A Spoonful of Castor Oil...

“Without criticism, there can be no true praise”

-Posted by John Geddert, the Mary Poppins of Gymnastics Coaching (???)

The Original Tsukahara

I wasn't too good at vaulting, and I didn't have running speed and jumping power.

 -(Mitsuo Tsukahara, JPN, Intl. Gymnast 11/82)

Note the beat board (not a spring board) he is punching off of.

Real Men Wear Tights

Conditioning for the Tour Jete

Sunday Funnies

Source

Beamopoly

I, the #1 beam coach, somehow got stuck on beam by myself toward the last hour of gym last night; but I was told not to worry by Coach Jenny before she left, saying the girls were playing "Beamopoly".  "What in the blue blazes is that?!"  I queried:





I think I'm going to have to come up with "Shoots and Bars"; or "Bars and Ladders"; or how about "Bars and Rope"?

Les Jeunes Filles et la Vie

I mentioned the movie White Nights yesterday.

Here is a video I did for the LASG rhythmic gymnastics team several years ago, using the music from that opening piece that I liked from the movie:

Developing the Tour Jete

Developing the Illusion Turn

Turn and Push

Team Building, Building Activity

Nick Blanton writes:

Want a great team building activity?  

If you have access to foam blocks - Who can build the "tallest" tower in a given timeframe... 

Make it more challenging by stating "No Talking"!

Pit Fortress

Allstar Gymnastics September 27, 2012

Knockout Punching!

Press Handstand with a Pirouette

Pirouetting Drills

New Hot Shot Idle Station

 Nothing unique or new about this; just introducing it as a side station to my little ones (and the older ones, also):



I actually got this from BGS many years ago when Waller and Kort brought their team girls over to have a place to train at (SMGC), right after the old BGS burned down.

Mischa, age 6

The only thing I'm not fond of is there's no freedom for her head position to be such that she can spot her hands; but this isn't an issue to lose sleep over.  The head position is fine, for what it is.

It's just a kick of the dice...

A little reminiscent of Coach Christopher's layout drill, we turned this tsuk drill setup into a game of dice:





 I drew with sidewalk chalk on a mat, corresponding conditioning exercises to whichever number they happened to roll.  If they rolled that number again, they could give the conditioning assignment to a teammate of their choice; if they got the same number on each die, they could also pick someone else to do the exercise.


I hate allowing winners to do less conditioning, when the incentive should be to reward it the other way around; but when you have athletes who simply do not like to do conditioning, sometimes you just have to go with it to get the most out of them.

For instance, with the 3 optionals I had, if I made it so that the winner of suicide runs did 3 rope climbs, 2nd place did 2, and third place finisher was allowed to do only 1 rope climb, I guarantee these 3 would have been competing for third place.  Because I did the opposite, they pushed hard to be the first place finisher and avoid excessive rope climbs.

I don't think it actually did much to improve their block and flip action for tsuks; but it made things a little less monotonous.

Creating Rotation for Layouts

Gymnastike:

another great drill from 2008 Olympic Coach Marvin Sharp. Marvin explains a tramp drill that he says is his favorite drill in his gym. This tramp drill helps the gymnast to create rotation in a layout on floor or off the vault table. The drill helps to isolate the arms and head and makes the gymnast tuck their hips under to create the rotation.

Mike Durante- 60/60

Swing Big scored big with getting Mike Durante to write up a guest post on her blog:

This workout focuses on getting my gymnasts moving quickly so that they are able to take 60 turns in 60 minutes! I am a firm believer in the philosophy that: more turns equals more comfort with the skill which in turn equals better gymnastics. Without further adieu lets take a look at what the Level 10s at Aerial Athletics do on Mondays.

Round off to Push-Up Extension Shape

Many coaches still teach "arms by ears" on round-off backhandsprings.

I'm looking for a good "direction of push", related to how much turnover they are getting on the round-off, whether the arms remain covering the ears or out in front.

 Definitely am emphasizing a strong extension through the shoulder girdle and hollow chest.

New Training Ground: La rondade au sol

Gymnastics World

There was a time when I used to enjoy filming and editing videos/montages.

Here are two I put together for Ariana Sokol-Sanchez and her mom, Wendy:







The title comes from the video game, "Homeworld", whose music selection I chose.

