Author: Rick Mc

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

WHO should USA hire?

I’m often consulted when clubs hire a new Head Coach. About 50% of the time the new hire is not better than the old. It’s the math.

Many coaches of the top teams in the world would be reluctant to consider the position.

Spencer has some advice for the USAG hiring committee. (If smart, they’d ask Simone to join that group.)

… USAG may be best served at this point by hiring an elite national team head coach—one whose purview is routine feedback, coach development, and a non-abusive culture but who is explicitly not involved in team selection—then hiring a literal Excel document to select teams, and establishing a separate injury-petition committee made up of definitely-not-the-coaches to intervene on judgement calls that a spreadsheet and extensive documentation can’t manage. …

BBS

My vote would go to K.J. Kindler. But she’d be crazy to apply.

TIME magazine Athlete of the Year

Simone may have done more for the world by withdrawing from the Olympics than by winning a fistful more medals.

NEW podcast – The Performance Mindset

Nick Adair is a full-time coach in New Jersey. He’s worked, as well, in the fitness,and mental health industries.

The first episodes include advice on relaxation, healthy thoughts, training with fear, building new habits.

Listen online to start, as the podcast is not yet listed in every podcast directory.

https://coachnickadair.com/podcast/

introducing Round-off

Some good progressions.

This is an excerpt from Mary Lee Tracy’s Yurchenko Vault tutorial for paid subscribers.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Tom Forster steps down

Good coach. I truly believe he tried to help the USAG Elite WAG program evolve for the better.

But communication was not great right from the start.

I hope the next National Team Director works with much more transparency. Clear, written expectations. Decisions based on performance and criteria set in advance.

Winter Olympics – pressure on China

As a volunteer for IOC and keen booster of the Olympic movement, I support this decision.

Let the athletes compete — but pressure China in every other way. That de facto dictatorship (like Russia) only responds to strength.

UK., Australia, USA and Canada have announced. I expect more to join.

how to Switch Ring

Heart this.

Coach Team Canada

Once again, Gymnastics Canada is advertising for a WAG National Team Head Coach.

In recent years, Ellie Black’s coach — David Kikuchi — has mostly filled that role.

Any candidate applying should have experience coaching one of the top 8 teams in the world.

Nick Ruddock was brought in as a guest coach for the most recent National Team Camp. He posted this photo on Facebook.