TBTh: Back Extension Drlll

Remi was always naturally good at this drill- no wiggle-movement at all in her chest and lower back.  I had always wanted to film a clip of her when she could bring it closer to handstand and candle roll back; but I never got around to it. 

Relaxed Strength

 Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

-Zen saying

During one workshop when Remi was struggling with her giants prior to State Championships, Wade suggested she purposely relax her legs and be sloppy so she can really open her hips and feel the pull of gravity help her on her tap.  I've talked to gymnasts before about the same thing.  Remi was so disciplined in maintaining good form and body tightness, she had a difficult time being sloppy and just "letting it all hang out"; letting all of her lower half muscles simply shut down.

In Aikido, there is a training test called "unbendable arm".  When first exposed to it- and spoken of in esoteric-mystical terms about "ki/chi" and "life energy" by some teachers- it seems like a parlor trick; especially when performed for the sake of demonstrating to an audience, like a vaudeville act.  

I couldn't really find a good YouTube video that I liked.  But in brief, what happens is this (you can try it yourself with a partner):

Photo credit:  Oscar Ratti

Have your partner stand in front of you, close enough that you can place your wrist on her shoulder.  Now make a clenched fist and think strength as you tense up your arm (slightly bent).  Have your partner put her hand in the crook of your elbow and start pulling down.  Resist as hard as you can.  What happened?  Were you able to keep your arm from collapsing?

Now, shake out your arm and be relaxed.  Extend your arm out and rest your wrist on your partner's shoulder again (and again, held slightly bent- not locked out).  This time, don't make a clenched fist (make sure your facial muscles and neck muscles also remain free of tension); instead, imagine water flowing through your arm, like a hose.  You can even point one finger (or extend all fingers) toward the wall and imagine the water flowing out toward the wall.  Keep your intended focus on maintaining this flow of "energy" as your partner begins to pull down on your arm; the more she pulls down on it, the more you stay relaxed, but with an increase of power in the flow of energy through your arm, balancing out the pressure your partner is applying.

How did it feel, the second time?  Was it easier or harder?

Done correctly, the second time should have been easier to resist than the first.  The arm should be nearly unbendable when relaxed the second time; and very difficult and "weaker" the first time, when tensed.

The explanation is as follows:

Catastrophic Success!

“How does one become a butterfly?" she asked.
"You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”
― Trina Paulus

Major breakthrough for Remi last night.

After about 4 rotations of bars (with much of the time spent handwringing, navel-gazing, contemplating, worry-worting, and icing down her hands on the cold metal of the bars), Remi finally connected her giants to flyaway at the end of practice.

"Friday night is won today!"

On the corner of Liincoln Blvd and Venice Blvd

Showing up to practice isn't enough.

Putting on a leotard isn't enough.

To everyone:

Showing up on time isn't enough.

Following the assignments, isn't enough.

Doing the conditioning isn't enough. 

None of this is enough to make you into an athlete worthy of calling herself a "gymnast".

Are you merely on auto-pilot, going through the motions?  Or are you actually applying your mind, heart, spirit, and body to accomplishing anything today?  Are you giving this your full, undivided attention while living in the moment of a 4 hour practice?

Are you training for yourself or others?  For the sake of appearances and praise or for something more substantive?

Are you faking it through your conditioning or honestly pushing the envelope on the limits of your physical, mental, and emotional stamina?   Are you testing the true boundaries of just where your limitations truly lie?

Have integrity.  Be honest with yourself.  You might be able to fool others, but you will never fool reality or yourself.   You are what you put into it.

Never squander the opportunity to realize your full potential!

To Reanna, Remi, Cara:  Friday night is won today!  Don't put off until Thursday what you need to do now and yesterday- there's no more time left to procrastinate (*cough*Remi*cough*).

Remember:  Gymnastics doesn't build character.  Gymnastics reveals character.  Show some character and tear it up in practice, tonight.

(Note to all:  I'll be at level 7 State Championships with these 3 gymkateers this Friday evening).

Remified Bars

Remi comes to the edge...

...and I didn't even have to push her. 

This is from Saturday:


Cami asked to film it (she seems to love being behind and in front of the camera) and this was the result.

Today, Remi didn't even start in the belt.  I think she has just about conquered her flyawayphobia.  Can't wait to see it (from afar) out of the giant swing!

It's got to happen in the next two weeks, here...