I just never got around to filming her beam stuff.

Sunday Funnies

Hollow is not just a shape, it's a way of life!

Eddie Umphrey's submission to National Gymnastics Day.

Note that his gymnast is also in el-grip.

National "Holiday"?

USAG:

All gymnasts, coaches, gymnastics clubs and fans are invited to turn upside down and show us how you play on Saturday, September 21, 2013. Take photos and share them on the USA Gymnastics Facebook page.

Nouvelle formation au sol: Le double salto

That Car Ride Home...

From the end of an article in a previous related post:

So, I ask, what do you say on the car ride home?

Gahan says: "What about, 'geez, I love watching you play out there'?"

The post earlier today linking to an article that's been making its rounds on the importance of letting your kids know that you simply love watching them do their thing, is also being linked to another article that inspired it:  What Makes a Nightmare Sports Parent and What Makes a Great One, by Steve Henson.

 Hundreds of college athletes were asked to think back: "What is your worst memory from playing youth and high school sports?"

Their overwhelming response: "The ride home from games with my parents."

"I ♥ to watch you do gymnastics."

August 30, 2010

The 6 words parents should say to child athletes:

The Office Stretch

The girls understand what I mean by that.....

Beware the Plank!

'Tis that time o' t' year again, ye band o' land lubbin' scallywags!  'Tis International Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Aaarrgh!  Hoist the Jolly Rogers and shiver me timbers!

Beware coaches with one eye that wish to make ye not walk t' plank, but to hold 'em:

Screen capture from Geddert's Conditioning video, phase 1 Build Up

Some fake history for ye scurvy dogs:

Time to "P"

Tony Retrosi on the 6 P's of Essential Training:

Elite Physical Preparation

Lia Whitmen of Salcianu Gymnastics:

Yurchenko Spotted Flipping Drills

Hurdles

If your backhandspring is flawed, whatever else you do out of it will be handicapped.  If your Round-off is less than stellar, the quality of your backhandspring out of it will be adversely affected.  If your hurdle is weak, the quality of the round-off will suffer.




Hurdles generally are taught to be long and low for a round-off that connects into a backhandspring.  The only time I (on occasion) did a high hurdle (like the straight leg-chasse type- think Bart Conner finessing it on floor) is when I'd jog a few steps into it for an Arabian dive roll as a side pass.  For that, I wasn't after length, but height- so a down and up action.

Other related links:
Incorrect_hurdle (chasse)
Three_hurdles_drill
Hurdle_over_mats
Round Off Hurdle Over Folded Mat Drill
Round off hurdle drill for the back leg in the hurdle
RO & Hurdle Drill 
3 Key Points Of Round-Off & Hurdle
Tumbling:  Hurdle
The Hurdle for Tumbling 
 

The Perfect Switch Side: What the Judge Wants to See

Technique Tuesday (2009):

At the Region 3 Elite Clinic held right after the Region 3 Elite Qualifier, gymnasts and coaches had the opportunity to work with the judges in a training camp setting.

Beam Judge Carole Bunge shows an athlete why she failed to receive credit for her switch side leap, and breaks down what she wants to see in order to give full credit for a switch side.

Vaulting Basics: Pt. 17

This is the last part (Post-clinic, really):

Vaulting Basics: Pt. 16

Vaulting Basics: Pt. 15

Hmmm....no Pt. 14 either.  I wonder if at the time it was too long of a clip to upload; or if it was just a worthless short clip that detailed nothing.

Any-who....

Vaulting Basics: Pt. 13

Supplement what Wade advocates in this clinic with what Dr. Eldridge recently lectured on in regards to the knees together on landings. 

Vaulting Basics: Pt. 12

Vaulting Basics: Pt. 11

Vaulting Basics: Pt. 10

Vaulting Basics: Pt. 9

Vaulting Basics: Pt. 8

Love the toe-slide drill!

Vaulting Basics: Pt. 7

Vaulting Basics: Pt 6

Vaulting Basics: Pt 5

Vault Basics: Pt 4

Vaulting Basics: Pt 3

Sorry, I have no idea if there was a pt 2 that just didn't get published at the time I uploaded (as I've mentioned elsewhere, the majority of my files have been lost on a corrupted external hard drive):

Vaulting Basics: Pt 1

This is a vaulting clinic for staff ed that Wade gave 2 years ago to the date.

