Pirouetting in 1/4 Turns

Last week, I played with creating a new side station for bar rotation.

I've seen Enrique Trabanino use push-up bars (I call the mini p-bars pirouelettes, but others call push-up bars pirouelettes) before for the assist in 1/4-turn phases of working bar pirouettes.  Since the 8 inch mat was there, I thought leaning a push-up bar against it at angle might feel more comfortable and keep the weight distribution more concentrated on the posting arm.'''

Creative slider drag racing

This was my girls jet-skiing on sliders Saturday morning:

I feel one-upted, though, after seeing this bit of creativity:

I don't think my gym has any such bucket containers.  I've thought about having someone on a small mat in a hollow or something.

I've also wondered why Tumbletrak, since they sell furniture movers, don't design a larger slider to make it easier for more body part contact than simply hands or feet.

Sunday Funnies

On Dorkly, the 7 Most Annoying People to Watch [Gymnastics] with:

Resurrection

Sunday Funnies

Marc Jacobs

Wrists and Thumbs

Another post about thumbs...well, okay- mostly wrist shift on a couple of lower level skills:

A little diversion

I thought I'd let one of my Hot Shots experience what it's like to do a "big skill" a couple of weeks ago.

Not bad for two turns at this:

The first way I spotted her in the video was because I wasn't sure how she'd respond.  Reaching down to her and grabbing her by the hips insured I'd have hold of her.  This works well for bigger kids as their bodies can just come to rest on my shoulder at the end of it (as opposed to my using arm strength to hold them up).

Ok....back to teaching her level 3 skills....*sigh*

My Hot Shots Can Only Do 3 Push-ups

I find the most challenging change for me as a coach is to be a stickler on form to the degree that I don't allow them to move on once they break it.  It's especially been tough for me when it comes to strength, where my natural inclination is to just have gymnasts plow through, even when form begins to break down.

I have to be as disciplined as the demand I place upon my gymnasts....

So Girlie!

Okay, I'm masculine enough to admit it:  I made these over the weekend:

I can't remember what I was originally looking up and researching, but while visiting YouTube, I somehow wound up on this.

So yes, I invested in a loom and lots of colored rubber bands.  Skin tone colors and brown are difficult to find (just ordered some online directly).

Anyway, I think it might be too long and difficult of a project for summer camp; but I'm thinking I can give these out as reward incentives.

My Hot Shots already have a reward system (idea inspired by Coach Robyn) where I give stickers throughout workout (good behavior, showing improvement, winning a contest, meeting a challenge, etc.).  The gymnasts then put them on index cards, bookmarks, and flexagons.  When there are 20 stickers on a card, I sign off on it (the gymnast then gets to take it home) and convert it into dollars- $2/20 stickers, using garage sale stickers.  They take that $2 sticker and put it onto another index card.  They then save up dollars to purchase from my "store".

 I also have skill cards and record strength gains onto cards, which all gets stored and filed behind their names in an index card box.

A tetraflexagon

Sunday Funnies

Marc Jacobs

"Life's too short: I have no patience with Fear trying to delay me from achieving my Awesome."

The level 3s have been playing with 3/4 giants. In early March, Hailey was up on the pit bar when Dad walked in to pick her up. We waited for him to pull out his camera phone to videotape her baby giant. It took a while. Meanwhile, Hailey's hands got sweaty from the waiting, So when she finally went for her skill, she peeled right off the bar.

The foam pit did its job.

The amateur and the professional

“The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.” 

–Steven Pressfield

Sunday Funnies

Fun Vault Return Station

Unconventional Backhandspring Progression Drills?

These are my Hot Shots a week ago:

And here I was thinking I was the only one that thought of using a spotting block as a station drill for backhandsprings, as opposed to a rolling device (Boulder, Pacman, octagon...).  But there really is nothing new under the sun:

This looks like the same exact setup I came up with last year:

If it was discovered independently, since there's very little that's ever completely new and original under the sun, then maybe I should be encouraged that I must be doing something right if others are doing it as well.

I don't know many who use a pike sit as a starting position/progression for drilling the backhandspring.

I've got several other progression drills I've been doing that I hope to eventually piece together and share, once I have a sort of "end" product to show for it.

I'm hoping that all the pieces of the puzzle I've been doing will eventually come together.

I realize that much of this looks unconventional.  It's all been influenced by my mentor, Wade Petersen.

Here's a setup that these Hot Shots absolutely had a blast with:

In order to make the top wedge slide back effectively, they have to get off balance and jump long.  Because the top wedge is also narrow, they have to do their cartwheel step-in or round off straight, or else...

Gymnastics = Play

Sometimes when I'm working with team developmental, I have to take a deep breath and muster patience.  I have to remind myself that in the midst of trying to build discipline and cultivate a certain kind of mindset, I don't want to kill the spirit of joy and freedom of self-expression in them.  Play in itself should always remain a vital component of movement exploration.

Hat tip:  JAG

I tried to teach my child with books.

He gave me only puzzled looks.

I tried to teach my child with words.

They passed him by often unheard.

Despairingly I turned aside.

“How shall I teach my child?” I cried.

Into my hand he put the key.

“Come,” he said, “play with me.”

(A verse by an unknown author at the entrance of the Louisiana Children’s Museum in New Orleans)

Play doesn't end with the end of childhood.  Play never stops.  Just look at some of the clowning around that takes place in collegiate gymnasiums all across the country.

Move it Forward

 

Hat tip:  JAG

World Autism Awareness Day

“I’ve learned that every human being, with or without disabilities, needs to strive to do their best, and by striving for happiness you will arrive at happiness. For us, you see, having autism is normal—so we can’t know for sure what your ‘normal’ is even like. But so long as we can learn to love ourselves, I’m not sure how much it matters whether we’re normal or autistic.”
—Naoki Higashida, 13 year old author of The Reason I Jump



NYTimes:

Describing why, exactly, he likes to jump, Higashida tells us: “The motion makes me want to change into a bird and fly off to some faraway place. But constrained by ourselves and by the people around us, all we can do is tweet-tweet, flap our wings and hop around in a cage.”

Is your back leg doing what your front leg is doing?

Swing Blog:

I always have my gymnasts do “normal” splits and “straight leg” splits. Meaning I want both of their knees totally locked out. That way when we start working split leaps or jumps I can say “does your back leg feel like it does in your straight leg splits?” and they understand what I’m talking about.

Environmental Perspective

From Championship Gymnastics

Bungee Exercises

Don't make me sneeze

Did a photoshoot at Rodger's house last Saturday for social media launch of his XPodz invention.  I didn't come prepared for a workout.

He had me do Al slides.  I did about two- and not as low as Rodger.

I haven't worked out really since last August when I began my new job.

My stomach, as of Wednesday, is still sore.  Especially hurts when I sneeze.

I stay away from things that make me sneeze right now.

Tuesday Funnies

Ever notice how when you say the word "gullible" out loud really, really slowly, it can sound a lot like you're saying "gymnastics"?