Author: Rick Mc

Here’s that Tsuk with triple twist. Or, more correctly, 1/4 on in one direction, 2 and 3/4 off in the other direction of twist

Jake Dalton Kasamatsu Double Full

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

http://www.gymnastike.org/assets/portal/add_ons/mediaplayer-4.2/player.swf

Little known Jake Dalton has been named to the USA World Championships team based mainly on this vault. I hear he’s done the “Lopez” better, happily.

What’s his second vault?

His second vault is a handspring straight front double twist. (Thanks Matthew. Thanks Kyle.)

Once again I am able to embed Gymnastike videos on this NEW version of GymnasticsCoaching.

Nice!

Coach Jim Jason Jarrett demonstrates the stages of spotting you should go through when teaching a clear hip on uneven bars. Footage is from the Hands On Spotting session of the 2009 GAT Convention.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

http://www.gymnastike.org/assets/portal/add_ons/mediaplayer-4.2/player.swf

MORE Gymnastics Videos on Gymnastike

Looks good. I’m not convinced that spotting is the best way to teach the skill, though.

Much faster is to learn it and perfect it on safety straps. Then later move it to bars. With as little spotting as possible.

Of course this Gymnastics Association of Texas session was a spotting session. Seems most coaches need to know how to spot a skill before learning how to teach it without spotting.

The Men’s team has been selected:

Jonathan Horton – All-around
Tim McNeill – All-around
Danell Leyva – Parallel bars & high bar
Steven Legendre – Floor
Jake Dalton – Vault
Wes Haagensen – Pommel horse & rings

details and commentary on Stick It Media.

Great to see Tim McNeill from Cal Berkleley still training and on the team. He can contend on PH and PB.

I don’t know much about Jake Dalton. He does a Lopez vault, I know. Leave a comment if you know of a video of it posted to YouTube.

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The final Women’s team will be picked after a final selection camp starting September 30 at the Karolyi Ranch in Texas.

Round two invitees include: Jana Bieger, Rebecca Bross, MacKenzie Caquatto, Ivana Hong, Kytra Hunter, Chellsie Memmel, Samantha Peszek, Bridget Sloan, Cassie Whitcomb and Kayla Williams. (Kaitlyn Clark and Alaina Johnson were the two athletes not invited to the final camp.)
…

For several injured athletes, time has run out. Petitioned National Team members Olivia Courtney (broken ankle in August), Mattie Larson (double ankle sprain in July) and Sam Shapiro (ankle surgery in June) did not attend last week’s first selection camp and are therefore, per the World Selection procedures, ineligible to advance to the second camp.

read more on Inside Gymnastics

UPDATE:

On Twitter, Samantha Pezek linked to the official announcement that she has withdrawn from the women’s 2009 World Championships Team selection process so she can undergo shoulder surgery.

All American Gymnastics.

Click through for more and larger versions.

photo originally posted in The Age – Rizzo

(via Australian Gymnastics Blog – Stack It)

When this happens, land FLAT AS A PANCAKE. (That way you dissipate the force over as much surface area as possible.)

Colby Jones

A repost (I think) of something I put together last year for the now defunct Gymnast.com.

=== original post:

Walaber makes his own freeware games. And “tries to find a trampoline to jump on in his spare time!”

On his blog the big announcement: Gymnast 1.0 released!

Gymnast – launch trailer from Walaber on Vimeo.

It’s free. Gamers can download it – Walaber.com

(via Shergymrag)

Incidentally, I really enjoyed a Robert X. Cringely column on PBS advocating we use digital games to educate children: Ozzy Knows Best: Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne are the unwitting inventors of a prototype for digital education.

I was convinced.

Hey, the Nintendo’s WiiFit E3 (video) has great potential for beam training. The future looks bright for sport and fitness training in a “virtual world”.

Wii Fit is out in Japan. Scheduled for release on April 25, 2008 in Europe; May 8, 2008 in Australia; and May 19, 2008 in North America. US$90 and £69.99. So far it has Snowboarding and Ski Jumping. But other acrobatic sports cannot be far behind.

(via Shergymrag)

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related post: world DD Trampoline video game

I have always been supportive of a stuck landing bonus in competition.

This results in coaches and gymnasts making more conservative (safer) decisions in which dismount to compete. And greatly reduces the risk of injury on landing.

Best of all was a regulation we once had in place for beginner boys in Alberta which required a 3-second hold on landing in the bent knee position … before standing up and presenting.

(Young kids tend to get excited and stand up too quickly.)

We had no deduction for “feet apart”.

Last season at women’s competition in my region and was shocked to see the stick bonus disallowed for some of the “best” landings in the meet on vault.

Why? … Feet “too far apart”.

This is crazy. And may actually cause ankle injury (sprains) by forcing gymnasts to land with feet too close together.

So long as the athlete can “pivot” the heels together to touch without moving the toes, the feet are close enough together. This distance is almost shoulder width for most kids, creating a stable base of support.

In fact, I would prefer we deduct athletes who land with feet “too close together”. That would make a lot more sense medically.

photo – Kyle Shewfelt, Olympic Floor Champion at 2004 Olympics

related: About.com Gymnastics – top 10 “sticks”

… some quick drills using theraband elastics to improve flexibility and strength … from Tammy Biggs.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Good drill from Tony Retrosi:

Being able to accelerate front tumbling make the more difficult skills easier. Here Tony show drills for the handspring front and handspring front layout using an inclined mat.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Gymnastics Minute is a series of free introductory video tips produced by GymSmarts.

The air mat of course from TumblTrak.

How about that old AMF folding crash mat? I haven’t seen one of those in decades.

I enjoyed the many festivals, including the Fringe, immensely … but did not find much acrobatics on display.

One capoeira group impressed.