Tip #3: Stretching

As every gymnast knows, stretching is a crucial part of gymnastics. Why do we stretch? Well..

Stretching on the Beam

• We stretch so we don't pull muscles. (If you pull a muscle, you have to skip gymnastics so your muscle can heal.
• We stretch to gain required flexibility to do many, many gymnastics moves.
• We stretch so we don't get hurt. If you land wrong doing a flip, you may not be very flexible so if you end up in, let's say, a half split, you will get hurt, versus being flexible enough that you feel no pain doing a half split.
• And most importantly...We stretch because it's fun! Isn't it fun to show your friends how you can bend all the way back, or touch your foot to the back of your head? YES! So remember: when you stretch, you are supposed to have fun. (For now, let's just forget about the pain that normally takes away the fun in stretching.)