Woodlands Acro-gymnastics and Trampolining Club, based in Coventry, is a professional club that offers a wide range of gymnastics classes for all ages and abilities. The club is situated in two venues, with the main facility being Woodlands Academy in Coventry and the other facility being the National Sports Centre in Lilleshall.
Woodlands Academy, located on Broad Lane in Coventry, is a state-of-the-art gymnastics facility that was built in 2006 as a reserve training gym for the 2012 London Olympics. The facility boasts specialised foam pits to maximise safety and expedite the learning process. It is equipped with multiple bars, including parallel bars, high bars, and asymmetric bars, as well as vaults, rings, pommel horses, and mushrooms. Additionally, the facility features a 25m tumble track, trampolines, and DMTs (double-mini trampolines) that go into foam pits.
It also houses a floor and a specialised fast track, one of only three in the world, which cost over 3. 5 million pounds to build. This state-of-the-art facility allows the club to offer a variety of classes for all abilities, from beginners of all ages to British/English champions and international gymnasts who represent Great Britain.
The Lilleshall National Sports Centre is the second venue used by the club and is renowned as one of the best-equipped gymnastics gyms in the world. The facility hosts all the national training squads, providing elite gymnasts with top-quality training opportunities. This venue offers the added bonus of potentially meeting their idols who may also be training there.
Woodlands Gymnastics has achieved outstanding success over the past 17 years, with over 500 medals earned from regional, national, and international competitions. This remarkable achievement demonstrates the expertise and high qualifications of the club's coaches.
The club offers a wide array of classes, including general gymnastics, men's artistic, women's artistic, acro, freestyle, tumbling, trampolining, and DMT. The general gymnastics classes run for 2 hours and cover all the basics needed for the different types of gymnastics. Woodlands Gymnastics also provides private sessions in hand-balancing, taught by two-time World Champion Stefka Barakova.
Woodlands Gymnastics has developed a unique teaching approach that has proven to be very effective. They have found that having mixed ability classes allows lower-level gymnasts to observe and learn from higher-level gymnasts, accelerating their progress. By repeatedly watching high-level skills, lower-level gymnasts overcome barriers and fear of difficult elements, leading to faster improvement.
Testimonials from parents speak highly of the club, praising the expertise, knowledge, and experience of the coaches. The facilities are also commended for being clean and well-equipped.
Woodlands Acro-gymnastics and Trampolining Club welcomes individuals of all ages and abilities to join and participate in their classes. Whether for recreational purposes or a more serious competitive approach, the club provides a positive and encouraging atmosphere for learning and improvement.