Written by Fiona Putnam, The Little Gym Bath
Growing up in the Midlands in the 80s, sport wasn’t particularly associated with kindness, positivity and fun. The gymnastics I took part in at Warwick University, in hindsight, can only be described as punishing. And, like 64% of teenage girls, my after-school sports fell by the wayside. But there was one activity my brother and I kept going to – our swimming lessons. And it wasn’t because we were going to be the next Sharon Davies. It was because of one man, our swimming teacher, Paul.
In a world of sports teachers who were, at best, indifferent, Paul was a breath of fresh air – interested, funny, present and focused on our abilities and pushing our boundaries. The relationship with Paul was the reason we kept going back. Occasionally, we would bump into Paul in town, and, after we got over the fact that he existed outside of the swimming pool, it felt like meeting a rock star.
When my children try out a new after-school sports club, I always ask them, “What was your coach’s name?” and “What was your coach like?” If they don’t know, I can predict the activity won’t stick for long. I want for my children what Paul gave to us. I want their sports coaches to not just be sports coaches for the future Olympians they may or may not be, I want them to be mentors. To be guides. To listen to them and remember details about them that others might forget. To give them the gift of being present. It’s a lot to ask.
But luckily for my children, their parents own The Little Gym Bath. Their playground, since we opened the business, has been the gym, and their mentors are the brilliant, dynamic, kind, considerate and talented coaches who work there. This is what the team provide for all of the children of Bath who walk through our doors. I’m pretty sure this is the reason we’ve been voted ‘Best Gymnastics Club in Bath‘ for two years running, and ‘Best Gymnastics Club in the South West‘ for 2025. We actively recruit people who bring sparkle and kindness to their roles, and it shows.
I’m sure you already know the benefits of sport for young people – that learning a sport like gymnastics from a young age can help build resilience, reduce stress, raise dopamine levels and elevate confidence.
It you start them off early (we begin classes from four months), the benefits of a sport can be profound: crossing the midline helps with handwriting, working their vestibular system through rolls and rotations can help with balance, and tasks that challenge their proprioception (how to manage their body parts when they can’t see them) can help with co-ordination and emotional regulation. A child who starts school feeling physically confident is usually a child who will thrive in an educational setting.
There’s merit in any sport, and particularly in an epidemic of screen reliance, in a sport that involves others. Gymnastics is unique in that it makes demands on the whole child, without a preference for just the upper or lower body. And did you know that the humble cartwheel is the best skill going, for that essential milestone of crossing the midline?
Combine this developmental gymnastics with a focus on cognitive and social development, and you have the essential elements of The Little Gym Bath. The glue that really brings it all together is the teachers. And our small class sizes and high ratios of teachers to children allow those all-important, fundamental teacher/child relationships to flourish.
And this brings me back to my own children. I don’t want a faceless teacher who might change every week, supporting my child in trying out new skills, learning to take on safe risks, and developing their practice. I want a teacher who can build long-lasting relationships with my kids. Studies suggest that in the teenage years, when our children turn away from us (hopefully temporarily), a protective factor in them making good decisions is the adult role models they have in their lives. I know that if my children are ever struggling and they bump into one of the team in town, they will have someone they can be inspired by, not just to reach their sporting goals, but to become good citizens of the world. And maybe they’ll feel like they just bumped into a rock star, too.