The short answer: Gymnastics isn’t a “no-risk” sport, no real sport is. But the risks are understandable, predictable, and manageable with smart training, modern equipment, and athlete-first coaching.
What the Numbers Actually Say
Large-scale NCAA surveillance provides the clearest picture of injury risk today. Between 2014 and 2019, the overall injury rate was about 8.0 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures (AEs). Competitions were nearly twice as risky as practices, and almost half of reported injuries caused athletes to miss time—on average about 24 days.
The most frequently affected areas were the knees, ankles, and feet, with concussions accounting for around 8% of cases. By apparatus, floor exercise produced the largest share of injuries (about 27%), while vault contributed disproportionately during competitions.
Earlier NCAA data (2009–2014) reported a slightly higher overall rate of about 9.2 per 1,000 AEs, once again confirming that competitions carry greater risk.
Source: PMC
Where (and When) Injuries Happen
Landings: The Primary Risk Zone
Most acute gymnastics injuries occur on landings. Floor and vault dominate the statistics, while bars are more often linked to upper-extremity injuries such as wrists and shoulders. Competition magnifies risk, since skills are performed at full amplitude, often under fatigue, leaving less margin for error.
The Achilles Tendon Problem
The Achilles tendon is one of the most vulnerable structures in women’s NCAA gymnastics:
- About 17% of athletes reported a rupture during college.
- 91% of ruptures occurred on floor exercise.
- 86% happened during the take-off of a back-tumbling pass.
This is a highly mechanism-specific injury—not random—and can be targeted with tendon preparation, calf strength, and refined landing and take-off technique.
Growth Spurts in Youth
For young gymnasts, rapid growth is a red flag. Surges in height and leg length place extra stress on growth plates and tendons, driving spikes in overuse and apophyseal injuries. The highest risk comes around peak height velocity (PHV), when training should shift toward lower impact and tendon-friendly loading. with lower impact and tendon-friendly loading.
Source: PubMed
So…Is Gymnastics “Safe”?
Gymnastics carries risk, but it isn’t random.
At the NCAA level, practice injury rates are comparable to impact sports, and competition rates are often lower than collision sports. What makes gymnastics unique is its profile: a higher proportion of lower-limb and tendon injuries, and a significant time-loss burden that can sideline athletes for weeks.
For youth, careful management during growth spurts is especially important. Coaches and parents who adjust training loads around rapid growth can sharply reduce overuse and apophyseal injuries.
So while gymnastics will never be risk-free, the evidence suggests it can be made reasonably safe and deeply rewarding when the right strategies are in place.
The Biggest Levers to Reduce Risk (Evidence-Informed)
1. Land Like a Pro—Teach It Early
Most acute injuries happen on landings. Teaching safe mechanics from day one is one of the most effective prevention strategies:
- Deep hip and knee bend
- Soft heel-to-midfoot contact
- Strong trunk control
Athletes should practice landings on multiple surfaces like spring floors, rod floors, and podiums, to adapt to stiffness differences. Before competitions, stiffer surfaces should be introduced gradually. For new skills or higher training volumes, extra mats and pits should always come first, with mats removed only as confidence and control improve.
2. Build the “Landing Engine”
Safe landings require resilient tissues as well as good form. A year-round program should develop:
- Single-leg strength (split squats, single-leg RDLs)
- Balanced hamstring–quadriceps strength
- Strong calves and soleus
- Ankle proprioception and stability
Adding eccentric and isometric calf training, plus progressive plyometrics (from low to high impulse), directly targets the demands of floor take-offs and landings while conditioning tendons against overload.
3. Protect the Achilles (Especially in Women on Floor)
Most Achilles ruptures in women’s NCAA gymnastics occur during back-tumbling take-offs on floor. Prevention requires careful attention to:
- Surface transitions (new floors, podiums, air floors)
- Weekly tumbling volume
- Recovery between sessions
Coaches should avoid raising both skill difficulty and volume at the same time. Taping or bracing may provide temporary support, but the real safeguard is strong, well-conditioned calf–soleus complexes before skill upgrades are attempted.
4. Growth-Aware Planning (Youth)
In young athletes, growth spurts demand program adjustments. Monitoring height monthly helps coaches anticipate risk windows. During rapid growth, training should emphasize:
- Reduced impact and fewer hard landings
- More soft-surface training
- Controlled eccentrics and isometrics for tendon health
- Slower skill progression, with extra care for vulnerable areas like heels, knees, lower back, and wrists
5. Program the Year—Not Just the Week
Injury prevention is about long-term rhythm, not quick fixes. Coaches should:
- Rotate stressors (impact, hand-support, bar swings)
- Vary landings by height, direction, and matting
- Avoid long blocks of high-intensity “redline” training
As competitions approach, gymnasts should prepare under meet-like conditions on regulation surfaces, with realistic routines and pressure, so the transition doesn’t spike risk.
Quick Safety Checklist for Parents
When touring or choosing a gymnastics program, here are five questions worth asking:
- How do you teach landings?
Look for an emphasis on soft, deep landings with hip and knee bend, not just “stick at all costs.” Coaches should teach progressive landings on varied surfaces. - What’s your plan during growth spurts?
Good programs track athlete growth and adjust training—reducing high-impact reps, slowing skill upgrades, and adding calf/ankle strength work when kids hit rapid growth phases. - How do you progress new skills?
Skills should move from pits → extra mats → regulation surfaces, with clear step-downs if form or control breaks down. - What strength work supports joints and tendons?
Ask about programs that include hamstring and calf training, single-leg control drills, and ankle stability—all proven to reduce lower-limb injuries. - How are concussions handled?
The gold standard is immediate removal from activity, medical evaluation, and a gradual, step-by-step return to play.
Bottom Line: gymnastics can be safe, when safety itself is treated as a skill to be trained.
