Entries from January 2010 ↓

The comments on the Tatiana Gutsu post have gotten a bit heated. I’ll throw a bit more fuel on the fire with this Gutsu v Miller comparison …

Building on the NCAA 10.0 Yurchenko vaults post, who did the better vault?

1992 Olympic Games, Women’s All around competition. Shannon Miller Vault #1.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via a “new” blog – Body Rhythm)

Tatiana Gutsu – 1992 Olympics AA – Vault 2. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Inside Gymnastics is offering free a new preview feature, that same technology used by International Gymnast and so many other magazines these days.

Click twice to ZOOM.

Check it out at insidegymnastics.com/magazine/.

May / June 2009 edition

Nice!

… I just noticed the magazine finally removed the link to the seemingly still born IG TV page.

I’ve criticized Inside Gymnastics in the past. Let’s give them credit for this innovation.

They’re doing a great job on Twitter and Facebook too. Far better than International Gymnast magazine.

From coach Troy Wright.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

Perfect drills. I’d keep doing them until the kids can touch only nose and toes on the wall.

More drills on Troy’s new YouTube channel.

Or check out the original (very popular) post – Basics, Basics, Basics!!!—The Training of a Handstand.

Core stability for gymnasts is important, up to a point.

But I’ve long suspected that coaches over-emphasize it, at the expense of other physical qualities.

For example, this gymnast is not arched due to lack of abdominal strength.

Giant doesn’t require much abdominal strength.

There’s a bit of trend in sport science, right now, to reduce the amount of core body conditioning we are doing, especially the traditional “sit-up”.

Stuart McGill, professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, is cited in this recent article:

MacLeans – The man who wants to kill crunches
A Canadian professor of spine biomechanics rails about the dangers of the ubiquitous sit-up

Of course that’s not sport specific.

A better article for coaches is …

The Myth of Core Stability by Professor Eyal Lederman, of CPDO, the Centre for Professional Development in Osteopathy and Manual Therapy.

I checked on this “trend” to avoid over-conditioning the core with Keith Russell.

He tended to agree:

… don’t isolate, use large body movements where ever possible and DON”T overemphasize the abdominals …”

Food for thought. Leave a comment if you’ve modified your core body strength training. Using more isometric training, for example.

related – Gymnastics Revolution – The Giant

Woodward West Gym Camp.

Click PLAY or watch “Bhardwaj” spotted on YouTube.

More videos on the Gibson Saltocafe YouTube page.

related post – another spotting Pak 1/1 on Bars

In Part 1 of this series, Mizo explained how to use a “Ring Machine” to introduce Iron Cross to beginners.

In Part 2, he uses a pulley system to reduce resistance.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The most common injury training Iron Cross is to the elbows. Boys need years of preparation before they put it into the routine in competition.

There are over 80 more posts on this site under the Rings category.

The 1992 Olympic Champion, Tatiana Gutsu, was never one of my favourite gymnasts. I recall being very disappointed that she won in Barcelona.

I’ve not heard good things about Tatiana as a coach, either. (I hope I heard wrong.)

Gymnastics…and other things linked to quite a good recent photo shoot, however.

LT Photo Studio

I didn’t have the heart to embed a horrible fluff video. Nor a horrible Gutsu montage.

If you’ve got something good to say about the Olympic Champion, please add a comment.

The perfect 10 is not dead. It’s fun to see those impossible scores flashed.

University of Nebraska Junior Erin Davis scores the very first perfect 10.0 of the 2010 college gymnastics season on January 15 …

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

Compare that vault with the 9.95 for Rochelle Robinson of MSU. Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

And here’s beautiful Vanessa Zamarripa’s perfect 10 from last season. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The latest from Mostepanovafan.

Montage of all the girls who have performed the full-twisting double layout on floor (called the Chusovitina) in chronological order. I am almost certain I’ve forgotton someone …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

In the former Soviet Union young boys and girls took 1hr ballet training every day.

No wonder they had great “form”.

Most gymnastics coaches in 2010 need to find faster, more efficient methods to motivate and teach children to keep legs straight, feet stretched.

Keeping great leg form will improve your scores. Here Mary Lee Tracy shows several drills to improve leg strength and improve leg form.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I really appreciate busy coaches like Mary Lee taking time to share with us.

You can support Mary Lee and Gymnastics Minute by buying and recommending her popular coaching DVDs on GymSmarts.

Make It or Break It might be a lame TV show when it comes to explaining gymnastics to the general public.

But one theme is important. How does a dedicated athlete handle serious injury. Especially if they cannot return to the sport.

While the fictional Payson was falling on Shoot Half on Bars at National Championships, fracturing her back, a real life gymnast in Florida suffered a catastrophic injury on Bars.

… High School senior Dounia Bendris was practicing at Broadway Gymnastics in Oviedo when she slipped off the uneven bars, broke two ribs, collapsed a lung and severed her spinal cord.

Doctors told the 17-year-old that she was paralyzed from the waist down four days after Christmas. …

read more – Paralyzed Gymnast Adjusts To Life After Fall

video interview with Dounia

Donations can be mailed to CHASE care of Dounia Alyssa Bendris, 3924 Town Center Blvd. Suite 103-104, Orlando, FL. 32837. Donations can also be made via PayPal to DBendris@att.net or by clicking HERE.

Some are surprised that Illinois is ranked #1 in the NCAA right now.

Jason MacDonald interviews rookie Head Coach Justin Spring for Gymnastike.

Thanks Ryan.

Jennifer Isbister’s Photos – Vancouver 2010 Torch Relay

The Calgary Tower was lit to celebrate the Torch’s homecoming

more of Jenn’s pics on Kyle Shewfelt’s blog