Other sports and gym

[BlackBeltGymnast4321]

Who else does other sports besides gym? I do martial arts and I'm fairly new to gym. I used to be a cheerleader but switched to gym to try something new. I love gym and martial arts has like been my life for a while now. I'm afraid that as I get more into gym I'm going to have to pick one or the other which is a decision I really don't want to have to make! Is anyone else juggling two sports and how do you do it?

 

[chloerachel14]

Well, I'm only allowed to do 1 sport at a time, so I'm not really dealing with that problem, but if you are really wanting to get into competitive gymnastics and continue Martial Arts, I would definitely recommend seeing if your gym has an Xcel Team/Program. Xcel is great! (I do it and absolutely love it!)
You train a lot less hours than the usual competitive gymnast. It depends on what lv and how your gym is, but for example... last year I competed Xcel Silver and my gym only had me do 4 hrs a week, where if you choose to go the compulsory route my gym has the girls at that same lv practice anywhere from 6-9hrs a week. This summer I will be working on moving up to Xcel Gold, so I will be training 7hrs a week (still a couple hours less than the usual gymnast at that lv)
Another great benefit is all the routines are Optional, so they are choreographed to fit you, instead of having to do the exact same routine as everyone else your competing against. (There are certain skill requirements for the different levels though)
Also, if you are an older gymnast just starting out you would probably be in lv 3 or 4 and most likely the girls in that lv are going to be a lot younger than you, although it does depend on your gym or where your at. With Xcel there is a much wider age range in all the levels, which is nice so than you don't feel like your always competing against a bunch of younger kids.
There are a lot of great benefits to the program and it is USAG! Sorry that was so long and hopefully it made sense or helped you a little bit!

 

[coachalexia]

I had the same problem, if you want to do competitions and train more houres, it's possible that you'll have to chose.

 

[emilykatherine]

I do swim team, but that's just in the summer. Every morning for an hour. I only get to go 3 days a week, but it's not that big a deal. 3 meet during the summer before practice on Tuesdays so really not that bad. I also dance, but that's for gym.

 

[flips123]

I do track along with gymnastics. For me it is very hard on both my body and mind for the 3 month track season that follows the competitive season. Every day I go directly from school to track practice to gymnastics practice. 6+ hours later I get home and have to finish all of my homework. It's really hard to keep my grades up and I am always physically exhausted from doing something all the time. To be honest sometimes I can't handle it and I break down from the stress. We had to rearrange my practice schedule to make room for the track meets too. As tiring as it is, I wouldn't want to give either up as I love both track and gymnastics so much.

 

[stxrdusty]

Just gymnastics. I made that decision in 6th grade and quit piano lessons. I was never interested in any other sports so it hasn't really bothered me. Over the past few years I've had a reinvigorated interest in dance, but not the ballet I did when I was little. I don't have time for another sport anyway. I spend 40+ hours on homework a week which kinda eliminates any free time except what's usually allotted for gym, which has been cut in favor of school work recently due to AP/IB exams and senior finals next week. I may try some dance at university next year, but I'm definitely going to try and continue doing gym in the schools club program.

 

[SuperGirlmlm]

I dive
During the school year I usually dive before school, then gym after school and into the evening. In summer, I dive in the evenings, and gym in the beginning of the day, so no overlapping there. But during meet season for gym, I don't dive at all and just focus on gym, since it's my main sport.

 

[pamred4]

I had to choose gymnastics or martial arts and I chose gymnastics because gymnastics because I could always do martial arts when I'm older but you can only do gymnastics for a short time. Just thought I might share my story

 

[RisingGymnast]

I juggle a few different things, and I believe that you love what you do, you will find a way to do it all.

I play softball (since age 5). I play in the spring for my highschool. I've played for 3 teams in one season, but am now just sticking to 1 .

I started dancing next (age 14), I only dance once a week for 3 hours, so that's easy to deal with.

I started gymnastics soon after dance (age 14). I only went once a week for a while, went twice in the summer, and was still able to compete (I do Xcel and I love the flexibility). I also do high school gymnastics and I practice 3x a week for that in the winter. I will say that high school gym meets are my priority because they have to be. If I miss a HS meet for a USAG meet my HS team has to forfeit the score.

I also am in 3 singing groups, which all require some sort of after school commitment. I put my singing last in the list of extra curricular activities, but I still manage.

I do well in school and I'm in almost all honors/AP classes.

IT CAN BE DONE. YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Will you sleep a lot? Maybe not. You'll be happy though. That's all that matters right?! All you can do is try. There will be sacrifices made, sure. It'll be worth it. If you need any help, advice with balancing things, you can message me.

I'm so sorry this is long and slightly annoying, I just want you to know that it can be done!