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Gymnastics is a competitive sport that requires the utmost flexibility. Your gymnast needs the perfect leotard to do flawless gymnastics. 

This blog will give you tips on choosing the right leotard for gymnastics for beginners. Your gymnast may favor the sparkly, colorful, or gymnastic leotards with cool backs. However, you need to choose the one that is safe and helps your gymnast move freely. 

So, read on to know how to choose the perfect little girl gymnastics leotards. 

 

What to look for in Leotards?

You need to bear the following in mind while choosing the right leotard for your gymnast. Especially if your gymnast is in gymnastics for beginners, they need to feel confident, comfortable, and unrestricted. So, choose wisely. 

 

Fit of Leotard

You get leotard fits in training fit and competition leotard fit. A training leotard fit will have growing room and fit the torso and shoulders well. This perfect leotard when your gymnast is in gymnastics for beginners. 

A competition leotard will fit like a second skin and not have growing room. Plus, the sleeves shouldn’t be too long. This is to ensure your gymnast’s movements are visible clearly to judges. 

 

Style of Leotard 

There are different styles available in leotards. You get several gymnastics leotards with cool backs. You get racer back, X back, strappy back, Split back, and more styles to choose from. Choose the one your gymnast finds the most comfortable. 

Also, when choosing the back, ensure you consider the undergarment type your gymnast will wear. Most bras will get covered by tank style leotards. However, racer back split back and strappy style may not cover your gymnast’s bra properly. So, bear that in mind too. 

 

The Fabric of Leotard and Washing 

While choosing a little girl gymnastics leotard, you need to choose the right fabric too. The fabric should feel comfortable on the skin and help your gymnast move freely. Here are some fabrics you can choose from:

• Metallic fabric- these are flashy and bright; however, they can be too tight
• Lycra- This is the most popular fabric for leotards because it offers great stretch and doesn’t interfere with modesty. Plus, it doesn’t scratch or itch. However, they are not perfect for competition as they have growing room and can’t hold too much sparkle, rhinestones, and other appliques.
• Nylon/Spandex- you get several color options, and they are bright. This fabric is stretchy and falls between the scratchy tight metallic and lycra material in terms of comfort.
• Velvet or Velour- These are not very popular for leotards because they are sweaty fabrics. However, they hold rhinestones, applique, and other decorations well. Plus, they are very forgiving. 

You can machine wash most of the leotards with cold water and on low. You can do a low tumble dry as well. However, hand washes leotards with sequins, rhinestones, and a lot of decoration. 

 

Size of Leotard

While choosing a leotard size is of utmost importance. Your gymnast needs to find the fit perfect, and it shouldn’t be too tight or too loose. When you buy leotards online, you need to know the following measurements:

• Chest 
• Waist 
• Hip
• Girth 

These measurements will help you choose the right size for your gymnast online. 

 

Sleeve of Leotard

Leotards come in various sleeve options. You have sleeveless, 3/4th sleeves, cap sleeves, and long sleeves. You need to choose a sleeve that gives your gymnast maximum movement and is comfortable. 

Sleeveless leotards are the most popular options because of the movement it allows. Plus, it helps sweat to dry faster. However, sleeveless leotards don’t keep your gymnast warm in cold conditions. Long sleeves on leotards will keep them warm; however, they can prove restrictive to movement and sweaty. 

A cap sleeve leotard might seem perfect for warmth and movement. Choose to accord to your gymnast’s comfort.

 

Durability 

Ensure you choose a durable leotard. It should be a high-quality leotard with superior material and embellishments to last long. Plus, it shouldn’t tear at the tiniest movement. 

 

Endnotes

Choosing the right little girl gymnastic leotards is important for a successful gymnastic career. You can choose gymnastic leotards with cool backs and more at sites like United All Around. They have interesting styles, patterns, embellishments, and more on their leotards. They also have perfect leotards for your gymnast who is in gymnastics for beginners class. 

