Category: sport medicine

East German coach Dieter Hofmann

When Hofmann died of COVID-19 in April 2020, the international gymnastics community remembered him as an innovator and mentor.

The tributes focused on his technical knowledge shared generously, on a coach “always willing and eager” to help programs worldwide.

None mentioned “The Rose.” None referenced the Stasi files or the pharmaceutical protocols. …

I attended a number of Hofmann’s coaching courses.

He was a coaches coach. Very good at planning. A proven winner. His team won no fewer than 52 medals at Olympic Games, World and European Championships.

I have no doubt that his main passion was beating the USSR.

BUT in that era of the DDR, you cooperated with the Stasi (secret police) or lost your job.

In that era of the DDR, if higher-ups told you to test new drugs on gymnasts, you did it.

I knew very little about all these new revelations — aside from the drugs he told us about at one coaching course. Some kind of steroids. They tried them on junior male gymnasts ultimately deciding that the benefits weren’t worth the risk.

Uncle Tim put together a career retrospective on Dieter Hoffman. So far as I can verify with contemporaries, it’s very accurate. Uncle Tim is a terrific researcher.

Read more …

Gymnastics-History.com – Code Name “Rose”: The Double Life of East Germany’s Head Coach

Fujitsu software in health care

… International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), … Fujitsu Limited, and Acer Medical Inc., which provides AI-powered medical image processing and preventive medicine, today announced a collaboration …

FIG, Fujitsu, Acer Medical collaborate to develop health-promoting insurance concept to support preventative care in aging societies

… smartphone app …

I attended the press conference and LIVE, real-time demonstration of the medical package.

Smart phone video ➙ wirelessly sent to a laptop ➙ analysis ➙ wirelessly sent to a monitor.

The DEMO we watched was analysis of gait. Preventive medicine. They want to analyze elderly patients standing, sitting, and walking—turning that into valuable clinical insights for the doctor.

I was impressed.

It seemed quick enough to be used in the Gym by a coach doing analysis. By the time the gymnast gets to the monitor, the data would be ready for display.

In Japan, Fujitsu has their software working for Golf Swing, Archery, Baseball, and other sports. Gymnastics is more complicated, of course.

Watanabe was asked WHEN we might see the Fujitsu software used in FIG competition regularly. He wouldn’t commit.

Personally, I need it more IN THE GYM for coaching analysis.

The software wouldn’t need to be anywhere near as perfected for that use. I’d want to compare my gymnast performance of Tkachev in training against Kate McDonald, for example. 😀

anti-doping regulations Jan. 1, 2026

From FIG by email:

We hereby inform you that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published the main anti-doping regulations and documentation that will come into force on 1 January 2026.

2026 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods

2026 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes

2026 Monitoring Program

Please note that a mobile-friendly digital version of the 2026 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods will be published on 1 January 2026.

Rebeca Andrade by her coach Xico Porath

Adidas posted a charming mini-documentary of the great Rebeca Andrade’s relationship with her life long coach, Xico Porath.

He’s been coach and father figure through her long career — including 3 major knee injuries.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

VIDEO – Why It Sucks To Be A Gymnast

Many gymnasts will relate to this commentary.

For young kids, Gymnastics is fantastic — until the chronic pain from training begins. On average, kids are mostly chronic pain free until about age-10.

After that, competitive Gymnastics is not for everyone. It’s no failure to then switch to any other sport or activity.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

16-year-old Palestinian gymnast severely crippled

Ahmed Al-Ghalban.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

improving brain – body connection

You know that kid?

A motor genius?

They can quickly understand a movement challenge and accomplish it quickly.

HOW that works is little understood by coaches.

Yuka Sugiura consults with gymnasts & coaches, explaining the vestibular system. And uses a few quick, easy drills to improve the brain body connection.

To learn more, listen to the podcast. Google: “EP077 Gymnastics Growth Show – Nick Ruddock and Yuka Sugiura“

Perfect Balance by Julia Konner

Review by Gymnastics Coaching editor Rick McCharles

Pacific & Court Publishing sent me a review copy of a new book by Julia Konner — Perfect Balance.

Published August 2024.

It’s very good. I recommend it for coaches, parents, and serious older gymnasts.

It’s science based, but easy enough to read for every teenager.

Coaches can read this book to remind of important principles for being successful in Gymnastics and Life.

Gymnasts can treat it as a fill-in-the-blank workbook, if they prefer.

Honest and up-to-date. I found nothing with which I could disagree. 😀

I liked the section titled Handling the Hardships of Gymnastics.

The chapter on Quitting, best of all. This should be recommended to any older gymnast contemplating hanging up the grips.

Gymnastics is a master teacher of how to fail. More important, it is a master teacher of how to overcome failure. As a gymnast, you deal with so much failure that after a while it doesn’t seem so scary. Many people avoid challenges because they are so afraid to fail—but not you. You know that when you fail you are one step closer to success. You also know that failure is a normal (and helpful) part of life.

Julia Konner, MPH, CHES, is a former collegiate Division 1 student-athlete and coach with over 16 years of competing as an artistic gymnast. Through her many years as a club athlete, collegiate athlete, and team captain, she has faced her own adversities through injuries, body image issues, and impact that training 30+ hours/week has had on her social life.

Over the years she has helped countless young and college-aged athletes navigate the ups and downs of the complicated, arduous, and time-consuming sport of gymnastics.

Through her personal experience and intricate knowledge of the sport, Konner provides evidence-based advice for young gymnasts at every level. She holds a master’s in public health (MPH) from the University of California, Davis.

During and after finishing her graduate work, she worked in research and program management related to prevention and mitigation of chronic diseases through healthier lifestyle habits.

She remains active as a competitive CrossFit athlete, focused on both the physical side of strength as well as the mental. She currently lives in Washington, DC, and works in public health.

older gymnasts dominating Gymnastics

Rebeca, Simone, Ellie would all be competitive in 2028.

Flavia is tough

With insufficient time to do a full concussion check after a Bars fall, Flavia went straight back to compete.