My son is almost 6 and I finally signed him up for gymnastics lessons after years of him begging. He absolutely loves it and I have a feeling we'll be doing this for a while. The only problem is, what sort of clothes should I get him to wear to practice. ALL the girls are required to wear a leotard and go barefoot, which makes sense. But the instructors have NO requirements for what the boys wear. I asked what would be the most practical, and they said loose fitting shorts and a tshirt or tank, socks optional. But his clothes seem to be getting in the way of the equipment he's trying to learn. When he hangs upside down, his shirt comes up to his armpits and he gets embarrassed. When he does the rings, his shorts slide down and he has to stop & get down and adjust them.
This is a very good gym that sees a TON of students do well at national competitions, but NEVER any boys. I don't want to be the mean mom and make him the weird boy that has to wear a leotard, but I'm wondering if the boys won't ever get as good as the girls because their clothing gets in the way. It's not just the little boys either, I've seen teenage boys who still wear shorts and a tshirt to practice there.
Any thoughts? Is there a certain type of clothing (material, brand, etc) I should look for that would be more practical without making him feel singled out?
How about a cycling outfit? Biker shorts and those tight biker style shirts.
http://www.rei.com/category/4500118
I took my son to Wal-Mart and he chose the color (Fruit of the Loom washes well) plain tee he wanted then we bought a pirate diamonte iron on transfer. ($8 total) He wears black Speedo lycra boys swim shorts which are a snug fit but not skin tight. He thinks he is cool and now has something 'special' to wear to Gymnastics.
Socks are dangerous. Skip the socks
My son has taken gymnastics going on four years. He wears regular sport shorts, and he has never had an issue with his shorts sliding down. Ever. It seems the simplest solution is to buy him a smaller size just for the gym. If you think he will object to wearing a smaller size, cut the tag out, tell him these are his gymnastics shorts and let that be what he wears rather than "regular" clothes.
As for the shirts, we have had (on occasion) an issue with some shirts being too bulky, but we now make a point to wear shirts that are a slimmer fit so that they doesn't ride up during floor workouts (though I have to say my son doesn't care about his stomach showing, it's a safety issue if it covers his face). Most boys as they advance don't wear any shirts at all, but it sounds as if that may not be a good option for your son if he is embarrassed by his shirt riding up. Walmart sells several sport-material shirts (Champion brand comes to mind) that aren't so square cut. That might be a good place to start. We use those both for gymnastics and martial arts.
As for boys not advancing as far as girls because of their clothing, I just cannot see the logic to that argument at all. Our gym has produced several male Olympic team members and I cannot see how a particular style of t-shirt will hinder talent and dedication. Most boys who would go to Nationals would end up on the competitive team where uniform gym pants would be required. However, they all started just like our little ones in their soccer shorts and Angry Birds t-shirts. :) It's hard to believe watching these big guys on pommel and p-bar were once so little like our guys.
I have a boy who started at 5 and is now 7. He wears shorts and t-shirt. things that we do is make sure they are tighter shorts so they do not slide on the waist (a size to small is what we use or adjustable waist ones) and a tighter shirt that we tuck into the shorts so it does not fly.
You can get the uni or boys tights but they are more comfortable in the shorts. Also even the college boys practice in shorts. You can go on youtube and look at videos.
Also please don't get discouraged about the meets. Simply there are more girls meets because there are more girls that participate. We are just now finding boys meets. They are harder to find because a lot of gyms do not have boys classes even. Good luck and I hope your son loves it. Ours does and has became so strong that some of the dads that said never for his friends are considering it.
Updated
I have a boy who started at 5 and is now 7. He wears shorts and t-shirt. things that we do is make sure they are tighter shorts so they do not slide on the waist (a size to small is what we use or adjustable waist ones) and a tighter shirt that we tuck into the shorts so it does not fly.
You can get the uni or boys tights but they are more comfortable in the shorts. Also even the college boys practice in shorts. You can go on youtube and look at videos.
Also please don't get discouraged about the meets. Simply there are more girls meets because there are more girls that participate. We are just now finding boys meets. They are harder to find because a lot of gyms do not have boys classes even. Good luck and I hope your son loves it. Ours does and has became so strong that some of the dads that said never for his friends are considering it.
My boys (and all the boys at the gym) wear mesh shorts (that fit and don't fall down) and a t shirt, tucked in. No socks.
The boys at our gym wear shorts. Depending on what equipment they work on they also wear tees or no shirt at all. All ages.
They do make gym clothes for boys, both leotard style and tight shorts (think bike shorts).
I would let him wear what the other kids wear, just make sure it's well fitting. Nothing ruins a good experience as fast as feeling self conscious about his clothes.
Good luck.
Just buy more fitted tops and shorts, or a smaller size than he usually wears so they're not so loose.
The gym my daughter used to go to had a large boys team and from what I remember they all wore tank tops (undershirt type) tucked into elastic cotton shorts, and some of the boys wore spandex "under armor" type bike shorts.
If he decides to stick with it you can always google "boys gymnastics clothing" and I'm sure something will come up.
My six year old has taken gymnastics for 3 years. He wears athletic cloths(he likes under armour) and has never had an issue or complained. He sometimes wears compression athletic cloths which are just really tight but comfy and look 'cool'.
Our boys wear a tight fitting tank/wife beater style shirt. It fits close to the body and doesn't slide around. Any tee shirt that is just on that side of too small will work fine.
Under armour is also a good choice but again, it needs to fit right against his body and be snug.
Here are some shorts that would be pretty inexpensive. I always put boxer briefs on our little guy that are close to the same color or matching. Black boxer briefs don't really show anything when they hang upside down. I'd get the size he wears now and the next size up for this price.
http://www.soffe.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDis...
Shorts and a tank top. If they fall off, they are too big;buy them smaller.
His clothes should fit more snug. Bike shorts and a cotton/spandex shirt. If you sew, you would want 4-way stretch.
I would go with a snug tank top (probably "undershirt" style) and a pair of leggings or bike pants/shorts. Take a look at what the girls are wearing - snug, stretchy clothes - and find something like that for your little guy.
I googled "boys gymnastics clothing" and found sites with leotards and other lycra clothing for boys in gymnastics.
