Category: psychology

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)