want to do movie stunts?

These guys will teach you aerial wire work.

Tumblemonster Productions Stunt School is the place to do it. We offer the best aerial stunt training available, period.

Welcome to the Tumblemonster Productions Stunt School

To see a wire fight scene click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

To see “Swooping and flipping” click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

For a more advanced wire fight scene click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

See more on the Tumblemonster photos and video page.

Or check the Tumblemonster YouTube page for faster loading, lower resolution, versions of most of the same clips.

Leave a response below if you can recommend other stunt schools.

I love flexi-roll mats

This truly is one of the great improvements in gymnastics equipment in recent years.

Seems to me they will not be quite as durable as the old solid rolls of carpet-bonded foam — but that’s a reasonable tradeoff, especially for those clubs who have to move them often.

I spent some quality time recently with the Dollamur version:

* Easy to Move and Set Up
* One-Person Set Up
* No Flipping
* Carpet Protected on Inside of Roll
* Rolls Won’t Unroll When Set on Edge
* Easy Storage
* 3-year Limited Warranty

FLEXI-ROLL® System

Introducing the quickest and easiest mat ever made! One person can set-up or break down a 42’ X 42’ Dollamur FLEXI-ROLL® mat in just minutes.

Even a preschooler can unroll a section!

You’ll get the same great performance of our regular rollable mats chosen for years by top gymnastics and cheerleading programs. The same high performance sports foam, the same durable carpet and the same state-of-the-art bonding method. The best just got better!

Dollamur Sport Surfaces

video montage of NAMED skills

This is a terrific clip with examples, sometimes the originator, of skills that are named after female artistic gymnasts.

Shame the “flash” format of YouTube video makes it so difficult to see exactly what they are doing.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Leave a comment if you know of the same video posted anywhere else in a better video format.

Also, there is a good discussion in the YouTube page comments. I agree there are too many skills named after women with only slight variations in body position or degree of twist. The FIG Men’s code has been more restrained.

coach needed – Vancouver, BC

Surrey Gymnastic Society, just 30 minutes from the heart of Vancouver, is seeking an experienced, high energy, self-motivated high level Competitive Coach to help foster the growth of the Women’s Competitive Program.

Candidates should:

• be a committed individual
• be minimum Level 3 NCCP certified (or equivalent)
• have first aid training
• have excellent communication and organizational skill
• be able to work with others toward common goals

The position is full time and comes with a benefits package. Salary is negotiable and will be commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications.

Deadline for applications is June 30, 2007

Surrey Gymnastics

Flying Superkids performance troupe

In my city, gymnastics training is expensive. Competition is tough.

But we have a dance team called the Young Canadians with every child on scholarship.

Parents, at some point, have got to ask: Do I want my child in competitive gymnastics? Or in a less costly performance group?

The ensemble “Flying Superkids” (Denmark) has existed for more than 35 years.

Over the years millions of spectators in 32 different countries … have admired this children ensemble, and countless are the positive reviews they have achieved where ever they have performed.

A total of 30 children aged between 7-18 throws themselves into all sorts of acrobatically entertainment, dancing and singing. Video-, lighting- and show effects are mixed in an entertaining and humorous way with untraditional dance choreographies and fantastic vaulting & tumbling.

It all started out as a traditional gymnastic team, but the Superkids have over the years developed into an unique show ensemble.They sing, dance and tumble straight into the hearts of any audience.

Flying Superkids

To see a sample of their training click PLAY or watch it on YouTube (Danish).

Looks like fun and games. Right?

But watch the final performance: Flying Superkids Promo (YouTube).

handstand – Flying Superkids in Dubai

Another in our handstand series.

superkids-Dubai.jpg

Flying Superkids

If you have a good, unusual handstand photo, email it and we just might post it on this site.

new gymnastics coaching video – Bar Skills

Tim Rand (American Twisters Gymnastics in Florida) is one of the most popular clinicians in the USA.

Keeping developmental and pre-team classes enjoyable, upbeat and progressive can be a challenge. …

In this DVD, Uneven Bar Skills for Developing Gymnasts, Tim explains many skills and drills that he used in his program to develop all the fundamental skills for Uneven Bars while keeping the classes fun and exciting.

Gymnastics-Bars01-TR.jpgTopic covered are:

  • types of grips
  • ways to hang
  • support on the bar
  • casting
  • swinging
  • strength
  • … The video is great for staff development.

    Uneven Bar Skills for Developmental Gymnasts

    From GYMSMARTS.com, click on the GYMSMARTS TV CHANNEL (new for 2007) to see more GymSmarts videos.

    focus on Chinese sport system

    USA Today used Natalie Behring’s excellent photos to illustrate an article on China leading up to the Beijing Olympics.

    Part of the flood of news we’ll be getting on China in coming months.

    The word on China from everyone, even my Chinese coach friends, is CHANGE. Everything is changing. It’s uncontrollable.

    Entire value systems are being swept away. (Believe sports training for children is free in Communist China? Read the article below.)

    Western media will accelerate change. Articles like this:

    The Chinese training methods have drawn scrutiny. After a visit to Shichahai in 2005, Matthew Pinsent, an Olympic rowing champion for Britain and former International Olympic Committee member, reported that gymnasts were being physically abused.

    Some young Chinese athletes say they are accustomed to some abuse but defend the practice as part of training to be the best.

    “I have been kicked and slapped when I didn’t try hard enough,” Sun says. “It hurts and I cry sometimes, but next time I try harder. The coaches are good. They are trying to help me.”

    School director Liu Hongbin says abuse isn’t condoned: “However, the concept of beating and abuse are different in different cultures and countries.”

    Natalie-China.jpg

    China ties Olympic gold to quest for worldwide esteem – USATODAY.com

    Wang Yan shows signs of recovery

    You probably heard of a catastrophic fall from bars on dismount at a competition in China June 10th.

    Gao Jian, the chief of gymnastic administration center, reports that injured Chinese gymnast Wang Yan is improving.

    According to Gao, Wang is getting stronger physically and the right foot regains the ability to move.

    “I visited Wang Yan in hospital yesterday. Wang expressed her will to cooperate with the doctor and hoped to get well soon. I suffered similar injury when I was a gymnast in 1968, so I encouraged her by taking me as an example,” said Gao.

    Xinhua – English

    This reminds me too, of Sang Lan, injured while warming up in New York at the Goodwill Games in 1998.

    We’ll update Wang Yan’s progress.

    San-L.jpg