What is Gymnest about?

Traditionally, recreational gymnastics incorporates four apparatus: the floor, beam, asymmetric bars, and the vault. The floor is always good for a multitude of different movements, but for kids who are pursuing gymnastics just for fun rather than to compete at an elite level, the other three apparatus—beam, asymmetric bars, and vault – can be relatively limited. This is why at Gymnest we have incorporated parkour as it’s a much richer and more varied movement practice. There are numerous ways to challenge balance; the bars offer so many more ways to swing, climb, hang, and traverse; and there are many more vaults in parkour that can be used over a variety of different obstacles. These movements are also much more adaptable to use in any environment, inside or out.

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Furthermore, Floor Gymnastics and Parkour have different but very complementary goals. With gymnastics, there is a focus on learning specific body shapes, disciplined body lines, and more structured progressions. With parkour, there is a lot of exploration and freedom in navigating through a variety of different obstacles. Everyone has different body shapes and aptitudes, and parkour offers an opportunity to develop increasingly dynamic movement in a natural and organic way. Bringing them together creates a good balance of discipline and structure as well as exploration and experimentation to challenge all areas of fitness, including strength, flexibility, endurance, coordination, balance, spatial and body awareness, as well as mental skills like focus, concentration, risk management, and confidence in general.