Category: Uncategorized

Openness, honesty, and transparency is the best case scenario in sport as in life.

I am suspicious of all gyms that are closed to spectators. It begs the question, “What do they have to hide?” — even when there is nothing to hide.

That said, there are better and worse ways to open a training venue to spectators. Altadore Gymnastics has the best set-up I’ve seen: big one way mirrored windows. Parents can see in, but the kids cannot see out.

Funtastics was the first gym I saw to provided closed circuit video monitoring of those parts of the gym not visible from the spectator area. Another great idea.

I grew up in a gym with a “ring machine” — a pulley device which reduces your body weight allowing you to hold perfect strength positions including Iron Cross. I’ve always like them.

Coach Patrick Carmichael from Island Gymnastics Academy demonstrates the incorrect use of this device.

Click PLAY or watch the clip on YouTube.

In my quest to list the (surprisingly few) excellent books for coaches, I give the thumbs up to Rhythmic Gymnastics by Nadejda Jastrjembskaia and Juri Titov.

As with many Russian authors, I find this book overly academic and methodical. No need to read every word. But if looking for a few good ideas to improve your acrobatics program — it makes an excellent browse.

I went first to the Developing Flexibility chapter as this is where I have most to learn from Rhythmic Gymnastics. The text advocates using a combination of static (1/3) and dynamic (2/3) stretching drills “avoiding abrupt or jerky movements”.

Other key points:

girls flexibility increases drastically between ages 7 and 10 — and is maximized between 11 and 13

do flexibility improvement exercises at the end of a vigorous warm-up and at the end of the work-out

There is not much mention of the excellent musical warm-ups typical of Rhythmic training. (The Canadian Men’s National team has a similar dynamic warm-up though not to music which is excellent.)

This one is widely distributed so you may find it in your local library.

Overhead belts are ideal for spotting backward handsprings, especially for older athletes.

Adult gymnastics photo set on Flickr – The Wordsmith from Nantucket, Santa Monica, California.

Many predicted Courtney McCool would win the 2004 Olympics.

She was the complete package. No weaknesses. Great on all 4 events. Flexible. Powerful. Artistic. Unbelievably perfect form and line.

But Carly Patterson made far fewer mistakes and went on to win in Athens.

Click PLAY to see McCool highlights or watch the video in YouTube.

Courtney signed a letter of intent to compete for NCAA champions Georgia in the coming year.

Was McCool the best of all-time? I believe she was.

If you can think of a better all-around performer, declare your choice in the COMMENTS below.

Multnomah Athletic Club, Portland, Or. October 13 – 15, 2006

Sadly, I’m going to miss the Pacific Northwest Congress this year. It was excellent in 2005 featuring Canadian Olympic Coach Tony Smith and many, many great presenters.

If you can make it to Portland, I highly recommend you go. Dave Adlard is on the organizing committee so you know it will be well done.

More information on Congress 2006 on the Funtastics website.

Around the world many are envious of the corporate sponsorships enjoyed by Gymnastics USA. Before 1984 the organization was badly funded. But in 2006 the financial future looks bright.

Chevron will provide direct financial support to members of the Men’s National Team as it prepares for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The program has been expanded to provide event sponsorship rights and support to the Women’s National Team Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch in Texas. …

All six members of the 2004 Men’s U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team, which won the silver medal in Athens, were Team Chevron athletes.

Chevron, a USA Gymnastics sponsor since 1998, has extended its sponsorship of USA Gymnastics through 2008.

If you want these companies to continue choosing gymnastics over many, many other causes, support Visa, T.J. Maxx, Adidas, GK/Elite Sportswear and 24 Hour Fitness and the other major sponsors of USA Gymnastics.

There’s no doubt the most spectacular large gymnastics displays are in North Korea.

Canadian coach David Burgess visited years ago and became something of a foreign celebrity there. He was several times interviewed on Korean TV.

Dave brought back photos from the “Mass Games” from that trip and we were blown away by the scale of the shows.

Click PLAY or watch the clip on YouTube.

These spectacles are criticized as totalitarian government propaganda. But a British Film crew was allowed unrestricted access to film A State of Mind, a documentary following two North Korean child gymnasts and their families for over eight months leading up to the 2003 Pyongyang Mass Games.

The movie paints a much more sympathetic picture of one of the Axis of Evil nations.

Watch the movie trailer on YouTube.

I love Sport Acrobatics but had not seen any since it was a demonstration sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

I finally saw a competition in North America: the USA Championships. Unfortunately there are very few clubs on this side of the Atlantic.

Sports Acrobatics is currently judged in five categories:

* Men’s
* Women’s
* Mixed pairs
* Women’s triples
* Men’s quadruples

Not surprisingly, after gymnasts, Cirque du Soleil hires more Sport Acrobatics athletes than any other discipline. Their acts are mind boggling.

AcrobaticSport.com is an impressive website I had not seen before.

European based — as is Sport Acrobatics — nonetheless the site is in English making it internationally accessible. Perhaps we can promote this excellent sport more widely.

I’d love to start a training group at my gym.

The site includes extensive trampoline and tumbling content, as well.

Thanks George for alerting me.

George Novak has long been a collector of acrobatic sports videos.

He found an assortment of “Bonus” clips on AcrobaticSports.com.

These are oddball bits in different file formats from different sources. Not all are likely to play on any one computer.

Check Jason Burnett’s 18.5 pt. routine in training and other amazing feats.