I wish these clinics had occurred on an ongoing, regular basis.

One of the things that impressed me most of all in visiting Tom Forster's gym is when he told me that he made sure that every single one of his staff members knows exactly what he knows.  He's taught each of his coaches everything he knows.  His top coaches aren't just hands-on involved in coaching the upper optional girls; but also intimately involved in coaching the team developmental girls. 

I picked up things from all of the coaches at BGS- Kort, Amy, Brittani, Michael, Michel, Sara, Robyn, Christine, Christopher, etc; not just Wade.  But I wish these coaches offered their knowledge in formal clinics. 

The team developmental coaches should have just as strong a grasp as the optional coaches in how to teach a Yurchenko or a release move on high bar.  That knowledge only enriches their ability to direct the younger gymnasts and see the bigger picture when laying the foundation down for future skills.

All the parts of this clinic will be posted throughout the day.

Blanton Courbetting Drills

Illustration from Championship Gymnastics

Rolling Drills into Forward and Backward Handsprings

Across the Floor Basics (Men's)

The back extension roll exercise where the gymnast rolls just shy of vertical and back down, beginning at around 3:50, is something that Remi was naturally good at.  I wish I had captured and still had footage of her doing this.

I also wish I had spent more time developing this into back extension reverse/full pirouette.

Sunday Funnies

Mystery Solved...

Previous posts:
Resistance Band Exercises
Hollow-Arch Drill

It's the Intangibles, Silly

Tony Retrosi at the end of a clinic in Salto Gymnastics in Edmonton, Alberta Canada

