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. …

Click PLAY or watch Elena on YouTube.

Aunt Joyce – Heartwarming Moment

Now how do we keep more of this joy when they become angsty teenagers?

… 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. …

ET Gymnastics Coaching

Reading this post I was reminded of the philosophies of David Kenwright.

Click PLAY or watch the video on YouTube.

Amazing.

…
Sport At Its Best posted an interview with Clara where she talks about “winning”.

Nor surprisingly, the most amazing performances she’s witnessed in a very long career did not involve winning medals.

It’s a great read for all coaches.

Sport At Its Best – Clara Hughes interview

Thanks Brett for linking to this on Facebook.

… this PSA ad put out a few years ago spotlights the importance of Dad’s involvement in the development of their childrens’ self esteem. Enjoy….

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Youth Sports Parents and Sports Girls Play)

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.” …

Vancouver Sun

Devon Kershaw really believed he could beat Petter Northug of Norway, the reigning World Champion.

That’s the psychology you should have to compete at the Olympics.

Kershaw is pysically, technically and psychologically ready to win. That’s what Own The Podium is all about.

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That’s the same race, by the way, where coaches decided not to compete the alternate, blind skier Brian McKeever:

… 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.

Beam Doesn’t Have To Be Scary

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

“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! …

IN HER OWN WORDS: SAMANTHA PESZEK

(via Gymnastics Examiner)

1) March-in like a big College Meet.

2) Meeting inspiring Olympians

The AWARDS are brilliant too. The best anywhere.

See more meet photos on flickr.

This skill has many different names.

Here’s a nice series of progressions posted by Bart on Gymnastics-Skills.com.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Next, this non-spotting set-up used by Coach Milo. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The One Arm Drop drill only needs be used if a girl has problems with the system above.

Most coaches end up standing in on this skill in competition for a long, long time. It gives the kids confidence to go for handstand.

Pak is a better alternative, in my opinion.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… Watching X Country skiing at the Olympics. Brutal tough.