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Is there any sport training venue more difficult to keep clean than a gymnastics gym?

It’s near impossible to keep ours clean.

If you have suggestions, please leave a comment below.

Altadore Weightlifting and Fitness Club

From the Edinburgh Fringe festival, Kataklo is an athletic dance theatre group from Italy, composed of former gymnasts.

from a flickr photoset posted by Kenny Maths

More photos of the Kataklo troupe.

Kataklo website

I know coaches who spend a lot of time pushing kids over on pull-over. Every child seems to want to do one. Even those who do not yet have the strength to pull themselves upside down.

source unknown

I refuse to lift any child up on to a bar (they must climb) and I try my best not to spot pullover. My philosophy is not to spot anything for recreation kids.

That means I set-up folding mats in order that the smallest kids can reach the bar on their own.

That means I must be very innovative in drills and equipment set-ups in order to find ways for the kids to get around on their own.

For as long as possible, emphasize other, easier skills and drills on bars. If you have low rings, pull up to inverted hang is an ideal progression.

When you must start the pullover, have beginners do a slow half forward hip circle (the opposite of pullover).

Next have them walk-up a “ramp” of some description (perhaps an elevated beat board), trying to touch hips to the bar. Several times in series.

Lastly I will (reluctantly) spot. A few repetitions.

Eventually the kids can spot each other while I oversee the entire class.

The Leaps and Bounds conference in Melbourne, Australia compares well with regional congress events in the USA.

Australian coaches were offered 4 choices for each time slot over 4 days. They could pick and choose those topics of greatest interest.

Here a presenter explains the benefits of training bars with “loops” (Australian for “safety straps”).

The issues and discussions I heard Down Under were similar to those important to coaches in North America. Gymnastics is gymnastics.

A big difference, however, are the State sponsored training centres. Many of the sessions in this conference were hosted at the Victorian Training Centre, a huge facility with separate gyms for WAG (Women’s Artistic Gymnastics), MAG, Rhythmic and — under construction — Circus Arts.

We do not have regional training centres of this quality in Canada or the USA.

I will be posting follow-up notes and videos on each of my 8 sessions on the Australia page.

If kids have more fun at training, they are more likely to thrive, more likely to excel.

At a Christmas training camp the Mountain Shadows competitive team took a rotation simply to have FUN.

Girls were asked to go out into the gym and find different innovative ways to have fun.

Click PLAY or watch the fun on YouTube.

UPDATE: Some of the footage was used in a video mash-up called Girls Just Want to Have Fun – YouTube.

Here’s a good page to show the kids.

What Does 200 Calories Look Like?

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I’m at the Leaps and Bounds conference in Melbourne.

Gymnastics in the Australian state of Victoria is alive and well!

Australia is sport mad and per capita the most successful of the sporting nations of the world excepting, possibly, Romania.

This, the annual 4-day conference, brings coaches together, some from as far as 9hrs drive into the Outback.

In Australia, in order to “maintain” your coaching accreditation, you must get a number of “points” each year for professional development.

Points are available in a number of different ways including on-line options.

A simple method is to attend this, the annual coaches conference.

I know of no other nation which requires annual upgrading for coaches. But I can report it works well, similar to the upgrading required of judges.

The conference was well organized. Thanks to Gymnastics Victoria ED Jane Farrance and Education Director Marissa Fillipou.

I will be posting follow-up notes and videos on each of my sessions on the Australia page.

Altadore Gymnastics has the best home-made floor bars I’ve seen.

Simply drop an old rail into “slots” on wooden block supports. Leave enough space to slide under a mat.

When I coach bars, every circuit includes a floor bar. Within a couple of months any girl can do at least 3 forward pirouettes in series. Some even do “giant full” (reverse pirouette to direct forward pirouette).

Personal pirouette “records” are posted on the gym wall.

Time spent on multiple pirouettes on low bar greatly improves handstand work on floor, beam and bars. It requires no spotting.

Caution — though handstand drills are quite safe — sooner or later one of the kids will hit the block supports. Make them responsible to cover supports with mats.

The longer the floor bar, the better. “Short” floor bars are much less useful.

One of the best clinicians in the world is Tammy Biggs.

Tammy calls West Texas home, but spends much of her time traveling across the United States helping to develop future Olympians.

She works with clubs to develop entire programs from preschool through elite.

Tammy has spent 17 years on the USA National Coaching staff. She also coached 1988 Olympian Melissa Marlowe. Tammy was a member of the 1996 Olympic Team coaching staff.

She was awarded 1992 Choreographer of the Year. Tammy has produced 25 educational videos in the sport of gymnastics and is a Brevet judge. She’s also a consultant on the Junior Olympic Compulsory Exercises. Tammy is also involved with the development of the USA Gymnastics Fitnastics program.

Useful Links – USA Gymnastics

For a sample of Tammy’s approach, check this article she co-wrote with Judy Wills Cline: Basic Trampoline – The Beginning Steps (USA Technique magazine)

It emphasizes conditioning and correct body position.

The Canadian National Coach Edouard Iarov spots Stutz with the gymnast twisting away. I first felt this was less safe than the conventional approach — the gymnast twisting towards you.

Eventually I was convinced. There are real advantages in Iarov’s method (as usual).

I still spot beginners turning towards me. Then switch to the other side once they have a good feel for the skill.