Author: Rick Mc

Career gymnastics coach who loves the outdoors, and the internet.

Maryland, Yale, Temple, George Washington, Towson

America’s best and brightest standing up for human rights.

All are created equal.

And — therefore — all wear the same leo. 😀

Carly Dockendorf coaching Beam

Click through for a terrific interview.

Ironically, the first must-have on Utah associate head coach Carly Dockendorf’s checklist of essentials for a Red Rocks beam worker is something she didn’t possess as an athlete herself: a love for the apparatus.

“To be honest, I was terrible at beam as a gymnast,” admitted Dockendorf. “It was my worst event. …

… last season their beam NQS was the highest in the NCAA on any apparatus—a feat they’re in the process of repeating with their 49.670 leading the nation currently. …

Behind the Scenes of Utah’s Beam Dynasty

This photo is from a 2020 post on College Gym News – Dockendorf Brings Unique Experience to Utah and Coaching

Baku World Cup MAG Finals 2

MAG judges rarely credit vaulters with FAR superior form in the air. Happily, Yulo took the gold as he is FAR cleaner than most of the rest.

Baku World Cup Finals 2

Yulo 15.400 P Bars

Very clean.

I can’t see 1.1 in deduction.

Baku World Cup MAG Finals 1

Baku World Cup Finals 1

hand position on Round-off

A study from 2015 — “Elbow joint variability for different hand positions of the round off in gymnastics” — concluded that what I’ve heard called the classic T position is best and safest for the elbows when doing Round-offs.

I’d agree.

Of course you can quickly find examples of top gymnasts using far different hand positions, especially in MAG. But the classic T is what I teach beginners.

Via Shift Movement Science.

College gymnasts returning to Elite

If you are the rest of the world, the trend of College gymnasts returning to Elite to try for Olympic qualification means the USA will be getting even stronger.

Careers will be extended.

Gymnasts should be more consistent, even with their Elite difficulty routines.