 Last night after the “gym” part of the clinic I had an opportunity to sit down with the gymnasts and let them know HOW IMPORTANT they are to their coaches. That after a coaches immediate family, the coach probably spends the most amount of time thinking about THEM.

~~~

There is no doubt in my mind that the rewards of coaching are the intangibles. I know it is not championships and records, those quickly fade away, the real rewards of coaching are seeing young boys and girls grow up to be responsible self sufficient men and women. Some of those young men and women when they were athletes could not remember to bring their grips to competitions, or their floor routines but over time they learned. Now those young men and women are parents, some are coaches, some are professionals and they are applying the lessons they learned in gymnastics. Yes as coaches we coach a sport, but more importantly we coach people who do the sport. Coaching gives us an opportunity to influence young people like no other profession because of the intensity of the competition and the demands of day-to-day training. Don’t get so caught up in the technical aspects of coaching that you forget to enjoy the growth you see in your athletes as people. Just like we ask them to focus on the process we also should focus on the process.

Why do conditioning programs fail?

Geddert's bottomline answer:  It's the coaches, stupid!



Factors to a successful program?  The "ER" words, for one:

What is a Hug from Me Worth to You?

A couple of funny moments in the gym.....


On Wednesday, Mischa, a 6 year old Hot Shot, is supposed to be doing split jumps on the trampoline as part of her warm-up.  I'm standing there observing her horribly bent legs in the air.

Me:  "Can you get your legs straight?!"
Mischa, still bouncing away:  "...For candy?"
Me:  "Noooo.....but I'll give you a hug if you do."
Mischa:  "That's not worth my split jumps!"

Thursday, at the end of Mini Shots class, I rewarded the girls by taking them on top of the men's high bar over the pit.  5 year old Shyla goes out to the middle of the bar, shows me 3 chin-ups before saying she can't do anymore.  So I tell her fine, let go.  I am perplexed as to why she is letting go with only one hand.  Then I see what she is doing and smile:  She takes the hand she let go with and plugs her nose just as she lets go with the other hand- like she's diving into the pool.

I've seen this happen similarly years ago with some kid who instinctively plugged his nose and jumped into a foam pit, only catching himself and realizing how stupid that must look a split second after it was too late.

...And that's your choreography minute!

The girls used to sometimes play a "game" during their dance throughs, where teammates would stand at different parts of the floor and the gymnast going through her routine would have to make eye contact with each person (who would then sit down).  I believe there were other variations on this, that they did.

One gymnast who stands out in my mind for natural presence in her floor routine is Izzy.  She sells her routine very well, in my opinion.

In Memory...

.....Never forget.

It Can't Rain All the Time

One of the reasons why I always appreciated so much that student who would go the extra distance to bid a sincere, heartfelt farewell at the end of the night and a warm hug, is because of the distinct possibility that it may be our last meeting.  Morbid, I know; but so true.

The future is ever unpredictable and finicky.  Anything can happen, and sometimes does.  Without warning.

There are moments when we just don't get a chance to say goodbye or express to a person how much that person meant to us.  Often this is the case when someone is taken from us, suddenly.

I remember a few days after 9/11, finding out that my store manager was on the 2nd flight that hit the Tower; you know....the one that gets replayed over and over again, in a ball of flames.  The last time I talked with him, I don't think I had particularly kind words for him; I didn't know that I would never see him again.

Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless…
-Passage from The Sheltering Sky, a 1949 Paul Bowles novel (and as quoted by the late actor Brandon Lee)

If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn. People die. But real love is forever

-Favorite line from the ending of The Crow

The Ball Does Not Lie

Gymnastike's Technique Tuesday:

This week's Technique Tuesday takes us to SCEGA gymnastics in Temecula, CA. Learn a quick and easy way to ensure that your gymnasts get the most out of their conditioning.

I've often used foam blocks before for chin-ups; but this is a step up in difficulty, obviously (especially if used for chin ups and pull ups). 

Even more challenging would be to turn that into a medicine ball!

What's past is past; what's now, is now. What will be,........

I disagree:  Some things, you can change...

Of course, what he means is, you can't change or relive the past, differently.

Tucked Handstands

May 1993 International Gymnast

It's a bit archaic and old school to have gymnasts kick up against the wall or coaches and teammates spot handstand push-ups like the above cartoon; also, some coaches end up doing much more of the workload than they need to or should be doing.  The burden and greater share should be placed upon the gymnast; and it probably shouldn't be done at the expense of shape and form.

I remember years ago, Al Luber at SMGC telling me about spotting handstand push-ups with the gymnast in a tucked handstand (something he picked up from Russian coaches) to alleviate the tendency for the gymnast to lower back arch and stick the chest out.  The tuck position encourages hips tucked under and a rounded back (although not impossible to still arch).  He also first introduced me to what many "smart" coaches are doing:  Having gymnasts do handstand push ups with feet up on a block at a 90 degree L (more advanced would be a single leg in the air and other foot on the block)- hips directly over the shoulder and hands.  Top of the head touches the floor (for added difficulty, stand on parallettes or push-up bars).  Push back up as if trying to touch nose to the block.  Gymnasts who are weak or fatiguing will tend to allow the hips to slide back behind the shoulders and hands and lose the upside down "L" shape.  Watch for the chest to also go out.

Level 3 side station for bars rotation

I've been having the level 3s down to hotshots hold handstands in a tuck.


Another variation is knees on top of the block, like the upside down piked "L":

 

Screen capture from Handstands...My Way

Another good handstand video (nothing new, but nice to see others who "get it"):

Conditioning the Handstand

Based on Eddie's ideas, I'm going to start doing these again:




The floor bar is a bit far away from the wall, but it just provides a different angle of pressure and resistance.  If I had them flex their toes, it might have helped get their hips flatter.

  2 7s, a 6, 5, and a level 4.

Their handstand shapes in general are pretty weak.  I'm hoping to change that.

Creating a Handstand with Mary Lee Tracy

Sunday Funnies

Championship Nutrition Webinar

I had hoped this would be recorded and posted, and it was:

Hurdle Drill and Rotation Drill for Vault

I never quite bought into the virtues of this hurdle drill (if there are any virtues; Geddert includes it in one of his dvds on vaults)- can't remember where I even first saw it.  I just don't think the gymnast can draw the relationship between hurdling to flat back with hurdling to get the feet in front of the hips upon springboard contact.  But you want to know why I put up with it?  Because it was a fun setup for the girls.  The cheese mat on top of the 8 incher as a potential slide if you landed on the mat just right was my idea.  The girls had fun trying to make it slide and I sorta had fun watching them try.

The other setup in the video is working off of Wade's idea on board approach and encouraging rotation off the board, through a hollow shape.

Assembly Line Conditioning

I love this.  I can definitely see conditioning game possibilities here:


Love ethafoam blocks for uses aside from the pit!

Choreographed Warm-Up Active Stretching and Conditioning

One sure thing about choreographed conditioning:  It doesn't give a gymnast an opportunity to complain, whine, groan, or lag behind.

Who needs an actual vault table?

I'll be impressed when I see an Amanar out of that....




Okay....now where's the human pommel horse?

You can take gymnastics with you, anywhere...

"A good gymnast needs good equipment; but a great gymnast needs any equipment."

My friend Eddie Umphrey showing off to his girls (his old girls, from a few years back):


Eddie writes:

The kids at gym didn't think a giant was possible on a playground bar. Little did they know that's where I learned my giants, flyaway and kip. True story. Ya ya terrible form, but the bar was still wet from the rain.

