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Science of Gymnastics Journal vol.4, num.2, 2012 is available online free.

Ivan Cuk Editorial.

Anton Gajdoš, Maria Provaznikova, Stephen J. Banjak
150 YEARS OF THE SOKOL GYMNASTICS IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA, CZECH AND SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Myrian Nunomura, Yoshinori Okade, Paulo Carrara
HOW MUCH ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS COACHES KNOW ABOUT THEIR GYMNASTS MOTIVATION

Fernanda Faggiani, Allistair P. McRobert, Zoe Knowles
DEVELOPING PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINES FOR ACROBATIC GYMNASTICS: A CASE STUDY WITH A YOUTH TUMBLING GYMNAST

Proios Miltiadis, Mavrovouniotis Fotios, Proios Michalis
PROPOSAL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPARATION IN ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS

Mateja Kunješi
PARENT’S EXPECTATIONS TOWARDS CHILDREN ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS EXERCISE

Bessem Mkaouer, Samiha Amara, Zouhair Tabka
SPLIT LEAP WITH AND WITHOUT BALL PERFORMANCE FACTORS IN RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS

This issue can be got as one PDF of 86 pages. Click that link to download it to your computer.

latest issue

Ivan had more than 7000 visitors to their site last month. It’s growing.

upcoming:

Brazil, Oct 5-6th, 2012 – 3rd International Seminar on Artistic and Rhythmic Competitive Gymnastics

Bled, Slovenia, Dec 6-9th, 2012 – 6th Conference for Youth Sport

More than 2,000 former NFL players filed a lawsuit this morning in Philadelphia, accusing the league of concealing information linking football-related injuries to long-term brain damage.

In the biggest sports lawsuit ever, the former players allege that the “NFL exacerbated the health risk by promoting the game’s violence” and “deliberately and fraudulently” misled players about the link between concussions and long-term brain injuries.

The NFL denies the claims, saying, “Any allegation that the NFL intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit. It stands in contrast to the league’s many actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions.” …

read more on ABC

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/1_34aumynm/uiconf_id/5590821

Dr. Bill Sands is always doing this — stifling perfectly entertaining online debates with the facts. 🙂

Here’s an abstract of one of their newer publications looking at the official heights and weights of U.S. Olympic teams since 1956:

The lay press, scientists, and physicians appear to believe that gymnasts are continually getting smaller and that their “smallness” is a health risk.

PURPOSE: Assess the historical changes in the size and age of the U.S. Women’s Olympic teams from 1956 to 2008.

METHODS: The official records from the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, of Olympic team members were assessed at two levels: 1) individual height, mass, age, and body mass index (BMI) and 2) the team performance scores and rankings.

Fourteen Olympic teams with a total of 106 team members, including the alternates, were included. Trend analyses were conducted using linear and polynomial models.

RESULTS: Simple linear correlations indicated that since 1956 height, mass, age, BMI, and team Olympic rank have been declining. However, 2nd order polynomial curve fits indicated that in the last four Olympic Games the members of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastic Teams have been getting larger.

CONCLUSION: Women’s Olympic gymnasts were getting smaller through approximately the 1980s and early 1990s. Since then the size of these gymnasts has increased. The minimum age rule modifications may have played a role in athlete size changes along with a shift from former communist Eastern Bloc near dominance.

Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2012 May 29. [Epub ahead of print]

Historical Trends of the Size of U.S. Olympic Female Artistic Gymnasts.

Sands WA, Slater C, McNeal JR, Murray SR, Stone MH.

Source: Monfort Family Human Performance Research Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO.

In jock speak:

… the teams got continually smaller through the 80s and early 90s and then have been getting bigger ever since.

Interestingly, Olympic places and medals tends to follow the same trend. As the latter gymnasts got larger so did their medal count.

This routine just might get Glen on to the Olympic team.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. 15.450

Dominique Moceanu has a secret sister.

The bombshell that Moceanu has been promising to reveal (and hinting about on Twitter) in her new book “Off Balance,” (out next week) is apparently that her parents gave up a baby girl for adoption when Moceanu was six years old.

Here’s the kicker: the young woman, who would now be 24, has … no legs. …

Examiner – Dominique Moceanu: The big secret revealed

… I’m not going to say it.

The full story will air on “20/20” tonight 10 p.m. ET.

ABC – Champion Gymnast’s Hidden Life: Dominique Moceanu on Secret Sister

@theallaround:

6.9 floor from Steve Legendre at Day 1 #VisaChamps; matches Zou Kai for 2nd highest FX D score this year

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Steve stuck a landing. 🙂

So who’s going to be named to Team USA after 3 more days of competition?

The Big 5 blew into St. Louis like a spring tornado. Big 5, as in Danell Leyva, John Orozco, Sam Mikulak, Chris Brooks and Jonathan Horton. Each of these gymnasts posted all-around scores of 90-plus to stake their claim on a potential Olympic Team spot. Really, the only thing surprising about Day 1 at the 2012 U.S. Championships was just how many great performances there were. …

… Mikulak has been training with a vengeance. Nobody doubted his ability to score 90-plus, but it probably surprised some that he was in the running for the night’s top score. He had four top-10 scores on PH (14.65), VT (16.10), PB (15.60) and HB (15.30). More importantly, his score on PH, combined with his 3rd place AA performance, puts him in an enviable position. …

… Glen Ishino … on a roll by tallying the meet’s top PH score (15.45), but he also demonstrated he can hang near the top with his 7th place AA showing. …

We may very well see a team consisting of four all-arounders and one specialist. This scenario would be very unfortunate for the FX and VT specialists left behind. …

Stick It Media – Big 5 Post 90-Plus in Day 1 of 2012 U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Championships

@theallaround:

Sam Mikulak received a 9.4 E score (15.600) for this p-bar routine on Day 1 of U.S. #VisaChamps

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

To People magazine.

The gymnast — who won the hearts of the country with her courageous vault in the 1996 Games — welcomed a son, Tyler William Fischer, on March 1.

Tyler was 7 lbs., 1 oz. at birth, which is quite notable considering his mother is 4’10?. “For me, he was large!” she jokes.

He is the first child for Strug, 34, and her husband, attorney Robert Fischer III. …

celebrity baby blog

Click PLAY or watch her Bars training on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch her Beam training on YouTube.

She landed Amanar. But not consistently in pre-meet training.

But she and Chow says it’s happening. If she lands that Vault and hits 4/4, she should win the AA today. Needless to say, the bookies will give you worse odds on Aly and Jordyn. 🙂

“(Chow has) played a role as just a great coach and a great mentor. He’s just a loving and happy person, so it kind of rubbed off on me. So now I’m happy.”

USA Today – Gabby Douglas confident on vault after struggles

related – Lauren Hopkins – 2012 Visa Championships: Podium Training Recap

Most big gyms will have one of these within a year, I predict.

It’s a stand alone mobile “circuit”. Brilliant for Rec. Useful for all your other programs.

It’s so obvious (now) that a round, soft shape is safe for kids. Why wasn’t this concept popularized sooner?

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Look for Peng Peng in that edit. We took one to Oakville.

As a Tumbl Trak Ambassador, I’ve got one in transit to my gym right now. 🙂

Doug Davis and crew will have units on DEMO in San Jose. They go on sale sometime in July, last I heard.

(via Rec Gymnastics)