Common Gymnastics Dangers [Does Its Benefits Outweigh The Risk?]

We have heard of this question asked over a million times by many parents or teenagers who dream to be a gymnast one day. Is it safe to practice gymnastics? What are the most common gymnastics dangers and are the benefits from this sport worth the whole thing?

The shortest answer is yes, the benefits of gymnastics clearly outweigh its risk. As a matter of fact, there are so many benefits that make gymnastics one of the best sports for children and people of all ages.

Common gymnastics dangers

You may believe that there are countless dangers in gymnastics, but you are actually wrong. There are many gymnastics safety equipments like the tumbling mats, safety grips etc that help cope with the dangers. 

Sprains, dislocations, and bruises are actually the most common injuries that happen in many other sports as well such as basketball, baseball and football. Therefore we can’t actually say that gymnastics are dangerous.

In order to explain this more in detail, we discovered a study conducted in the United States that evaluated the injuries of children participating gymnastics. All children were 4-8 years old and all of them have been practicing gymnastics for years. During a period between 1999 and 2005, 6000 children in total were admitted to a hospital after an injury while practicing some advanced gymnastics skills. 97% of them were treated and discharged immediately.

As you can see, the dangers are not actually serious that cause a massive and negative effect on the gymnast.

What about Its benefits?

It has been proven that children who actually practice gymnastics are healthier compared to other kids. They are less affected by obesity, heart diseases, and even diabetes. An interesting fact is that even adults get the same benefits!

Gymnastics will help your child develop better coordination, balance and motor skills. Most of the skills they will perform are complicated, demanding and require perfect body balance at any given moment. Practicing on a solid balance beam can help with this.

Last but not least, we know that children who participate in gymnastics are better with social skills and discipline. Every single day they must listen to a coach and learn how to perform a skill successfully, by following strict rules and guidelines.

Because they are surrounded by children with the same goals, they become more motivated and socially satisfied. This also improves their self-esteem and confidence.

The Final Word

Gymnastics dangers are far from something that should make your child stop practicing gymnastics. They are present, like in every other sport and they may look serious but in reality, dangers from other sports are more brutal.

Most gymnastic equipment nowadays are in fact very safe. For example, most well known gymnastic bars now comes with rounded corners that can help the gymnast feel safer when performing skills on it.