Updos for Gymnastics?

[The-Ghost-OfYou]

So after what, 12 years of wanting to do gymnastics I am finally in a class! But my hair is too heavy for a ponytail and it falls out from the bun even if I run a little. It's so frustrating TT_TT

[woodswanderer]

Have you tried crown braids?

[jenrjen]

Don't know if this helps, but my 8 year old has about hip length hair and does gymnastics for 3 hours twice a week. She likes for me to make a side bun. I make a low pony almost directly behind and below an ear. I braid the pony then bun it and insert spin pins. She shakes her head and I keep adding pins until she says its secure. She likes it on the side so it doesn't get in the way of headstands and stuff, and it HAS to be bunned (as opposed to just pony tailed) because when she's in backbends and stuff, she can actually step on her hair.
I use a few spin pins. If we can't find any, I use A LOT of regular bobby pins.
Her bun is fuzzy after 3 hours, but it holds!

[Panth]

I'd imagine the requirements are very similar to those needed for trampolining, which there was a recent thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=124598) about.

[Aurelinchen]

I don't know much about gymnastics, but I wear a folded (to make it shorter) french braid for Karate, that works pretty well for me.
If my hair gets longer, I'll probably have to switch to 3x3-braid or more-strands-braids to make it shorter, so that I don't hit anyone with my braid. *cough*

[Federica]

I would suggest a braided updo or a sock bun.

[Gertrude]

I used to do a ballet style low braided bun. I had mid back length hair at the longest point, very fine when I did gymnastics as a teenager. Low ponytail, braid it and then I would pin it up with my grandmother's steel pre-war hair pins. Lots of them. Until it didn't move. Looked like a dandelion of fuzz at the end but held. For competitions I added a bun net over the bun which I anchored with more steel hair pins. Worked well, could go upside down without pins raining down on me. Like in earlier attempts (-;

[Firefox7275]

Spin Pins, more than you'd usually expect to use. Maybe two buns rather than one?

[meteor]

I really like the suggestions here. I'd also recommend the Vortex Bun - basically a bunch of braids pinned down to scalp in a very compact way. It was created by a ballerina and Torrin Paige did a great tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DF5HXky3B8

For any physical activity, I recommend variations of braided updos: milkmaid braids, crown/coronet braids, woven crown braids, horseshoe braids, Amish braided bun... with lots and lots of pins. These updos can take a while to make but they easily last for more than a day.

Some more ideas:
http://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/luana-braids-woven-crown-variation/
http://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/luana-braids-civil-war-variation/
http://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/luana-braids-renaissance-variation/

[The-Ghost-OfYou]

Wow! So many ideas!! Thank you all so much!! *virtual hugs to everyone*

[YamaMaya]

The things that have helped me most are spin pins, and if I'm using a stick, to start with a ponytail and just sort of bun as usual after that.

[Akville]

sock bun does not work!!! It falls out after 10 min or so...