With coach Tracey Skirton.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Month: September 2018
GymACT (Gymnastics Association of College Teams)
GymACT is an organization fighting to help create, grow and maintain Men’s collegiate gymnastics programs in the USA.
Read their take on the recent announcement that University of Illinois at Chicago will be dropping both their Men’s and Women’s teams at the end of this season.
Focusing on positive development and exposure
Thanks Ono.
introducing sprint and hurdle
I love teaching sprint to very young kids. It’s one of my favourite “skills” to coach, especially age 3-4.
Parents are shocked at the rapid progress their children make.
Al Fong posted an excellent drill for very young kids:
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
… with the use of warm and fuzzy objects to fit their comfort level, in addition to creating an environment where the young kids can safely learn to overcome fears of running into something hard.
Mr. Wally does a great job of keeping his preschool boys active and busy by getting them to run and jump over mats. They have to figure out how fast to run and how far to jump—from one foam block to another. It’s safe, it’s fun, and it’s challenging. Sometimes they crash and burn, but it’s soft enough they don’t get hurt. Which means they’re more likely to try it again and again. To me, this is where vaulting starts for beginners.The depth and distance perception exercise trained in this fun manner is invaluable later as the gymnasts learn to gauge their run toward the vaulting table.
Ask Al Fong – Dragon Gymnastics – Vaulting starts with the run. Learning to run starts early.
Kids love that activity. They love elephant vaulting even better.
ways to grasp the Bar
Here’s an introduction to a confusing subject for the non-gymnast.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUJNTv0UrAs
Not mentioned is the (rarely seen in WAG) mixed el-grasp + undergrasp combo.
In Canadian coach education we try to distinguish between “grasps” of the Bar and “grips” (leather handguards).
Pantoja doesn’t “cheat” muscle-ups
Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.
Miss Val on elite Gymnastics
Miss Val has been the best and most helpful of all NCAA coaches on the USAG scandals. Mark Williams is another.
Needless to say, Miss Val has got some criticism for being so outspoken.
She responds.
I have also been accused of “hating elite gymnastics and all elite coaches.” And to those people… please know, I have never said that, it is simply not true.
I “hate” the system we all (elite, club and college coaches alike) either embraced, turned a blind eye to or didn’t try hard enough to change. …
… After I wrote my initial “Time’s Up” piece, someone commented that I was as guilty as the people I was calling out because I never did anything about it.
Whomever you were… I hear you, I didn’t do enough. While striving to develop our own athletes from the inside out, I should have done more to address concerns at the elite level. So yes, I am a part of allowing this culture that I vehemently disagreed with to thrive for decades. …
Together We’ll Rise
For the record, I’ve always found UCLA to be one of the College teams most supportive of Elite and former Elite gymnasts.
P Bar support skills
Training at Okohama Jr High School.
Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.
calls for Kerry Perry to resign
New CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee Sarah Hirshland blasted USA Gymnastics in an email to USA TODAY Sports on Friday night, saying “it is time to consider making adjustments in the leadership.”
Tony Retrosi on behalf of the U.S. Elite Coaches Association / Women posted a “Vote of No Confidence”.
Owner / Coach Sandy Spokoiny-Flores has always been a positive supporter of USAG. But she too asks for Kerry Perry’s removal.
There’s a petition on Change.org.
And of course every Tom, Dick and Spencer on the gymternet agrees.
It was a gamble bringing in a non-Gymnastics person to try to Steve Jobs the failing organization. It didn’t work.
NOW … Let’s remember how everything was fixed when Steve Penney was handed a million dollars and led to the door.
The biggest problems remained then. And they’ll still be there when Perry leaves.
mittens between the ears for alignment
Or sponges.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I like these drills for beginners. Once they can be trusted to keep line, begin tilting the head slightly for more visual information.
(I’m not convinced every gymnast needs see thumbs, however.)
GSP learns forward salto full twist
The MMA legend has been training Gymnastics for some years now.
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
In a related celebrity post, Derek Hough tries Gymnastics.
Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 