Quote of the Day

"I made a promise to myself that I couldn't go to the bathroom until I went over...."

-Statement I overhead Remi mumble today as she trudged past me on her way back toward the beginning of the runway, after about her 3rd or 4th balk on vault.


She went over on her next one.


....and then asked if she could go to the bathroom.

:-/

A thing of beauty.....

....seeing Remi finally do cast flyaways from afar and not from standing underneath the bar:



This was from Monday's practice.

Passenger or Driver?

Remi on the low beam today:  Backwalkover, backhandspring stepout and doesn't land her front foot on the beam, apparently not spotting where her foot should be landing (on the beam).  So she falls right off the beam.



Coach Amy:  "Look at your foot!  Are you watching?!"

Remi:  "Yeah....I was watching it slip off the beam."

Schooled and Burned by a 14 Year Old

Conversation today in the gym:

Remi: "Why is our beam rotation for 50 minutes?" 

Me: "It isn't....it's 40 minutes." 

Remi: "No it's not." 

Me: "Yeah....we go from 9:40 to 10:30." 

Remi: "I can see why you were an English major."

Remi's Giant Step, Going Backward....

After much prodding and preening and badgering; amidst peer pressure and threats of loving violence (thanks, Reanna and Cara!), Remi did her cast handstand unassisted, into her giants unassisted...and they were good.

Now if I can only convince her of letting go of the bar for a layout flyaway out of her giants...

The Contract

Remi is in the level 6/7/8 optional group.  Over the last year, she's been hamstrung by a couple of injuries, including time out from knee surgery.  That sidelined her from competing out of level 6 (her current crop of level 7 teammates are now up-training level 8 skills).  She's been doing well at playing catch-up in some areas; but on bars, she's been struggling.

So yesterday she showed me that she can straddle cast handstand.  That was good enough for me to spot her on giants, which she has been putting off for at least a couple of weeks now, since I started bugging her about stepping it up.

Of all the gymnasts in the gym, I think she has the most gorgeous, natural tap swings on bars.  2 years ago, I had high hopes of her owning a great flyaway and great giant swings.  She has the natural attributes, but lacks the confidence at the moment.

Bars was our last rotation Tuesday night.  I tried to get her to do her giants with a spot, but she wore down the clock.  She said she promised to do them on Friday and I shot back, "I want that in writing!"

Remi, ever with the wry sense of humor, between the end of bars rotation and during some brief strength training before the end of workout, somehow finds the time to grab pen and paper and jot out a "binding" contract.  I was preoccupied with situating the girls to line up over at floor for one more strength exercise when Remi shoved the paper in my face and told me to "sign here."  I glanced at it and smirked; scribbled very quickly without reading it since my mind was on getting the girls over to floor.  Remi got Reanna to sign as a witness, then handed me the paper.  I read it when I got home and it gave me a good chuckle.

She came to practice tonight and bars was our first rotation.  She reminded me that it wasn't Friday.  But I told her she's just going to be scared again on Friday so why put off confronting until then what she can confront now.  I also played her and Amanda off one another (Amanda was diagnosed with scoliosis and has not attempted her giants for about as long as Remi; last year she didn't train to compete but has recently shown some interest in doing so for next season).  In the end, 10 minutes past our bar rotation, Remi put off doing her giant swings; and from Amanda, I salvaged at least getting her to do a few cast handstands into layout flyaways- something she's not done since she stopped trying giants (Time to "Amanda up", as I tell her).

So as you readers are my witness, in 2 days come heck or high water, Remi will go for her giants this Friday (first rotation:  Bars).  How do I know this?  'Cause I have a signed document from her, a binding pact, pledging that she will put on her big girl pants on Friday and come to the edge....(she loves this poem):

“Come to the edge.”
“We can’t.  We’re afraid.”
“Come to the edge.”
“We can’t.  We will fall.”
“Come to the edge.”
And they came.
And he pushed them.
And they flew.

-Alternate version of poem by Christopher Logue (popularly attributed to Guilliaume Apollinaire)

In two days...Remi will come to the edge...and I will push her out of the nest; and she will experience the joys of flying around the bar.

Once again, how do I know this?

 Because I have this in writing, making this a done deal.  It's official.  More solid than one of Remi's formal handshakes.  This contract may not be legally binding; but it is morally binding.







*UPDATE 6/01/2012*  Remi fulfilled the terms of her contract and went for her giants today. Here's her first turn: