Category: Uncategorized

Gymnast from Taiwan, I believe.

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(via gymnastikfabriken)

Anne Josephson:

… Competition is neither good nor bad; it is we who make it one or the other. It is what we choose to focus on when talking about competition that alters the outcome positively or negatively for the kids who are competing. …

Where competition gets tricky is when we are too focused on winning and not sufficiently focused on the process. When we place greater emphasis on the result than we do on the road to get the result …

… competition can be destructive when a child believes that his or her value as a human being is tied to his or her ability to win. Parents who withhold affection if a child performs poorly or who lavish on praise and gifts if the child does well send the message that their child’s worth is from his or her performance. …

COMPETITION: IS IT GOOD OR BAD FOR KIDS?

Woodward is building another Action Sport Camp. No Artistic Gymnastics, however. 😦

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Coming soon in 2016, Woodward Riviera Maya will offer the one-of-a-kind chance to snowboard and snow ski in Mexico, along with a skate and BMX park, parkour, cheer and hip hop dance programs and amenities, trampoline, a Digital Media Camp and more.

hrhrivieramaya

In fact, they are opening yet another Woodward in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

2. words: Have fun.

3. words: Tell me more.

4. Good job. Keep working.

6. I love to watch you play.

Sports Parenting in 10 Sentences

Click through for more. 🙂

Some great drills for a problematic skill.

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Tom dislikes late turning drills. Personally, I feel they are useful. The BIGGEST error on Blind is turning too early and stopping the swing.

That was linked on a Big Swing post which includes more Blind Change drills.

Seems to me this kind of (future) technology would be fantastic for coach education.

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… if you knew you could not fail? 🙂

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Steve Arkell linked to the most detailed article on the topic I’ve yet seen. It was published by USAG Technique magazine in 2009.

16 WAYS TO OVERCOME PSYCHOLOGICAL (MENTAL) BLOCK IN GYMNASTICS

… Occasionally, a clear-cut starting point identifies the origin of the psychological blocking problem – a serious fall, a near catastrophe or a painful collision may precipitate the blocking. Perhaps, observing such events happening to another was the precipitating condition. More often, however, the cause is difficult to pinpoint. Our research shows that blocking has a number of predictable characteristics (Feigley, Robbins & Berger, 1989):

it generalizes backwards within a sequence of skills. For example, blocking on the back somersault phase of the roundoff, back handspring, back somersault sequence quickly spreads to the back handspring and frequently to the round-off itself.

it generalizes across skills. For example, a problem on the back salto on the beam quickly spreads to a back salto on the floor and/or to a back walkover on the beam or the floor.

Athletes susceptible to blocking have similar characteristics. They are … very bright fast learners, at least initially. …

Frankly, we do not know what causes psychological blocking. The cause remains a mystery despite some educated guesses. …

4. MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF EMOTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE BLOCKING …

8. NEVER MISLEAD THE ATHLETE ABOUT WHETHER YOU WILL OR WILL NOT SPOT. …

9. LET THEM KNOW THEY ARE NOT ALONE …

Have gymnasts with the problem talk to one another. Let them realize that they are not alone; they are not the only one. This is especially effective if they have contact with an older, more experienced gymnast who has successfully overcome similar problems with blocking. …

16. DESIGN THE GYMNAST’S OPTIONAL ROUTINES TO ELIMINATE THE BLOCKED SKILL

Download a PDF version of that article from USAG.

Julianna Small:

The judge salutes me in. I face the beam and take a deep breath before I start my routine, going over a million little reminders in my head: point your toes, tighten your muscles, don’t over think it. I jump, and as my feet grip the rough, familiar beam, I relax and the muscle memory kicks in. …

I finish one of my best routines. But as I take off for the dismount, I know something is wrong the moment my feet leave the beam. I am too late, rotating too slowly, and my heart sinks as I slam down onto the cold hard mat.

So close.

As much as I want to sit there and give in to the tears that are attempting to fall at any moment, I get up, turn around, and give the judges a big salute, making sure to smile just like nothing went wrong. As I walk away, I am reminded of just how much I have learned from my gymnastics experiences; get up after you fall, smile, and try again.

More Than Just Sticking It: What We Can Learn From Great Gymnasts

Even the Great Gymnasts fall. And they get back up.

(via Chalk Bucket)

For tumbling, leaps and aerials. Tammy Biggs.

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