An interesting trend are the increasing number of athlete highlight video clips on the internet.
The best are action sports: skateboard, rollerskating, free running, cycling, etc. Some of those are at the level of professional documentary. The video is the performance.
Much less evolved are tribute montages dedicated to gymnasts. But with increased availability of video editing software, I expect to see tens of thousands listed on YouTube in coming months.
I link to this one mainly because I am such a big fan of Hollie Vise, 2003 World Champion on Bars. Hollie will compete for University of Oklahoma starting this season.
Quite a bit of discussion was generated when spotting Pak (part 1) was posted on this site.
Many gyms are just introducing this excellent skill.
At a coaching clinic Patrick Carmichael came up with a foolproof spotting method when introducing the skill to beginners. The youngest kids on this footage (demonstrators) had no concept of what “Pak” meant before we filmed them.
Pat is one of the excellent young coaches I like to profile on this blog. He has a command of the art and science of coaching well beyond his years. Pat is coaching full-time at the Island Gymnastics Academy in Charlottetown, PEI.
1996 USA Gymnastics Olympic Team Member and Hall of Famer Mihai Bagiu takes you behind the scenes with Brett Brown for unique interviews with some of the world’s top gymnasts, past and present. Only 2 more years until Beijing. The countdown to Olympic gold has started!
The interviews are long and in depth. Mostly the top men in the USA. The focus is on the gymnasts as people, far more than the gymnastics. It’s definitely worth checking out!
A coach needs to progress carefully to avoid the arch on the upswing of a giant swing.
Brian Bakalar has a nice overview of the giant on his Gymnastics Revolution website. The images on this site by Brian and photographer Philip Morton are simply the best on the net.
I was surprised to see how well the best in the world handled the new mega Big Air ramp at X Games this summer. It looks far too dangerous. Especially from the 80ft-high roll in.