gymternet – best of 2016

by site editor Rick McCharles

Gymnastics Coaching is an aggregator. We try to link to the best of the best published online in English. The most interesting ideas, photos and videos for coaches.

NEW ideas, in particular.

Artistic Gymnastics, especially WAG, dominates the gymternet over all other acrobatic disciplines. That’s OK — I guess — since we want every child to start with Artistic & Trampoline before specializing. 🙂

I’ve blocked recommendations into 3 categories:

INDEPENDENT SITES (blogs, coaches, gymnasts, etc.)
OFFICIAL SITES (magazines, organizations, FIG, NOCs, etc.)
PHOTO & VIDEO SITES

For 2016 I’ll add a few of my favourite social media sources.

Artistic Gymnastics is the Foundation.

_____ INDEPENDENT SITES:
The BIG news from 2014 was Lauren Hopkins launching The Gymternet.  Lauren and her writers had the best WAG coverage overall in 2016.

thegymter.net instantly became the 1st site Women’s Gymnastics fans should check.

There was a continued decline in the number of Gymnastics blog posts in 2016. Nico, for example, was not updating The Liukin, instead posting on Tumblr and other social media. Follow papaliukin on Tumblr. IrishDaniel is good, too. Tumblr is messy and confusing, however.

Anne Josephson’s JAG GYM BLOG was excellent again this past year. Much reposted. It’s thoughtful and unique. One of the few sites discussing gymnastics judges and parents.

Bea Gheorghisor and friends post on The Couch Gymnast | Facebook | @TheCouchGymnast. It’s a must read too.

Gigi Khazback-Farid and friends – WOGymnastikA posts more often than anyone else. Often highlight GIFs from Tumblr and social media.

Albert Minguillón i Colomer, Nora Schuler & Elizabeth Long (Europe) – THE ALL AROUND | Facebook | @THEALLAROUND

Katie (Ireland) – @full_twist

Every WAG coach should be following Swing Big. Since 2013, Zari has been methodically posting practical drills. The best of what’s out there.

• Triple Twist Gym Blog | Facebook | @tripletwistgym

• MCSMaria

Tony Retrosi’s Gym Momentum – Gym Momentum | Facebook | @gym_momentum

• Gymnast 391

Gymnastics News Network is an aggregator like this one. But they also post unique content.

GymFever2012 on Facebook is one of my best sources. But I don’t link as it’s “secret”. I belong to a number of private Facebook groups, in fact. Those groups seem to have increasingly taken over from private forums. In 2016 the secret Gymternet Clan Facebook group was another excellent source of breaking news.

Follow Emma Bailey @MoominWhisky

If you do like to discuss Gymnastics topics, the forums offer better software. Check out Chalk Bucket forums. (some public, some private)

WWGym. Or IG Forum.

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Other must reads not focused on WAG:

• Trampoline Pundit

• T&T Coaches Canada on Facebook is a terrific T&T source, too. Invitation only. There are other Trampoline sites on Facebook, as well.

• Uncle Tim Talks Men’s Gym. Uncle Tim has not posted much in 2016, but is a regular on the GymCastic audiocast.

• Ron Noe – Stick It Media (MAG) | @StickItMedia

• NCAA MEN’S GYMNASTICS ALUMNI on Facebook (Open)

• GYMMIN’ MIEL! (all disciplines)

Please subscribe, follow and/or like those as well as others listed here that don’t post quite so often. (A much longer list of sites we follow is listed in the navigation of every page on this site.)

The only site with more content for coaches than this one is GymnasticsZone, a terrific resource. Original content.
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Ask Al Fong is another superb site for technique.

I follow the NCAA mostly on these sites:

• Balance Beam Situation

• College Gym Fans

• NCAA Gym News (new in 2015) @NCAAGymNews_

For NCAA scores and links best is RoadtoNationals.com 🙂

The following sites publish less frequently, but I never miss a post:

• the always thoughtful Gymnast Crossing

• Between the Olympics | @BTOgymblog

Valentin Uzunov – @thegympress.

The best site for recreational gymnastics is another I edit, RecGymnastics.com. We’re looking for contributors.

B.C. Gymnastics does a great job with their non-competitive site PlayGymnastics.com.

For music check these sites:

• tunegym.com
• SportMUSIC.com

CodeofPoints.com is a great resource for MAG and WAG coaches. It’s a video library of Gymnastics skills

Sites dedicated to geographic regions:

Region 5 Gym Insider does a terrific job promoting just one of 8 regions in the USA.

