… Here 2 time USA Men’s Olympic and US Mens National Team Coordinator Coach Kevin Mazeika shows a drill to develop strength for the press and improve your overall core strength.

Click PLAY or watch it on Tom’s GymSmarts blog.

Support GymSmarts.

…
There have been rumors in the gymnastics world that this new Code of Points discourages gymnasts from training for AA competition. What is your position regarding this statement? You have been training and competing on various events during the last years. What about now? Will you just focus on rings or will you try to train and compete on some other events too?

It is not just the Code of Points that discourages gymnasts from training and competing in the AA. It is also the fact that in the whole world more and more gymnasts become specialists on only one or two events. However, if I stay healthy enough, I will definitely help the Romanian team on as many events as I can. …

Fangymnastics

This is my friend Barkat from Bangladesh.

K.M. Barkat Ullah

Does he look like a “physically challenged” athlete to you?

He is.

Barkat was a full-time gymnast who had competed internationally in Asian regional competitions. One day he decided to do some circles on pommel horse without any matting in place. He slipped, falling as he had thousands of times before, but this time somehow landed in such a way as to damage his upper spine. A fluke.

He was partially paralyzed.

If that happened to you, how would you respond?

It would either crush your spirit. Or you would get SUPER tough.

Today, with the support of family, friends and his Gymnastics Federation, Barkat is one of the most inspirational athletes I know. Charismatic, enthusiastic, well-spoken in English, he has redirected his talent into studies at Jahangirnagar University outside Dhaka.

Within months he became the University champion at able bodied table tennis, the only sport left he could do with limited lower body mobility.

He and I spoke at length about the future of Paralympic sport in his fast developing country. I believe Barkat will be one of the leaders.

I’m researching Paralympic sport right now, encouraging Barkat to get involved as an organizer now, despite his youth. He’s planning on organizing at the two largest Universities in Bangladesh, as a start. Paralympic Table Tennis, as a start.

If you have any advice or information that might help his cause, please leave a comment.

Everyone in the gymnastics community worldwide needs rally around any of our athletes catastrophically injured.

The rings is the most difficult apparatus in gymnastics to hold a great handstand. Here Hideo (Mizo) Mizoguchi gives several drills and tips to master this difficult skill.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Watch more gymnastic training videos on The Gymnastic Minute Channel on YouTube.

Follow on twitter @gymsmarts

The Royal Dutch Gymnastics Federation handed Yuri van Gelder a one-year suspension for testing positive for cocaine at the Dutch Championships in June, ending his chances to compete at the 2012 Olympics.

Van Gelder will be able to return to international competition in the summer of 2010, but International Olympic Committee rules stipulate that athletes who receive any sort of suspension for more than six months are not eligible to compete at the next Olympic Games. …

Gymnastics Examiner – After cocaine suspension, Yuri van Gelder will miss 2012 Olympics

“You have to pay for your mistakes,” he told the ANP news agency.

Andy Thornton has posted analysis on the American Gymnast blog.

… Who’s going to make it? Well, you’d have to think that Zou Kai is probably a lock, given he has established himself as China’s best on two out of the six events. I think they may end up ditching any medal opportunities on vault and focusing on the other five events, but we’ll have to see. The question may be whether they even put any all-arounders on the team or simply go for individual event medals. …

Here are a couple of no names that might not make the team.

Click PLAY or watch Yan Mingyong Rings 2009 Chinese National Games Prelims on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch Huang Yuguo Vault 2009 Chinese National Games AA on YouTube.

Incredible.

What a fight it must be in China to be considered the “best” on one apparatus. (Aside from HBar. They don’t have anyone competitive with the best in the world on that apparatus.)

See more routines – American Gymnast – Some more Chinese male specialists we may see in London…

=== update:

Another Andy’s Angle blog post compares the new kid vs Olympic Pommel Champion Xiao Qin.

Click PLAY or watch Zhang Hongtao PH 2009 Chinese National Games Prelims on YouTube.

16.250 (D-score:6.6)

If you take the Olympic Champion to World Championships, do you leave the second best pommel routine in the world in Beijing?

… A nice problem for the Chinese coaching staff.

yet more videos – A look at some of the specialists in contention for the Chinese men’s world team…

… France was the most successful nation, with Cyril Tomassone winning pommel horse and Pinheiro-Rodrigues earning the gold on still rings.

Competition concludes Wednesday with the remaining five apparatus finals. The Doha World Cup is the final major international competition before the 2009 World Championships, Oct. 13-18 in London.

IG – details and scores

Dannny Rodrigues (France) attempts a Victorian hold (horizontal iron cross) on still rings at the 2009 European Championships in Milan.

Victorian Cross

This was the Sept. 27th Photo of the Day for International Gymnast.

related post – rings – ever seen Victorian Cross? (video)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I think not.

This may be as close as you can get, though.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

official website – Beast Skills

related post – 1-arm kip to 1-arm handstand

Click PLAY or watch the winning routine on all 6 apparatus on YouTube.

(via gymNICEstics and Stick It Media)