The Haunted Gym on Nordhoff St.

Happy Halloween!

Offered them toothbrushes for their Halloween treat; but they didn't go for that. So gave them origami flapping bats instead.

Workout Wednesday with Colorado Aerials

Stop thinking of the smartphone as a phone with the traditional stigma attached

Technology has really changed how we communicate and interact today.  From social media (Facebook, instagram, YouTube, etc.) to Ipads & smartphones.  It's a different world today than it was even 10 years ago.

Remember a time when you could sit in a restaurant and not be bothered by cell phone ringtones and cell phone conversations?  That there was a designated area, right by the restrooms, where you could make a call you deemed important enough to get up from the dinner table and go pay for?

 I Posted before on cell phone use in the gym.  That was a lighthearted look at how NOT to use cell phones in the gym. 

What I'd like to do in this post is to advocate the reasons why cell phones are a useful tool in the gym.

I don't know what the cellphone policy is like in other gyms.  However, the one I'm at and the one I was at before do not approve of cell phones.  More specifically, they do not allow for taking calls, answering text messages, sending calls, or checking emails.  That is reasonable.  Not only is it a safety issue for a distracted coach, but it also looks very unprofessional and can turn away clients. 

Speaking for myself, and possibly other coaches, my smartphone is used for so many things other than as a phone.   I believe that, depending on how the technology is being implemented, that the perception of smartphones as primarily phones is an archaic concept. 

As a team coach, I do "get away" with having my smartphone out on the floor.  I've never taken a phone call; nor do I have the ringtone on to alert me to calls.  There are only rare instances where I've texted:

1. Acknowledging a text  message from a team parent letting me know that her athlete was running late to the gym.
2. Acknowledge a text message from a fellow coach that he was running late
3. Answering a message sent from the front office staff, that required a timely response.
4. Sending a message to the front office staff.

  At my previous gym, they used to have walkie talkies for birthday parties so that the staffers could communicate from across the gym.  Today's smartphones are superior to achieving the same purpose.  There are times when something needs to be addressed right away; and rather than sending an athlete or another coach to fetch the front office worker, it's easier just to send a text. 

In the event of an emergency, it's quicker to reach into your pocket and dial 911 yourself than it is to run across the gym and pick up the landline; or shout to the front office.

 Better communication makes for greater efficiency.

 When I have my cellphone in my hand, I understand that some parents may think I am checking personal mail.  I am not.  I know that from a business standpoint, it may look bad; however, I think it's a matter of educating the client base; and people adapting their perception to how technology is actually being used today. 

My team parents know what I am doing:  Checking lesson plan notes; a conditioning list; using the stopwatch that's built into the phone.  Why use a traditional stopwatch when I already have one on me?  Why burden myself with a notebook and pen?  Why carry around an expensive camera that gymnasts might get chalk all over when I can just use a cameraphone?  The quality is really good today, with many even taking slow motion videos for technique analysis. 

Sometimes I might run a Google search on something I need to look up, related to the gymnastics practice at hand.  On occasion, there might be a YouTube video clip that I might want to show my gymnasts so they can see an example of something I am trying to verbalize. 

The smartphone is a tool, like any other, that can be used or abused.  Stop thinking of them as a traditional phone.  Rather than banning them from the gym coach's arsenal of training tools, take advantage of the virtues of today's technology.  Provide common sense guidelines for how the privilege can be made appropriate and inappropriate. 

With recreational coaches, I don't think there is a "need" for smartphones to be out on the floor; however, I think it is definitely a useful coaching tool when utilized properly.

Forearm Forklifts

These are forearm forklifts I purchased from Home Depot after watching Mel Eades of Splitz Gymnastics Academy put them to good effect.

8-21-2014

Alternately....

Standing Right-Side Up

October 3, 2014

Swing Big! has a tip this morning on handstand training, while right-side up.


Here are some alignment spot-checking I did with our new level 3s earlier this month:

Sunday Funnies

Rainbow Loom II

4-14-2014

In the video description:

This GYMNAST - GABBY DOUGLAS uses
30 BLACK Rubber LOOM Bands
46 BROWN Rubber LOOM Bands
26 RED Rubber LOOM Bands
11 BLUE Rubber LOOM Bands
14 WHITE Rubber LOOM Bands
Or you can you any colors of your choice.

Previous post here.

Squirrel!

See Saw Teeter Totters

Xpodz Kickstarter Campaign

Some long-time readers of Gymnast Crossing may remember videos from Santa Monica Gymnastics Center of a old school gymnast named Rodger who the club owner, Al Luber, was friends with.  Both former UCLA gymnasts themselves, Al let Rodger come in to workout and relieve stress.  His daughters also took gymnastics, with the eldest on team.

