Age is just a number !
It is important to remember that you can do anything you put your mind to. Passion and interest should always be the first thing pushing you to join Gymnastics. As a matter of fact, it is true that gymnastics is a sport where national / international careers end very early, around 22 years in average. Therefore, the age at which you begin can impact a lot your end goal. But all depends on WHY you are joining.
What is your goal ?
If you always dreamt of doing gymnastics as a high level athlete, and one day compete in national, or international competitions, let's be honest, age matters. It is likely that if you start after 12 years old it will be hard to keep up with the kids who started much earlier and already put hundreds if not thousands of training hours in. However, most gymnasts do not become professional athletes, and that does not mean they failed ! The importance is to take pleasure in the sport. There are amateur competitions where age do not matter so much. You can even train without ever competing ! As we already explained in our philosophy of seeing things, success is what you choose it to be. The point of doing gymnastics is not just about the medals. Gymnastics is about the satisfaction you get at training, the happiness of being with your coach and teammates, and the pride of getting a new skill. So you might not become the next national champion in elite gymnastics, but you for sure will bring a lot of positive things in your life when joining our community of gymnasts.
Do you have any physical predispositions ?
Gymnastics is a sport requiring strong core muscles, explosive strength, while being flexible and gracious. Some of these skills can be predisposed within your body, helping you progress faster than the average gymnast.
Your speed of progression does not depend so much about your age, if you are fearless and have physical predispositions, you might catch up the level of gymnasts who have been training for years. Do not pressure yourself for results, everyone has their own path, and your speed, is the right speed.
Go and have fun, any age between 0 to 90 years old is ok to start gymnastics.
Have you ever watched the amazing and inspiring 86 years old Johanna Quaas ? So whatever your age is, listen to your heart, if Gymnastics is what you want to do, go for it.
