Year: 2011

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… coming SOON a new Recreational Gymnastics blog

Full Twist tipped me off to this story.

Now Jay Thornton has confirmed:

American Gymnast has offered Gymnastics on Demand as a subscription-based online video training system for coaches, gym owners, and gymnasts for the last several years.

Today, I’m excited to announce that all of the videos in that system are being added to YouTube so that the entire gymnastics community can now view them for FREE! There are approximately 1200 videos that are currently being uploaded!

American Gymnast – Gymnastics on Demand Videos – FREE!

Fantastic.

I use them all the time. Here’s a sample. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The free videos will be linked from a new site – Backhandspring.com. (It’s still under construction.)

You might also want to bookmark and/or subscribe to the JoeLangley YouTube channel.

The videos are stronger for Men’s Gymnastics than for Women’s. They include drills for precompetitive, Cheer right up to Elite.

Every coach will find valuable drills.
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Now for the sober news. The coach in that video was Roberto Pumpido. He produced the series.

Roberto died December 8, 2008 after battling cancer.

A portion of any YouTube advertising revenue generated from these videos will be donated directly to the Pumpido family by Roberto’s former business partner.

Thanks American Gymnast for this wonderful resource, he best online coaching archive in the world.

Remember to thank Roberto in spirit when you see him in the videos.

Still astonished at lax discipline from Nabieva and the Russian women’s team in Rotterdam, this story broke as big news in my home country, Canada:

High-flying Russians grounded for ‘unruly behaviour’:

After their crushing gold-medal upset over Canada, Russia’s junior hockey players and team officials began a celebration that went very deep into overtime.

The festivities were still in full swing when the contingent arrived at the Buffalo airport to catch a 6:10 a.m. ET flight to Atlanta on Thursday, the first stop on the journey home.

They were so disruptive that a Delta Air Lines crew kicked the 30-member group off the plane during boarding, saying they posed a safety risk. …

By the delay they ended up missing Russian Orthodox Christmas.

While the legal drinking age in New York State is 21, all players in the tournament are 20 or younger. Mr. Zislis said he did not want to comment on whether players drank at the hotel bar, adding that the legal age in Russia is 18. …

Alcohol is still a big problem in Russia. It’s always a problem at this annual Junior hockey tournament.

But I sense a slide in sport discipline in that nation. Too much freedom?

Will there be any repercussions when they get home?

I’d discipline the adults responsible for the team. I’m a bit sympathetic for the players. They pulled off an astonishing 5 goal performance in the 3rd period, one of the greatest come from behind victories I’ve ever seen.

Gymnast Kohei Uchimura, winner of the men’s individual all-around title at two consecutive world championships, will join the Konami group this spring, Konami Sports & Life Co announced Wednesday.

Another Japan team member at last year’s championships, Koji Yamamuro, 21, will also join Konami after graduating from Nippon Sport Science University together with Uchimura, 22, in March, it said.

read more – Japan Today

This company, Konami, is becoming a defacto sponsor of the Men’s Team.

They produce video games such as the Metal Gear series and Dance Dance Revolution. Perhaps we’ll get a video game starring Kohei Uchimura.

Several have asked me that question.

So far, the go to site is College Gymnastics Fans.

On the home page a day or two before the competitions you’ll see a convenient list of meets and links:

Bookmark this page – collegegymfans.com

I was super impressed with the American discipline in Rotterdam. A class act. Especially compared with team Russia who often looked disorganized or downright goofy.

Even marching into and out of the hotel only Alica had the clout to crack wise with admiring bystanders.

Worlds is serious. The girls and coaches were very businesslike.

Click PLAY or watch some Worlds podium training on YouTube.

Exclamation Points:

With the exception of chalking up, none of the girls on the team ever drop their heads down. They look straight ahead, or up. Looking at the floor or dropping the head, while a sign of respect in some instances, does not apply in gymnastics. In particular watch Marta Karolyi, the coach, in the first shot of the girls marching in. She is behaving how she expects her athletes to behave — with confidence! …

Organization. The girls know which order they go, and to maximize warm up time they coordinate to make sure no one stays on the equipment longer than necessary. Chatting at the chalk bucket in competition should be avoided …

read more – United States Podium Training Highlights – Worlds 2010

Many pundits right now are a bit negative on the odds of the USA winning the 2012 Olympics. Some of the national team are injured. Or “on holiday” in Colorado. (Update: Alicia’s training today.) Many are making the savvy decision to take an NCAA scholarship rather than risk the long odds of making it to the Olympics.

In London the winning team is NOT going to count 3 falls. It may very well be that the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win between USA, RUS and CHN.

The culture of discipline inspired by Marta may well be the difference between Bronze and Gold. Of the 3 top teams I believe the strongest psychologically will be the Americans. That counts most under the greatest pressure.

This from the text book Floor Exercise – Karacsony and Cuk.

Good idea. I’ve never seen one in real life, though.

One of American Gymnast’s Top Five Women’s Moments of 2010.

2010, Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Women’s Gymnastics USA Championships

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

This apparatus is so easy for Mattie. I still can’t believe she missed it in the Team Final at Worlds. What a shame.

Not Clark Griswald, of National Lampoon, Larry Griswald.

Laurens (Larry) V. Griswold (September 17, 1905 – August 24, 1996), known as “The Diving Fool”, was an American gymnast and entertainer who was involved in the early development of the trampoline. …

(in 1931) he became a gymnastics coach at the University of Iowa and met George Nissen who was also a skilled gymnast and tumbler. …

Griswold and Nissen worked together to develop the first prototype trampoline. Later they set up a company, the Griswold-Nissen Trampoline & Tumbling Company …

In the 1950s and 1960s, he took his physical clowning and acrobatic act all across the United States becoming one of the top draws in show business. …

Click PLAY or watch his act on YouTube.

In 1941, he wrote Trampoline Tumbling, the first textbook for the sport of trampolining. In 1971, with George Nissen, he founded the United States Tumbling and Trampoline Association (USTA). They honoured him by inducting him into their Hall of Fame and by the naming of the Griswold-Nissen Cup for outstanding trampolinists. …

Thanks Claudine.

Feb. 25-28, 2011

Just posted:

L8, 9, 10 Friday, Canadians, L7 Saturday, Big Show Saturday evening, L6, 5, 4, Prep Opt Sunday.

The Canadian rules session is ON. This must be a first in history.

Hosted by Dave and Lisa Adlard in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. My favourite invitational of the year.

Hope to see you there. Details – greatwestgymfest.com