So, explore various leotards on United All Around and other sites to choose the perfect leotard for your gymnast. 

Gymnastics is a graceful physical sport that requires a lot of energy and effort. Other than strenuous practice, skill, and hard work, another thing that makes or breaks a gymnast’s performance is their leotards. 

With how graceful these outfits are, there are a couple of things you can know about them. In this article, we will tell you some interesting facts about leotards - the outfit the monopolizes woman gymnasts’ wardrobe and the gymnast activewear market. 

What Are Leotards? 

Leotards were first introduced by Jules Leotard, a French Acrobat. He found the necessity of adding flexibility and breathability to men's activewear and hence in the 1920s, created a costume made of spandex. 

This costume came to be known eponymously by the creator as Leotards. These one-piece garments are skin-tight and cover the entire torso from the shoulder to the crotch. All leotards are either sleeveless or have a short sleeve that cannot interrupt the gymnast's performance. However, sleeveless gymnastics leotards are generally preferred. 

As woman's gymnastics started gaining prominence, leotards started shifting from men's activewear to the unisex market. Today, most of the leotards you will find will be exclusively for women since open back leotards, and girls gym leotards have become the need of the hour. 

A longer, more elaborate version of leotards is called unitard. Unitards cover both the torso and the legs. They can be thought of as a jumpsuit but made of spandex or other stretchy, skin-fit fabrics. 

What Are the Benefits of Wearing Leotards? 

There is a reason why leotards have become so popular among gymnasts around the globe. Some of the prominent benefits of wearing leotards are:

• Lightweight: Leotards are made of fabric such as spandex with is incredibly lightweight and breathable, allowing you the ease of movement. 
• Form-Fitting: Leotards are characteristically form-fitting. Therefore, they seem to be like a second skin to the gymnast, allowing them to be free in their movements. 
• Confidence Boosting: The form and shape of a leotard itself are such that it puts you into a mode to perform, allowing better performance. 

Who Wears Leotards? 

Leotards were initially created by men in acrobats. However, girls gym leotards are the new norm. In recent times, even though a leotard is considered a unisex garment, it is usually women who are visible wearing leotards. 

Yong girls start wearing leotards when they are beginning their training as a gymnast. However, women wear an open back leotards, or any custom-made fit. 

Men in acrobats still wear leotards. However, that trend is slowly becoming rare. 

The Common Fabrics Leotards are Made of

Most leotards are generally made of spandex because the fabric is skin-fitting and allows maximum flexibility and breathability. However, other fabrics these outfits are made of are:

• Polyester 
• Lycra 
• Velour
• Velvet, Metallic Fabrics
• Mesh

Some leotards can also be embellished with metallic jewels and rhinestones. 

How Long Does It take to Design Professional Leotards?  

If you are only starting out with gymnastics, you can find leotards in just about any size and pre-made form. However, if you are looking for leotards word by professional gymnasts such as the U.S. gymnastics team, one leotard can take up to two years to design and produce. 

But why is that? Well, the reason for that is multifold:

• Professional or custom leotards are supposed to be made specifically to the gymnast’s body size. For professional quality purposes, their measures are taken over a couple of weeks to check for any discrepancies. 
• Only the newest fabrics can be used to create professional leotards, and procuring them can be time-consuming. 
• Each leotard has to be tear-tested with specialized equipment to avoid any wardrobe malfunction. 
• Before the leotard reaches the professional gymnast, it has to be wash-tested. 
• Each leotard will have to go through multiple wear tests and check for flexibility and breathability. 

All the above-given points might seem too much. However, if you are creating a leotard for someone who needs to wear it in the Olympics, nothing can be risked! 

Summing Up 

There is so much to gymnastics that the leotard might not get as much attention. However, considering how popular this activewear is, it is hard to believe how little people know about it! 

While the props and practice play an important role in the gymnast's performance, it is also due to a well-crafted leotard that performance can be made or broken.