tumbling, tramp, diving, acrobatics, circus, cheer, dance, martial arts, X sports … and more
Presentation at USA Gymnastics Region 2 Congress 2007 (R2R), Spokane by GymnasticsCoaching.com editor Rick McCharles.
What is fun?
How can we have more fun in the gym? Especially for female Artistic Gymnasts?
This fast-paced video clip is an overview of the “science of fun”.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
related post – Christmas training camp – Mountain Shadows FUN “competition” video
JBS, administrator of the Chalk Bucket forum, notes that USA Gymnastics posted a new, simplified biographies page for their National Teams.
It’s an unusual format, but works well.
screenshot example
Check it out: Team Biographies – USA Gymnastics
At R2R I was happy to be introduced to Rafe Kelley, a gymnastics coach from Washington State.
He’s also a traceur, martial artist and acrobat.
Rafe travelled to France to train and study Parkour and Free Running. And is involved in the fast growing pursuit in his region.
Most interesting to me was a concept called Le Methode Naturelle:
A discipline that in many ways seems to unite all of my interests within the realm of physical development and my training has become much more productive and complete. This blog is to share a bit of my training and my thoughts for those interested in the natural capacities of human movement.
Read more on Rafe’s blog. From a recent post:
Playful, Methodical, and Fundamental. I believe these three principles are the basis of an effective long term training practice whether it is for Methode Naturelle, Parkour, Martial arts, or really most any discipline of human movement.
Click PLAY to see Rafe and friends practising what they love.
Click on the logo to see all posts referencing the Coaches Congress 2007 in the Pacific NW.
It will be linked from the right hand navigation for the next few weeks.
Coaches often have eight different sessions to choose from. Tom Beach is here videotaping some sessions for GymSmarts.
Excerpted from an interview of UCLA first year gymnasts:
What is the hardest part of the transition from high school and club gymnastics to college life and gymnastics training?
Niki Tom: The most difficult aspect about the transition from club gymnastics to college gymnastics is the dramatic change in training styles. Practices are limited in the sense that we are restricted to 20 hours/week and therefore cannot train as long as we would like. I personally had to learn the rule of less numbers while making each turn count! The transition related to gymnastics has not been extremely hard, for making gymnastics a team sport rather than an individual sport has made training an unbelievable and rejuvenating experience. …
Allison Taylor: The hardest part of transitioning from high school to college, pertaining to school and the work that comes with it, is the fact that some of my lectures have more people in them than my entire school did! It’s weird adjusting to having class with so many people, but I love it because it just gives you that many more opportunities to make friends! In terms of gymnastics, the hardest part of switching from club to college gymnastics has been the reduced hours of training. Every time at practice I look up at the time and it’s already time to leave to go to class! I just wish we could stay in the gym longer! …
read the whole article – Between The Bars – The 2008 freshman class answers a few questions …
I just subscribed to the videos of a young Australian montage video maker who goes by the name of nade00.
This one brought back a lot of memories.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
These are the most charismatic and famous gymnasts in Olympic history, who may not have won all the medals but touched audiences with their endearing qualities. …
Music – the 2000 Sydney Olympic song titled “Heroes Live Forever”. (I have to put the singer Vanessa Amorosi only just barely above Celine Dion at the bottom of my playlist.)
Presentation at USA Gymnastics Region 2 Congress 2007 (R2R), Spokane.
Rick McCharles, editor of GymnasticsCoaching.com, says YES.
It is easy to be distracted by new technology. Diverted by sites like Facebook.
Yet finding just a few favourite sites on-line can be a big bonus. Locating a terrific video tutorial in the morass of gymnastics clips on YouTube.
Printing a good article at just when you need it at your gym.
A short video overview the state of technology in 2007, the PowerPoint presentation on YouTube:
Other sites mentioned by the group of coaches attending:
… Leave a comment below if I have forgotten any.
Region 2 Rising (R2R) Congress has just begun.
I’m in a hotel ballroom with 3 presentations happening simultaneously:
Jeff Metzger – Getting Employees To Think and Act Like Owners
Todd Gardiner – Understanding What Makes a Great Vaulter
Sheila Lehner – Getting That Series of Beam
Pretty cool.
Friends from Altadore Gymnastics in Calgary, Canada just sent me photos of their visit to the famous Tsukahara Gymnastics Center in Tokyo.
Here’s one. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version.
My fondest memory from my own visit to that club in the early 1990s was Mrs. Tsukahara. On arrival her first statement was, “Why aren’t you married? I can arrange a wonderful coach bride for you.”
related – interview with Mitsuo Tsukahara 2004 – FIG
Faye Roberts from Queensland, Australia has a professional website, a book and video.
I immediately took advantage of this offer:
Subscribe to my Trampoline Newsletter and Blog and you will receive my weekly newsletter via your email Inbox that includes new Tips, Skills and Routines to practice. Advanced Moves, Trampoline Safety Tips, Free Online Trampoline Videos and Much More!
As soon as you subscribe you will automatically receive my FREE “Basic Trampoline Moves” ebook.
While everything looks great at first glance …
… red flags went up for me when I watched the sample video.
The (too skilled) demonstrator is using a competitive tramp, not a backyard trampoline. There are no spotters. No adult in view.
The girl bounces facing sideways at one point, a big no-no.
I could go on.
In my opinion our coaching community should be discouraging the use of backyard trampolines at every opportunity. Products like this simply legitimize something that should be disallowed.
The demonstrator on the video is skilled because she trained at a club with an experience coach. That’s what we want for all children, everywhere.
I am negative about marketing this resource to parents just as I am about the book Backyard Trampolining: A Comprehensive Guide for the Trampolinist which was written by a good friend of mine.
Leave a comment if you think I am being too cautious.
Related posts:
Gymnastics Coaching.com 