One of the best things we do at Gymnastics class is teaching how to land and fall safely.
NOT like this.
via RecGymnastics.com
Category: safety
STICK like Uchimura
Dvora Meyers put together a deep dive into the history of competition Gymnastics landings. She digs into the evolution of landing mats, as well.
The most dangerous part of most routines.
If gymnasts are allowed a controlled lunge on Floor, use that technique. It’s much safer — absorbing force over more time and distance.
Personally, my strategy as a coach is to train competition landings with the goal of a 0.1 deduction small hop. If the gymnasts happens to STICK for no deduction once-in-a-while, I consider it a 0.1 bonus over the plan.
Read the article on Defector:
The Case Against Sticking The Landing
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
teaching kids about UNSAFE touching
Parents of recreation gymnast needed to be educated about “spotting“, of course.
introducing Rope climb
Inexperienced coaches ask young kids to climb too high, too soon.
Instead, challenge them with these drills. And others close to the ground.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. No audio.
Those are precomp kids from Taiso, Saskatoon and Altadore, Calgary. But the drills are the same for everyone. Even non-gymnasts.
“It’s the Hard Knock Life”
Nobody knows better than gymnasts how to fall safely. And get back up.
It’s not the falls that stop girls from training sport.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
on SAFER Landings
Click through for the longer post.
Emily Bischoff:
… Teaching our athletes to land correctly is one thing coaches can control in terms of injury prevention, whether it be to lessen the load on tendons and ligaments to prevent overuse injuries, or to minimize the risk of fluke injuries …
… the force upon landing be dissipated throughout as much of the body as much as possible …
… feet around shoulder width apart, which widens the base of support over which force is exerted. Knees should be in flexion (bent), tracking over the toes …
Promoting Safety in Gymnastics: Landings
Rachael Denhollander – What Is a Girl Worth?
Available in hardcover, Kindle and audio.
Recommended children’s book – How Much Is a Little Girl Worth?
Click PLAY or watch Rachael on YouTube.
coaches should not require weigh-ins
The last time I saw a scale in a Gym was 2003. I asked that it be removed.
Unless there is some specific reason — scientific research in training, for example — there’s no need for weigh-ins at training. And there are some risks, as we’ve seen in the past.
I prefer gymnasts weigh in at home in private. Or under instructions from medical staff.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. This is the new policy of British Gymnastics.
Age Falsification in Chinese Gymnastics
Dr. Uncle Tim has taken a deep dive into age falsification in women’s gymnastics on his excellent site ➙ Gymnastics-History.com.
Age falsification was quite common back in the bad, old days. Especially in China and Romania.
In fact, we even had cases of falsification in lower levels of Gymnastics competition where I coached.
Check out the important post:
Who Bears the Responsibility for Age Falsification in Chinese Gymnastics?
H Bars do break – metal fatigue
I still recall the day in the 1990s when my boss Keith Russell insisted we recycle the horizontal bar at University of Saskatchewan. Pay for a new one.
He felt they had to be replaced every 10 years in a Gym with many adult male gymnasts.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 