Germany
• GymMedia (English & German)
• turn-news (German)

Great Britain
• British Gymnewstics

Belgium
• Belgian Gymnastics

Romania:
• Alina – Tare! magazine
• Mihai – FanGymnastics (Romanian)

France:
• ACTUS GYMNASTIQUE

Arabian peninsula:
• Gombazz Facebook page

China:
• Blossom, Chinese Gymnastics Flowers

• Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

• Australian Gymnastics Blog

• GymPower (Dutch)

• Gimnasia Latina (Spanish American)

• Revista Magnesia | Facebook | @revistamagnesia (Mexico)

• Doble en Plancha (Spain)

• Gymnastikfabriken (Sweden)

• Gymania (Israel)

• Gym Blog Brazil (Portuguese)

• Jenn Isbister’s Gymn.ca (Canada) … perhaps the original dedicated National site

The Chrome browser offers automatic Google language Translate, one of the main reasons I use it.

_____ OFFICIAL SITES:

With a small staff, Inside Gymnastics magazine does a good job during LIVE events. And especially on Facebook.

Inside Gymnastics  | Facebook | @InsideGym

I link a lot to IG. Dwight Normile, Amanda Turner, John Crumlish & team – International Gymnast magazine online News | Facebook | @intlgymnast

Last year and again this year I was astonished at the quality of communications out of USA Gymnastics and FIG. Those organizations have media people equal the best bloggers. In the past information from both was whitewashed — no bad news. But both have gotten increasingly open, over time.

• USAG Headlines | Facebook | @USAGym

• FIG News | Facebook | @gymnastics

British Gymnastics does a terrific job of communicating.

_____ AUDIO, PHOTO & VIDEO SITES:

FloGymnastics are the leaders in unique online VIDEO.

In the past I was boycotting FloGymnastics.com (formerly Gymnastike) as were many other sites. That started with the Joe Battaglia Flocasts scandal, but – in fact – I don’t like some of Gymnastike’s business practices. And haven’t for some years. Things have improved in 2016 so I’ve been linking more.

My favourite feature on FloGymnastics is Workout Wednesday (FREE). They’ve recently added more technical content behind the paywall. I’ve never had a subscription for FloPRO, however.

The Gymneo WAG coaching video tutorials (now in French and English) are superb. Cost as I post is  199€  or $218 / year. They do post free teasers on their Facebook page.

Justin Laury’s Gymnastics Progressions website launched Christmas 2015. WAG coaching tutorials cost $8 – $15 / month.

Sports2Visuals.com posts high quality gymnast documentaries in Dutch and English. Everyone knows their The Hard Way To Success videos.

But Sports2Visuals.com is doing much more. For example they created videos for the 2013 World Championships Organizing Committee. See ALL their videos linked from the home page. And subscribe to their YouTube channel.

The best thing that ever happened for gymnastics coaches is YouTube. Thank Google for buying that company and letting us share with the world for free. In 2011 I still link to YouTube over Vimeo and others as YouTube streams quickest over a weak WiFi signal. The worst place to post your videos is Facebook — link to a YouTube video in Facebook, instead.

Some of my favourites this past year:

• Arabian Punch Front links to the best montage videos. And more.

• American Gymnast Gymnastics on Demand videos on the JoeLangley YouTube channel (1150+ coaching tutorials)

• British Gymnastics videos

• GymTactics Videos on YouTube (formerly JAO)

• Sargis Siradegyan’s sKT YouTube channel (MAG)

• Coach Sommers – Gymnastic Bodies videos (the #1 MAG strength guru)

• Nick Blanton on YouTube

Nick relocated to Canada. And started up Blanton’s Gymnastics Consultancy. Recommended.

• Tony Retrosi – Gym Momentum YouTube Channel

• Mary Lee Tracy – USAmlt YouTube Channel

• Gymnastics Minute YouTube channel. And GymSmarts for DVDs $.

• RedNasvw YouTube channel, especially his MAG Code of Points videos

There were fewer & fewer gymnastics montages in 2016. I link most to AshleyakaFlipper and CSaccullo.

For podcasts the top site is GymCastic.  Jessica O’Beirne of Masters Gymnastics. They have a number of guest hosts as well as celebrity guests each week.

For PHOTOS, Inside Gymnastics has the photographer I link to most. That’s the terrific Grace Chiu. She uses Facebook perfectly, posting a few of her best shots in order to promote sales from GraceClick.ca.

_____ …

Did I MISS one of your favourite sites? … or links to their content?

But … leave a comment and I’ll update this list in a week or so. I could name many more.

related:

Gymternet – best of 2015
Gymternet – best of 2014
Gymternet – best of 2013
Gymternet – best of 2012
Gymternet – best of 2011
Gymternet – best of 2010

Lastly, a big THANKS and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all the individuals who emailed or messaged me with links in 2014. 🙂