I love this video he linked. The joy of first accompishment.
… Every gymnast and skater knows the feeling of struggling and struggling with a skill or a jump until one day something clicks and they randomly start making it. Elena Arenas, daughter of Gym Dog great Kim Arnold (video), is an adorable young gymnast. Here, her father captures her first full on video. It is wonderful to see the joy on her face and the confidence she exudes showing off her cool new move.
Elena and her older sister frequently perform exhibitions prior to Gym Dog meets. …
… in order to go fast in the development of a gymnast, we need to go SLOW. Coaches need to make the athletes and parents understand that Gymnastics is a long term sport, especially if seeking to reach a high level of competition. Strong basics and fundamentals are key to the success of any athlete in any sport.
The tap swings(on Uneven Bars) are a perfect example of something we need to take a LONG time on. It doesn’t matter if a gymnast already has the correct body shape in the transfer between the hollow-arch-hollow….. it needs to be repeated many times so it can be strengthen and “recorded” in the brain. …
Here’s a great example of why Canada’s “Own The Podium” is the right program, with the wrong name.
One of the great success stories is this guy …
He was shattered after finishing with a personal best, Canada’s best ever 5th place in the men’s 50KM Mass Start cross country ski race.
… “My goal was to stay with the leaders, conserve as much energy as I could,” Kershaw explained. “It’s a marathon. It takes over two hours. You have to be so calm and collected. I accomplished everything I hoped for, and more. But to be 1.5 seconds from the gold medal in a race so long …… when I see my technicians, it’s going to be really hard. It’s the best 50K of my life. But, at the same time, it’s really tough to place fifth.” …
… Alex Harvey of St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., and Ivan Babikov of Canmore, Alta., were the last skiers on the course to cross the finish line.
Harvey was 32nd and Babikov 33rd, which called into question the decision to sit alternate Brian McKeever, the legally blind skier who was seeking to become the first winter athlete to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics.
Harvey and Babikov didn’t appear to have anything left in the tank after a series of earlier races, whereas McKeever was fresh. The 50-km race would have been his only Olympic event. …
… It’s all in how you raise them from the beginning. When it comes to controlling the fear factor as we teach the “scary” skills, progressions and the right training stations are critical. Our station for the split leap on balance beam is one such example.
“I want to be known as the gymnast who always was a pleasant gymnast. Was a happy Elite gymnast and looked like she enjoyed what she did. I had a huge heart for it and I did it because I loved to do it, and not for any other reason. That’s what I try and portray every time I compete. I really enjoy doing gymnastics.”
I really enjoyed Sam’s interview. Click through to read it.
Inside Gymnastics is proud to feature Samantha Peszek as our January/February cover story and we’re sharing a bonus online feature with more of her words about coaches, champions and her idols. Read on to find out what college has in store and her thoughts on little sister, Jessica, following in her steps! …
I finally saw this low budget Romanian documentary.
… famous for the legendary gymnast Nadia Comaneci, and its boarding school, which for decades has trained world class gymnasts.
Pitic and Malina might be two of its future stars, but the long road to the podium is full of deprivation. They are eight and nine years old and have been at the school in Deva since they were six. They train for four hours every day and spend the rest of their time in school.
This documentary follows the girls … leading up to their first and most important competition, capturing an intimate and moving insight into the contrast between their dreams, and the often harsh reality.
I’ve got mixed feelings. Perhaps that’s not surprising. I’ve got mixed feelings about Romanian gymnastics.
On the one hand, with a population only about as large as Texas, one of the poorest nations in Europe consistently bested Russia, China and the U.S.A.
Their girls were incredibly tough on Floor and Beam. For decades after Nadia.
On the other hand, I’ve heard more nonsense coaching theory from Romanians than any place else in the world. What kind of coach education system have they had there?None? I’m told there’s an intensive program. I’d love to see the curriculum.
The 3 coaches highlighted in this film are excellent examples of how not to coach.
Yes I realize I’m imposing Western values on Romania. Aside from ethics, what’s shown in the documentary is simply not the best way to develop elite gymnasts.
I do get the impression that things have improved there since Nicolae Forminte took over as National Coach.
Leave a comment if you know where people can download or stream The Secret of Deva.
Boys are always surprised when the girls in their gym tell them that forward giants are more difficult than backward. After all, most boys learn forward giants first.
Front giants should be less scary for the beginner. And technique is easier than backward giant.
On straps I always teach forward giant first, boys and girls. But on the rail I’ve only managed to get two or three girls to do forward giant first. A proud accomplishment, those times.
Coach Bart won’t have any problems. He introduces the long hang foward swing in under grip to very young kids. It’s like a game to them at this stage.