~~~

honestly, i was just a kid a didn't know any better. had no idea of the risks involved. just got up there and did it. looking back now i realize that was really stupid. could have got myself seriously hurt.

Raising the Bar with Mitch Gaylord

Compulsory vs Optional Conditioning: Should there be a difference?

Yes and no...

Pool Side Conditioning with Texas Dreams

I love the improvised, creative use of playground equipment for conditioning.




Nica Hult is a former AOGC student whose family had to move out to Texas. This video is posted from 3 years ago to the day:

Nica Hults training with her new team called the "Dream Team" with Texas Dreams under the coaching of World Champion and 4-time US All Around Champion American gymnast, Kim Zmeskal Burdette, and her husband, Chris Burdette. Among her teammates are 2010 US National Team Members: Senior gymnast Chelsea Davis, and Junior gymnast Kennedy Baker.

Gymnastics in Britain: 1888-1988

1988 marked 100 years of gymnastics in Britain:

Teach it Right the First Time....

....and you won't have problems to fix later, along the way.

Fixing what's broke

Incorrect

Corrected

Earlier, I linked to a quick-fix solution to a common error to the hardest skill in the universe.

Mas Watanabe on the complexities of the round-off and fixing problems:

Workout Wednesday at Capital Gymnastics

Gymnastike's Workout Wednesday features a summer day in Cedar Park, Texas at Barry Hyder's gym:

Fixing Crooked Round-Offs

(Sorry to use you as the example, Abigail!)- From her winter break vault session where she almost killed herself and gave me a couple more strands of white hair.  Claire B.  is lucky my files got wiped- I KNOW I recorded and pointed out to her what she could not feel:  Her front leg crossing centerline.

This is a quick fix solution- but not a permanent one.  The gymnast who suffers this should be retrained not to cross-step her round-off (which IS a common problem):

Gymnasticare Webinar on Nutrition this Saturday

Unfortunately I'll be working and I suspect the 3 readers of this blog have gym.  If you wish to "attend", reserve a spot, as this is a live event.

Topics that will be covered:

• What makes gymnasts diets special from other sports
• Exactly what gymnasts should be eating each and every day
• What hydration should look like for a gymnast
• An easy way to plan your meals so your gymnast stays fueled!

If you end up "going", take notes and report back here.

Maybe it'll be livestreamed and recorded on YouTube like Dr. Eldridge did at Congress.

Technique Tuesday: Connecting a Back Walkover on Beam

Gymnastike Technique Tuesday:

US National Team Coach Tammy Biggs shows a group of level 7 and 8 gymnasts the correct way to line up a back walkover for a connection on beam. It's all about squaring the hips!

Handspring Full Drill

Nice drill:



This would be great for even lower level compulsory kids to do as part of a complex series across the tumbletrak.

I believe there should always be drills and conditioning built in that are uptraining the athletes, even when it's not the off-season for uptraining skills.  Start building the foundations early on and constantly.

The Hard Way To Success - Episode 7 - Daniel Keatings (GBR)

The Hard Way To Success - Episode 6 - Julie Croket

The Hard Way To Success - Episode 5 - Noël van Klaveren

Upon making the difficult decision to leave her old gym to be in an environment that could nurture elite gymnasts, Noël's former coach Edwin Haasbroek reacts:

At some point you let them go.  I am like that at a certain stage, in the end they do it for themselves, we were only the supporting factor.  And then there is that moment when you "lose" one of your talents.  Well, I don't lose her, she starts training somewhere else, where she has more opportunities.  On the one hand it is sad she is not in the hall any longer; but on the other hand, you wish her the best, to obtain her success.

