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July 7th, 2010 | Gymnastics, biomechanics, books & manuals, physical preparation, product endorsements
by site editor Rick McCharles
Here I am promoting the 2 best new gymnastics coaching manuals published in many years.
• Building the Gymnastic Body by Christopher Sommer
• Championship Gymnastics by Gerald S. George, Ph.D.
I can wholeheartedly endorse both.
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14 comments ↓
I have to say that i got both and to be deadly honest i was disappointed a bit by Coach Sommer’s book “Building the Gymnastics Body”. It does have a great selection of exercises, but that is basicly it. With many of the exercises already listed on his YouTube channel. The problem is that even though these exercises are great they are no magic!, the program of application is more important and the book did not cover the “HOW” to build the gymnastics body…i give the book 6/10 — However i think anyone who is new to gymnastics training formats and exercises or coaches who need new ideas will be more then pleased. for them i will say it will be 8/10
The Championship Gymnastics book, i agree is very good for coaches to grasp a fundamental understanding and appreciation for how biomechanical understanding of skills helps in coaching and technical analysis. However for $70 ($90 with P&H) i would suggest got buy the first edition “biomechanics of Womens Gymnastics” by same author, for sometimes super cheap of Amazon and eBay and virtually same concepts.
I give this book 8/10.
Rick, my AV said your page has the Eleonore exploit (virus) on it.
I also found the Gym Bodies book a bit lacking. But there was definitely a good selection of exercises. While the shipping costs to Canada are way too high, I’d still recommend it.
Thanks TCO.
I recently deleted some hacked files. Will run a virus check on it.
Thanks for the reviews, guys.
Ran the “exploit scanner” for the key word – Eleonore -
Nothing came up.
Will keep checking.
Came up twice, but not just now. Had googled it and it is some sort of hack that helps the site look for vulnerabilities in browser’s machines. Not sure if I gave you the exact spelling.
Check out this guy’s body and how he pops on the top of his muscleups. Looks like he could launch himself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAk96ARN1uY
Here’s some music that Rick listens to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lMqNWXRNjA
At 1:35, the dude does pushups while in a Lance Ringnald position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbxEdnDrIk0
That Hannibal is RIPPED. …
As the publisher of Dr. George’s new textbook, Championship Gymnastics, I would like to reply to Valentin Uzunov’s comment. We’re pleased to read in your review that you believe Championship Gymnastics is very good for helping coaches to grasp a fundamental understanding of biomechanics as it applies to the coaching and technical analysis of gymnastics skills.
However, you are quite inaccurate to imply that this widely acclaimed new book is essentially the same as his original text, Biomechanics of Women’s Gymnastics. Anyone who takes the time to read Championship Gymnastics will readily realize that 7 of the 12 chapters in Championship Gymnastics are entirely new in every respect. While the remaining chapters do contain some of the fundamental biomechanical concepts presented in his original work (and rightfully so, just like any new physics book must retain the basic principles of physics from earlier works), the fact is that even these chapters transcend significantly the concepts and principles presented in his original work.
And finally it should be noted that Championship Gymnastics is printed with the highest quality of materials and binding in a larger 8.5″ x 11″ (280 pages) hardbound format, provides numerous ground-breaking concepts for shaping winners, and contains over 120 progressive detailed illustrations by the best artist in the business, Jim Stephenson. Considering its innovative content showing readers the “what,” its excellent illustrations depicting the “how,” and its highest quality format for long term durability and ease of use, Championship Gymnastics is a valuable asset to every gymnastics professional. This is clear when reading what other noted reviewers have stated about the new book at this link: http://winninggymnastics.com/book-reviews.php
Hey Dr. Roy…
Not a single reviewer holds any type of academic credentials to be able to review the book on the accuracy of its biomechanical content. All of your reviewers are coaches and to my knowledge none have the academic qualifications to do such. So, how can you conclude that they are experts?
And, based on my internet search, you have a doctorate in Public Health and a Master’s in Health Education/Nutrition. So, neither of those qualifies you to be an “expert” in the discipline of biomechanics, either.
Chris…(whoever you are)
You are patently incorrect in your accusation that “not a single reviewer holds any type of academic credentials to be able to review the book on accuracy of its biomechanical content.” The fact is there are several professionals on that list that hold advanced degrees in biomechanics. Should you care to verify this, please contact me directly and I will put you in touch with them. More importantly, those on the list have been recognized in achieving national and international success in winning gymnastics championships…and that’s what this book is really about (thus the title).
Also, it is sad that you choose to chastise my publisher, Roy Vartabedian, for not having a background in biomechanics. As my publisher, he was simply pointing out the content differences between two of my books. He is certainly qualified to do this. He defers to the experts to comment on the contents. So what’s your point?
I invite you and any of your colleagues to carefully review Championship Gymnastics and perhaps then you might begin to appreciate that the focus of this text is not to teach class room biomechanics, rather it is to give coaches, gymnasts and judges a working knowledge of how to improve our wonderful sport.
Gerald S. George, Ph.D.
Biomechanics
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