Category: psychology

My girls will be feared by weak men.

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Poem by Daragh Fleming.

I𝙛 𝙄 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙢𝙚𝙣.
But to everyone else they’ll be a consistent friend.
They’ll never lack meaning.

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜.
They’ll take up space and they’ll like what they like.
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙚.

My girls will be feared by weak men.
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩.
They will always know love, and never feel they have to earn it.

They’ll know their value is inherent, has nothing to do with their looks.
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨.
They’ll be mothers one day if they so choose.
But their value won’t be defined by the use of their wombs.

They will be whatever lives in their hearts.
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩.

My girls will know poetry and song.
They know I will listen when something feels wrong.
They will learn that ‘women are too emotional’ is an original lie.
And they will not grow up with a father who refuses to cry.

So yeah,
My girls will make some weak men shake in their knees.
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨.

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨.

Thanks Jeff.

Achilles Tear to Perfect 10 | Kiya Johnson

An inspiring story of Kiya’s comeback from a devastating Achilles injury during her senior season.

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book – ADHD is Awesome

Every coach deals with kids who have some kind of attention deficit disorder.

In fact — when I coach 6-year-old Rec boys, I can’t tell the difference between the ADHD kids and the rest. They are all hyper. And not all that ordered. 😀

Check this out.

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Lily Smith on REALLY HIGH Beam

Gymnastics 400 feet above New York City on a Beam about 7 feet tall!

Big dismount. 😀

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Click PLAY or watch Lily on YouTube.

tramp, technique, progressions …

Great discussions on important topics. 

Justin Spring and Nicole Langevin.

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gymSAFE

This organization has been around since 2015.

From injury prevention lectures at clubs, it’s evolved into gymnastics-specific movement screenings and full on symposiums.

Mission

To provide gymnastics professionals and athletes with the tools and knowledge to prevent gymnastics-related injuries.

Vision

To promote the concept that physical and mental wellness are vital components of gymnastics excellence.

Check it out at discovergymsafe.org

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NEW Gymnastics Nutrition Book

Betsy McNally Laouar just published her 4th book.

You Can’t Flip on Empty: Fueling the Fifth Event of Gymnastics.

Through powerful stories from nearly 300 clubs, backed by current sports science and her own lived experience as an athlete, mother of two special needs children, and coach, Betsy reveals why athletes stall, parents struggle, and coaches feel stuck when fueling is left out of the training plan.

  • Why under-fueling is the silent performance killer (RED-S and beyond).
  • How small cultural shifts in gyms transform athlete confidence and endurance.
  • Practical fueling strategies for busy households that actually work.
  • A fresh, compassionate approach to food that prioritizes both performance and joy.

… Betsy McNally Laouar is a NSCA-certified personal trainer, certified sports nutritionist, professional bodybuilder, author, podcaster, and former gymnast.

Amazon

New Gymnastics Coaching book by Hisayoshi Takahashi 

Hisayoshi Takahashi has been coaching in Canada for decades.


This one is inspired by books written by Professor Emeritus Kaneko Akitomo of the University of Tsukuba, who passed away on December 24, 2024.

While he was a professor at Tsukuba University, Kaneko had coached Endo Yukio, the Olympic individual all-around champion in gymnastics, and Kato Sawao, a two-time consecutive Olympic individual all-around champion.

Coach Hisayoshi Takahashi has many more books on Amazon.

This one is text only.

It’s a dense read recommended for keen Gymnastics coaches, mainly Men’s Gymnastics.

There are a number of spelling mistakes, most notably on Gymnastics skill names. Perhaps some spell checker changed some into English words.

The focus is on kinaesthesia and proprioception — what the gymnast feels and sees when learning and performing skills.

My first Japanese coach, Shiro Tanaka, did the same. It’s part of the Japanese coaching tradition.

I would say this kind of skill-based, very individual, approach is not a system.

Personally, I prefer the movement pattern approach based on biomechanics popularized by Professor Keith Russell. That’s a system. One approach for every gymnast, later personalizing technique based on body size, physical abilities, psychology, etc.

Takahashi has coached in Canada for decades and names Keith Russell and Hardy Fink as two of his influences, I should say.

That distinction made, there are certainly observations and tips that any Gymnastics coach would appreciate. Jot those down as you go.

Available only in digital format.

How to Become a Top-Class Athlete in Competitive Sports (2025)

Gia Giudice & Shawn Johnson win SPECIAL FORCES

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test is an American reality quasi-military training television series …

… pits contestants, dubbed “recruits”, against harsh environments all around the world in a shortened training course that is designed to replicate a number of elements of the actual United States Special Forces selection course …

… hostile and unforgiving warfare environments, while testing their mental and physical ability …

Shawn Johnson East was one of two ‘winners‘ who passed all those tests. Her husband, Andrew East, made it to the top 5.

Congratulations.

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