Rodger Thomason is also a brilliant product design engineer. If any of you remember Mitch Gaylord's fitness product- I think it was called the Gaylord III that, if memory serves, was like one of those strength towers with a set of rings on it- Rodger was the guy who designed the prototype.

He was also the go-to-guy who made the prototype for the Perfect Push-up. He suggested ways to improve the design; but the clients were not interested. So Rodger came up with his own invention. Ergonomically easy on the wrists, Rodger's product is accessible to a wide range of people who need to stay in shape- from wounded vets, the elderly, those in physical rehab, to the hardcore athletes and fitness buffs. Check it out and support the Kickstarter campaign by making a contribution and/or by spreading the word:

Rodger also designed the prototype for the Strongboard Balance, invented by his friend, Mike Curry.

Sunday Funnies

Tom and Jerry

Video description:

Uploaded on Mar 29, 2010

NOT the cat and mouse. These are two acrobats named Tom and Jerry. Who are Tom and Jerry? Where did they come from? Where did they go? I'd like to know. If you can help me, please contact me through YouTube or my website at www.polarblairsden.com.
This excellent clip comes from their appearance on the public domain episode of "The Colgate Comedy Hour", aired on December 14, 1952. It was the thirteenth episode of the third season, and was hosted by Abbott & Costello.
I think these guys are incredible athletes. You will, too!

Hat tip:  GymnasticsCoaching.com

Sunday Funnies

Marc Jacobs

Leg Cut/Weight Transfer Drills

A couple of videos I apparently didn't create a blogpost for- from early August; but which did see the light of day from Swing Big!

Another one it doesn't look like I got around to uploading:

Related posts:
Level 3 weight transfer exercise
Hey look...ONE HAND!

Wade into this?

I just happened across this discussion of the BHS clinic Wade gave a few years ago at BGS.  My videos.

It's an old thread.  Not sure whether I should bother to take the time to wade into it.

Exploring Body Line

A tough shoulder exercise is to have gymnasts stand (or sit) up against a wall and touch the back of their hands against it while maintaining straight elbows, pushed out tall, and lower back pressed into the wall.


 Here are some photos of my level 3s and where their body lines are currently at:

The World's Toughest Sport

USA GymClub:

The World's Toughest Sport By Michael S. Yessis - Men's Fitness
[3(f+s) + 2b] (v+c+i) * � 3p = TOTAL SCORE Deciding which sport is the world's toughest is difficult. It requires knowledge and research. Time and patience. Science and the kind of math skills rarely seen outside a ninth-grade algebra class. Well, we have all of that, and we did our homework. We logged hours playing in the field. We interviewed elite athletes from former Soviet-bloc nations. We spent countless hours watching ESPN2. Eventually, we developed an exclusive formula - the formula - to determine the planet's toughest sport.
Now, on to the chalkboard. First, we ranked 40 sports in seven categories on a scale of one to 10 (10 is the highest possible score, with the "contact" category ranked from one to five). The categories are:

FITNESS (f). - The level of physical fitness you must have to participate.
SKILLS (s). - The complexity of the athletic skills necessary to compete.
BRAINS (b). - The mental toughness and intelligence needed, as well as the complexity of the sport.
PAIN (p). - Injury rate, plus or minus the potential for death.
CONTACT (c). - The chances of getting smacked by other participants (takes into account padding worn, too).
VENUE (v). - Where you play it. Climbing up a sheer rock face is tougher than playing table tennis in a rec room.
INTANGIBLES (i). - The little things. For instance, bull riders have no idea what the bull's temperament is that day. Or, the measure of how scared your significant other gets when you say you're going to play a particular sport.

Finally, we plugged the numbers into our special formula (see above), which gives each category its own level of importance. From there, we dusted off our slide rule. In a matter of hours, the results were in. Here they are:
1. GYMNASTICS (567.6 OUT OF 1,095.4)
Why? Male gymnasts may wear tights, but they score perfect 10's for fitness and athletic skills, and near-perfect marks for injury potential, mental toughness and difficult conditions. Let's see you spin in circles on the high bar, release, do a few flips and grab the bar again. Extra toughness points were awarded for the guy who survived a full-speed, chest-first plunge into the horse and for the Japanese Olympic medalist who dismounted from the rings with a broken leg.

Hat tip:  Turn Gymnastics Apparel

Team Developmental Chin-ups

One of my Tiny Shots.  From a dead hang, she can do 10 chin ups (I've always called overgrip "chin-ups" and undergrip "pull ups") with form.

To avoid the temptation of gymnasts wanting to rest their chins over the bar, my colleague would have them touch their nose to the bar instead.  The 2nd half of the video shows what this evolved into. 

I think this strengthens the muscles at different RoM positions.

Sunday Funnies

Marc Jacobs

5 Steps to Keeping Your Gymnast Safe and Injury Free