Shewfelt at Go For It Vegas

The 2004 Olympic champion on Floor, Kyle Shewfelt, was headliner at a clinic / camp at Go For It Gymnastics in Las Vegas.

We wanted an inspirational, motivational kick-off to the new season in advance of new coaches arriving in September.

Gymnastics is FUN.
Gymnastics is SAFE.
Gymnastics is EASY.

Let’s find the most fun, safest, easiest way to perfect each drill, skill, sequence and routine.

It was crazy fun for the kids. (Crazy crazy for the coaches.)

more photos from Go For It

In the coaching clinic Kyle recommended we spend most of our training time on BASICS, especially handspring series, forwards and backwards. He did those every day for 20 years.

It’s a mistake to focus too much on the “trick” at the end for the tumbling line. This video is from his same presentation early in the year at another gym:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Kyle had a terrific Vault clinic, several of the demonstrators making rapid progress. Here’s E flipping his first Yurchnekos.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Here are videos of Rick’s presentations:

• 1. Gymnastics Introduction – FUN, SAFE, EASY (Presentation MOVIE)
• 2. Physical Preparation (Presentation MOVIE)
• 3. Bar (Presentation MOVIE)
• 4. Planning (Presentation MOVIE)
• 5. ethics and internet for coaches (Presentation MOVIE)
• 6. more FUN in the gym (Presentation MOVIE)

A great way to introduce the high to low transfer on Bars:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Go For It girls are not (yet) strong at forward and backward sole circle series. This will cause problems with grip change when kids get to giant and free hip. Rick recommended all girls work towards these drills:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Next, Rick strongly recommended girls start sole circle to handstand on the “tower of power” at a very early age and stage. That skill from handstand to handstand can be competed at Level 7 starting the 2010-2011 season. The girl at 1min 20sec on this video (from a far away gym) demonstrates the drill well.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Let’s GO FOR IT.

Doing sole circle first will save us time perfecting Free Hip handstand, later.

Thanks so much for Miss Dana organizing this event!

Leave a comment if you have any questions.