Gymnastics Development

The Glasgow School of Sport offers programmes in men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, sports acrobatics and trampolining. Men’s artistic gymnastics involves six pieces of apparatus – floor, pommels, rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar whilst women’s artistic gymnastics requires the girls to perform on just four apparatus - vault, asymmetric bars, beam and floor. Sports Acrobatics involves the gymnasts working in pairs (Women’s Pairs, Men’s Pairs or Mixed Pairs) or groups (Women’s Trio or Men’s Four), although the individual aspect of Tumbling comes under this discipline.

The gymnasts train at the specialist gymnastics facility at Bellahouston Leisure Centre, a state-of-the-art dedicated gymnasium. Alongside their training in curriculum time, the gymnasts also follow a very specific after-school programme at their own club. At present, the gymnasts are training approximately 25 hours each week. They are supervised by full-time coaches and follow a pre-planned training and competition schedule.

Glasgow School of Sport gymnasts supporting the 2014 bid

The training programme with the Glasgow School of Sport concentrates on general physical preparation, conditioning and flexibility, skill progression and concentration on quality basics, spatial awareness through rebound and trampolining work, choreography and competition preparation. As the gymnasts progress through the years, their individual training programmes are changed and adapted as necessary. The School of Sport also includes a sport science support programme that will help the gymnasts to reach their full potential through sport specific fitness testing, anthropometric testing, nutrition advice, sports psychology, injury prevention, physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

Caitlin Ross - Senior gymnast at Glasgow School of Sport

All the gymnasts have a very bright future if careful individual plans are not only put into place but carried out by both the School of Sport and the club and alongside this, the individuals demonstrate the sheer determination, hard work and self-discipline to realise their potential and utilise this fantastic opportunity to the full.

Whilst at the Glasgow School of Sport the gymnasts also have the opportunity to attend a Level 1 and 2 coaching course in gymnastics and also participate with the other pupils in the JSLA and CSLA courses.

The School of Sport pupils have the added advantage of a fantastic support services programme which includes sports specific fitness testing and monitoring, sports psychology, nutrition and physiotherapy.

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