Lisa Deen:

It’s not always an injury that can hold you back from success… Gymnast Noël van Klaveren was about to retire from elite gymnastics because it all became too expensive. During the 2013 European Championships in Moscow, Noël won the silver medal on vault….

When she gained A-status, it meant she is now seen as a serious medal contender for elite competition and the government would provide funding for her training.

The Hard Way To Success - Episode 4 - Bart Deurloo

Phenomenal high bar worker:

The Hard Way To Success - Episode 3 - Fernando & Orlando Götschin

The Hard Way to Success - episode 2 - Saskia Meekma

Dutch gymnast, Saskia Meekma upon transitioning sports:

The Hard Way to Success: Yvette Moshage

There is a really good YouTube channel that features inspiring stories every first Monday of the month, focusing on an individual gymnast through personal trials and tribulations.

They are all heroes in the struggle.

About:

'The Hard Way To Success' shows the road to success of different gymnasts. Every first Monday of every month a new gymnast tells his or her story. The series brings special stories of athletes and displays the athlete as a hero, despite possible setbacks in his or her career.

Episode 1 told the story of Dutch gymnast, Yvette Moshage:

The road to success in gymnastics is brutal, very brutal. Thirty hours of training each week, not being able to go on nights out, always on a diet, and barely any holidays. All this for one goal; your own success.

Trailer:

Gymnasticscoaching.com:

Yvette — like so many other gymnasts — injured ACL on competition Beam mats, despite not making a major error on landing.

After recovery, she later injured the other knee. On Beam dismount.

Featured video:

Do you see a relationship?

Screen capture from a Gymneo video.  Left:  Round off position.  Right:  Push-up position

When I was doing gymnastics, I was told "arms by the ears".  After, when I began coaching, I heard different things in regards to standing back handsprings:  Some coaches advocated for no arm swing; others allowed for arm swing.

Kort played with the idea of having the girls tumble through their round-offs and back handsprings with an arm swing.  I believe the technique is drawn from power tumblers; and today, you can see any number of athletes on the world stage, including artistic, who utilize an arm swing in their back tumbling, not gluing the arms to the ears.


One of the things that I picked up from Wade was a deeper understanding of "direction of push", as it relates to body position in the air at the moment of blocking and getting off the hands.  If you're powerful and can get off the hands fast while still semi-inverted, then it makes sense to have the arms more at the ears; but if your body has already begun to rotate over to the feet and you're still pushing with the arms, it makes more sense as a follow through, to allow the arms to drop so as to keep pushing off the floor or vault table- direction of push.  Also, if you're flipping or twisting a tsuk or yurch, the arms are not at the ears.  So why would you finish a timer with the arms up?

Handstand snap-ups are extremely difficult to do well; and for beginners, it's nigh impossible to do correctly.  When beginner gymnasts keep falling to their feet rather than snapping off their hands, hammering into the gymnasts to keep their arms up at the ears, might not be the most helpful advice- or at least the most efficient technique in relation to their physical abilities.  Same with executing the round-off.  Demanding that a physically weak gymnast keep her arms pinned by her ears at all cost often results in seeing her pull her arms off the floor and throw her chest out, when she should be following through with an arm push that might require her to drop her arms in order to be in relationship to the proper "direction of push".  The ideal might be "arms by the ears"; but the reality might have to be, "arms following through as needed".

Tumblers who purposely utilize an arm swing through their backhandsprings can generate more power- but they have to have quick arms.  To teach an arm swing to beginners might complicate the process; and so under certain circumstances, for the sake of simplicity, it might make more sense to eliminate an arm-swing as a technique and have the gymnast glue the arms to the ears.  Sometimes if you ask a novice student to start with arms in front on a standing backhandspring, they will throw the head back prior to the arms catching up to the ears.

Off with the head!

 Where the head leads, the body will follow...

On head position and visual cues:





Article by Mas Watanabe and edited by Dan Connelly:

Sunday Funnies