I’ve slowly been posting ideas shared by Al Fong and the GAGE staff at their recent clinic. But some of the most important are already online …
Sara Gill on GymDynasty:
… The three days I was there I never saw a child cry one tear. In fact not one child was “yelled at”, or “criticized”, or “belittled” in front of their peers. Instead calm voices explained the correction of a skill or if a change in behavior was needed it was done quietly and to the point. …
… Numbers, numbers, numbers! It is not a secret to be successful in gymnastics one must do a routine over and over to make it his or her best. What is lacking from gyms however, is efficiency. Use every bar, every beam, any floor station you can think of to maximize your time on each event. Instead of having a group of gymnasts in line doing one routine at a time …
Exactly right.
Al Fong has been called the toughest coach in America. He called himself “… the poster boy for everything gone wrong in gymnastics.”
But that’s not the Al Fong we saw at GAGE.
I was very impressed with what we saw at GAGE. Those gymnasts have a fantastic program.
By the way, Sara Gill is a consultant for girls aspiring to Collegiate Gymnastics. Check out recent posts promoting two of her clients:
• Natalie Gervais Stays on Top!
• Sydney McEachern takes 1st place at Manitoba Championships
Gymnastics Coaching.com 