Sunday, May 10, 2015 The Bakersfield Voice
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YOUR HEALTH
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Gymnast sisters Kayla Lum, 11, and Macie Lum, 9, have been practicing for five years.
Gymnastic moves for kids to practice BY TOM LADMAN Gymnastics director at American Kids Sports Center
A
merican Kids Sports Center opened in 2007, but actually started out as American Academy of Gymnastics in 1984. Since then, it has grown to offer classes in gymnastics, tumbling and trampoline, cheerleading, tae kwon do, swimming, dance, birthday parties, parents’ night out, summer camps and now even a preschool. Its two modern facilities located in northwest and southwest Bakersfield provides 70,000 square feet of learning space for nearly 5,000 students. With America’s obesity rates constantly rising, it is more important than ever to instill a love of exercise into our children. Studies have shown gymnastics not only helps children with their physical fitness but also gives them a big boost in school subjects like reading, math and analytical thought. Gymnast sisters Kayla Lum, 11, and Macie Lum, 9, have been practicing for five years. To see photos of the two gymnasts demonstrating these six easy moves kids of any age can try out and practice at home, go to: http://www.bwellmagazine.com. V-Sit: This is easy to learn, but tough to master. Simply sit down and lift your hands and feet into the air so your body forms a letter V shape. Only your bottom should be touching the floor. It works both balance and core strength. Can you hold it for 10, 20 or 30 seconds? Hollow Hold: If the V-sit is too easy, let's graduate to this gut buster. Again, only your bottom is touching the floor, but this time your body should be rounded, with your shoulders and feet only a few inches off the ground. How long can you hold this position? Candlestick Rollup: A basic for gymnastics is the forward and backward roll. The candlestick comes first and is a great exercise not only for balance and core strength, but also for the legs. From a stand, bend the legs to a "tuck" position. Then roll back pointing the feet at the ceiling. This is called a "candlestick." Next, reverse the motion to stand back up. Never let your hands touch the floor. Try and do 10 in a row. Now that's a challenge! One-Legged Candlestick Rollups: The deluxe version of the previous move. Repeat all the same steps but only allow one leg to touch the floor. This will really make those leg muscles burn. Make sure you do equal numbers on both the left and right leg. Tip-Up: Here’s a tricky little balance move that also builds up the arms and core. Place hands on the floor at
Tom Ladman is the gymnastics director for American Kids Sports Center.
shoulder width, bending them ever so slightly. Now, rest your shins on your elbows, and “tip” forward so that your feet come off the ground. Have contests to see how long you can hold it. Handstand Wall Walk: A handstand is the most important skill in gymnastics, so we had to list an exercise that included it. Start in a pushup position with your feet touching a wall. Now move your feet up as you walk on your hands toward the wall. Don’t get greedy – you may find horizontal or 45 degrees more than enough of a challenge. Hopefully, you can go all the way to the handstand. Then reverse the exercise, slowly returning to a pushup position. Check out our contributor: Tom Ladman, a former collegiate All-American for Penn State, has been coaching gymnastics for more than 30 years. He is currently the gymnastics director for American Kids Sports Center overseeing preschool gymnastics, boys and girls recreational gymnastics and tumbling, as well as coaching the boy’s competitive team. Ladman has taught classes at the USA Gymnastics National and Regional Congress and has been a nationally rated gymnastics judge since 1983. Northwest: 3622 Allen Road; 589-2100 Southwest: 4401 Ride St.; 833-3986 Website: aksc.com
This article first appeared in Bakersfield Wellness Magazine, BWell. For more on local health and wellness, go to bwellmagazine.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter (@BWellMag).
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