 20 push-ups in three sets. The next exercise is to pull your legs up to your chin. This exercise should be done lying on your stomach.
There is also one combination: squats 20 times in three sets. These squats can be performed while standing on just one leg. You can also do 20 push-ups in three sets (they need to be done with your legs not very wide apart). As for the next exercise, it involves swinging the press. Moreover, it is best done in three approaches and 30 times. Also, in addition to all this, you can jump rope for a few minutes. Now you, in principle, will know how to become a gymnast at home and how to become a gymnast in adulthood.
What does rhythmic gymnastics develop?
The qualities that rhythmic gymnastics develops in all girls, without exception, are very attractive. These are flexibility, grace, coordination and precision of movements, a proud head posture and a charming smile. Performances to music contribute to the development of the aesthetic component, good taste and artistry. The figure of the “artists” is harmonious, with a beautiful shoulder line and a good muscular skeleton. Despite their external fragility, the girls are strong, agile and resilient.
Self-discipline skills, the ability to clearly plan and value your time last a lifetime, as does beautiful posture.
Sports career and its completion
In teams and national teams, the age of participation is not formally limited. Girls can perform even after crossing the 20-year-old mark. The retirement date is indicated by the coach or the gymnasts themselves make this decision. On average, girls compete in gymnastics until they are 18-22 years old, then they can continue their career in acrobatics, dancing, or begin coaching and teaching if they have a diploma.
Receiving ranks
To receive ranks, you must complete a specific set of exercises for each rank. The junior group receives youth ranks, the middle group can already qualify for adult ranks. In the older age group, girls compete for the titles of candidates and masters of sports.
Spring elements and techniques for their implementation
“Spring” type movements represent an equal and smooth bend of several or all points of the body at once in the initial stage of the exercise and subsequent systematic bend in the following stages. Spring movements of different parts of the body (arms, legs or the whole body) are performed with tension.
Spring exercises with legs are performed from the original position: stand on your toes, close your toes and knees. Performing the movement, from the position of the feet, where the heels are raised and all the weight is transferred to the front of the legs, we lower ourselves onto the heels and move into a squat or half-squat position. To return to the original position, we straighten our legs.
Spring-type movements with your hands can be performed while in different initial positions. When performing this exercise, you need to bend your arms from the fingertips to the shoulder joint, observing the direction: towards the body. Raise the hand up and move it to shoulder level, and lower the elbow joint down and press it to the body. Extension must also be performed with tension.
Spring elements with the whole body must be done from the starting position: stand on your toes, raise your arms up, and point your palms forward. When performing these exercises, bend your legs at the knee joint, tilt your head and form a “semicircle” with your back. After this, you need to bend your arms and go into a squat position; while in the position on your toes, you need to spring your arms downwards.
Benefits of classes
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport that involves performing various exercises with or without apparatus to music. According to the classic training program, girls up to about 7 years old are engaged in general physical training, during which maximum attention is paid to stretching. Such classes under the supervision of an experienced trainer are incredibly useful. The child develops correct graceful posture and develops plasticity. According to some experts, good stretching reduces the risk of future fractures and sprains. We should not forget about the psychological component of sports education. Regular training is a regimen, discipline, and determination.
Toothpicks, panty polish and sandpaper. Why do gymnasts-“artists” need all this?!
“Tricks” of rhythmic gymnastics that you would never have guessed.
Rhythmic gymnastics is one of the most beautiful and feminine sports, but, as elsewhere, there are tricks invisible to the viewer that help create the same illusion that everything that happens on the mat is an easy flight of the soul, and not daily work. About some of these secrets - in the material of Elizaveta Maiko.
Dina Averina / Photo: © Getty Images
Candle and sandpaper. For what?
These two items can be found in the backpack of many gymnasts. They perform opposite functions: they rub gymnastics slippers with a candle in order to better make turns and slide. Sandpaper, in turn, prevents the shoes from being too slippery.
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Hair fixation spray
Of course, the hairstyle must be securely fastened during the performance; the function of the varnish in this case is simple and clear. But besides this, it has several other uses: the hands or the object itself are lightly sprayed with varnish to improve grip, because if the palm gets sweaty, the slippery ball can treacherously escape from the gymnast. By the way, baby powder can perform the same function.
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A very funny but effective technique: girls spray their swimsuit panties with varnish so that it sticks to the skin of their buttocks and holds securely during the performance, preventing the “excess” from appearing from under the skirt. Even the slimmest people care about their appearance.
History also contains unsuccessful experiments with varnish. Irina Chashchina, an Olympic silver medalist, in her book “Become Yourself,” tells how she sprayed all her ribbon with glitter varnish so that it shimmered beautifully on the carpet. Unfortunately, the object was stuck together into a huge bow in the first seconds of the performance.
How can meeting hockey players be useful?
In addition to varnish, to improve grip, gymnasts wrap the balls of their clubs with fabric tape, the same kind that hockey players use to wrap the hooks of their sticks.
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This helps the mace to hold securely and not slip out of a wet palm. Friendly athletes willingly share several skeins of such ribbon with fragile girls, and they, in turn, can invite them to their performance. You can purchase such consumables yourself, but it’s much nicer when you have someone to turn to.
Little tips for big performances
The lighting at major competitions can be so bright that an object flying overhead can disappear from view for a split second in the light of the lamps, especially for thin sticks of ribbons. To quickly get out of an uncomfortable situation, athletes glue a bright strip of winding, which is used to decorate hoops, to the end of a stick. This way you won’t have to worry about losing the tape in the air.
Force majeure and intrigues of rivals. Cases from life
Forgetting a swimsuit for a competition is a classic of the genre. There is no way out of this situation except to rush home. What to do if you forgot your hairpins? Even worse, such things are often stolen. Girlfriends don’t divide, everything is strictly tailored to their own hairstyle. We use our imagination and insert toothpicks into our hair, simultaneously begging higher powers so that nothing falls apart. This also happens in our practice.
Photo: © RIA Novosti/Grigory Sysoev
Little kids who have just come to big sports pass special standards at competitions, and do not perform exercises. This is also evaluated, and places on the podium are allocated. However, they have the right to wear a beautiful swimsuit.
The girl Milana told me how at one of these competitions someone hid her swimsuit because she completed the tasks better than anyone else. The athlete’s mother was angry, but did not lose her head; instead of a swimsuit, shorts and a T-shirt were found.
Hiding clothes, cutting a ribbon, breaking a rival's hoop is not the worst thing, although it is terribly mean. Anger pushes people to actions whose cruelty goes beyond all boundaries.
One of the cases: sports schools sometimes organize open choreography lessons, where parents are invited. Children stand at the machine, demonstrating their skills.
In one of the classes, someone smeared a hot, warming ointment on a gymnast’s underwear. Such things actively manifest their properties when the athlete begins to move and sweat. The sensations and consequences of such incidents are very unpleasant and completely unsafe.
Photo: globallookpress.com, Getty Images, RIA Novosti/Grigory Sysoev
Text: Elizaveta Maiko
