Does your child play baseball, soccer, or ice skate? If so, your little athlete may benefit from dance classes. In fact, dance has been proven to enhance sports performance for children of all ages.
Keep reading to learn about some of the benefits offered by dance classes for your athletes.
Participating in dance classes requires athletes to study movement patterns that require the use of their entire bodies. It brings awareness and focus that is unmatched in any other type of activity they do.
At an organic level, dance is performing controlled movements and actions in an efficient and smooth manner. This type of spatial awareness and coordination is quite beneficial for athletes and can help them gain a competitive advantage when participating in other sports.
Another benefit of dancing for athletes is that it helps emphasize stretching, which creates lean, long muscles. Athletes who participate in high-impact sports (i.e., football) find this type of cross-training extremely beneficial.
In fact, according to some information and reports, the 49ers NFL football team emphasized a stretching program that reduced total injuries when compared to other football teams. Teams that were not as focused on stretching saw injury rates that were as much as 176% higher.
During dance class, your child will constantly change movements and recall different patterns. From crossing the floor movements to learning a new combination each week, dance requires mental coordination. This remembering has been proven to help improve neuron connections. Because of this, dance isn’t just an effective physical exercise; it is a mental one, too.
Dancing is movement, and movement is a type of expression and communication that lets children release their feelings in a safe and fun manner. It’s important to remember that communication is a key element when someone is learning to work as a team in both sports and in life. Dance is also therapeutic. Your child can channel their feelings, learn how to work with other people, and grow as a person.
The mental and physical benefits offered by dance classes are endless. When you apply dance training and methods to other activities and sports, it can help to improve performance while preventing injuries.
You can keep your child healthy and help to give them a competitive edge if you invest in dance classes. You can choose almost any type of dance your child prefers and see these benefits.
Each person is different, and your child may discover that dance is the outlet they have needed for many reasons. The only way to know if it could be beneficial to your child is to let them try it out. Browse the list of classes that are available and call to register today. You will likely see all the benefits above – and more – by enrolling your athlete in a fun, structured dance class, regardless of what sport they play.
