Gymnastics Coaching.com

by site editor Rick McCharles

Gymnastics Coaching is an aggregator . We try to link to the best of the best published online in English. The most interesting ideas, photos and videos.

Artistic Gymnastics – best of 2011 categories:

INDEPENDENT SITES (blogs, coaches, etc.)
OFFICIAL SITES (magazines, organizations, FIG, NOCs, etc.)
PHOTO & VIDEO SITES

Artistic Gymnastics, especially WAG, dominates the Gymternet over all other acrobatic disciplines. That’s OK since we want every child to start with Artistic & Trampoline before specializing. 🙂

Artistic Gymnastics is the Foundation.

_____ INDEPENDENT SITES:

The very best have not changed much since a year ago:

Blythe Lawrence (USA) – Gymnastics Examiner | Facebook | @GymExaminer

Read Blythe’s 2011: The gymnastics year in review

Brigid McCarthy (Australia) and friends – The Couch Gymnast | Facebook | @TheCouchGymnast

Albert Minguillón i Colomer, Nora Schuler & Elizabeth Long (Europe) – THE ALL AROUND | Facebook | @THEALLAROUND

Katie (Ireland) – Full Twist | Facebook | @full_twist

• GymNiceTic (all FIG disciplines)

Those sites post prolifically. Each is quite unique. Please subscribe, follow and/or like those as well as others listed here that don’t post quite so often. (A much longer list of sites we follow is listed in the right hand navigation of every page on this site.)

In November Tony Retrosi launched a must read site for every WAG Coach: Gym Momentum | Facebook | @gym_momentum

The excellent Gymnastics Minute videos were Tony’s idea, originally. Sadly we’ve seen few new videos from publisher GymSmarts, long the #1 production house for coaching videos.

Other great sites NEW in 2011 include:

• Bekah’s “Get a Grip” Gymblog | @GetAGripGymblog

• E Panel | @TheEpanel

• Triple Twist Gym Blog | Facebook | @TripleTwistBlog

The following sites publish less frequently, but I never miss a post:

• Andy Thornton – American Gymnast | Facebook | @americangymnast (company tweets)

• Ron Noe – Stick It Media (MAG) | @StickItMedia

• Kristal Sergent Boulden – Double Front | Facebook | @Double_Front | Tumblr

• Bronwyn & Clara Stoi!

• JAO Coaching Gymnastics in the New Millenium

• Tsuk the Pain | @TsukthePain | Tumblr

• Between the Olympics | @BTOgymblog

• GYMMIN’ MIEL!

• Ask Al Fong

Some of my favourite sites have been posting less frequently, of late, including Aunt Joyce, About.com Gymnastics and Valentin Uzunov’s The Gym Press | @thegympress.

Trending — sites dedicated to individual nations:

Romania:
• Cris – Gymfever
• Alina – Tare! magazine
• Mihai – FanGymnastics (Romanian)
• Bea – Gymnastics No Ceiling
• Carmen – Romanian Gymnastics Fans on Facebook

• Chinese Gymnastics Blog

• Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

• Jennifer Isbister’s Gymn.ca (Canada) … perhaps the original dedicated National site

_____ OFFICIAL SITES:

I link a lot to IG. Dwight Normile, Amanda Turner, John Crumlish & team – International Gymnast magazine online News | Facebook | @intlgymnast

Last year and again this year I was astonished at the quality of communications out of USA Gymnastics and FIG. Those organizations have media people equal the best bloggers. In the past information from both was whitewashed — no bad news. But both have gotten increasingly open, over time.

• USAG Headlines | Facebook | @USAGym

• FIG News | Facebook | @officialfig

I’ve long criticized Inside Gymnastics magazine. But the IG2 posts were better this year, I thought. Especially during LIVE events. And especially on Facebook.

Inside Gymnastics News | Facebook | @InsideGym

Universal Sports Tumble Mumble is an interesting kind of page. Interspersed between news articles from Reuters and AP are blog posts from Blythe Lawrence, Andy Thornton and others.

_____ PHOTO & VIDEO SITES:

Anne Phillips and team are the leaders:

• Gymnastike | Facebook | @gymnastike

The best thing that ever happened for gymnastics coaches is YouTube. Thank Google for buying that company and letting us share with the world for free. In 2011 I still link to YouTube over Vimeo and others as YouTube streams quickest over a weak WiFi signal.

Some of my favourites this past year:

• American Gymnast Gymnastics on Demand videos on the JoeLangley YouTube channel (1150+ coaching tutorials)

• JAO Videos on YouTube

• gymdrills.com videos $

• Tony Retrosi – Gym Momentum YouTube Channel

• Mary Lee Tracy – USAmlt YouTube Channel

• Coach Sommers – Gymnastic Bodies videos (MAG strength)

• Gymnastics Minute YouTube channel. And GymSmarts for DVDs $.

• MostepanovaFan YouTube channel

• RedNasvw YouTube channel, especially his MAG Code of Points videos

Inside Gymnastics has the photographer I link to most. That’s the terrific Grace Chiu. She uses Facebook perfectly, posting a few of her best shots in order to promote sales from GraceClick.ca.

There are a number of equally wonderful photographers around the world. But many are over-protective. Almost nobody sees their work. Foremost of those is the great Eileen Langsley.

Did I MISS one of your favourite sites? … or links to their content?

… Leave a comment and I’ll update this list in a week or so. I could name many more.

Ben Breedlove was an Austin teenager who had a popular YouTube channel (“OurAdvice4You“) where he gave dating advice to viewers. He also had a life-threatening heart condition he fought every day growing up.

The brave 18-year-old lost his life on Christmas night from a heart attack. The week before, he recorded the below videos where he shared his feelings about death, after “cheating” it three times. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

To see part 2 and part 3, click over to HuffPo – Ben Breedlove, Teen Tells Heartbreaking Story Week Before Death

Are you setting any New Year’s Resolutions?

One stunning fact: in several studies published in peer-reviewed journals of 150+ people, about 40% of participants in each study who could be reached at 6 months said they were still being successful with their resolutions.

The Bottom line: You CAN make change your life and plenty of people succeed in setting New Year’s Resolutions

Jason Shen – HOW TO SET GREAT NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS (BACKED BY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH!)

(via Ali Arnold on Facebook)

Greg on College Gymnastics Fans:

The season is rapidly approaching and teams are finalizing their preparations for the season. Many teams have held intrasquad meets, scrimmages and exhibitions in preparation for the season. Some are posting video highlights or complete coverage online. …

Teams in Preview: Preseason Preparations

College Gymnastics Fans is the best site for WAG NCAA updates.

But have you seen The Balance Beam Situation?
NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Analysis

… Great name for a new blog launched in November.

Here’s a sample post:

Every year, millions of unsuspecting Americans are diagnosed with severe LFE: Lack of Facial Expression. LFE can strike anyone at any time, even those with no family history of complete disconnect between their expressions and their actions. …

While many people are able to live for years with LFE, explaining away their illnesses with commonplace defenses like “I just can’t be bothered,” “so what,” and “meh,” occasionally the lack of expression can mutate into a permanent look of sour disappointment, a syndrome that lead researcher Dr. Valorie Kondos Field of the UCLA Institute has termed “poopy face.” Dr. Kondos Field is one of the few experts in the country who believes that LFE, even in the most severe cases, can be cured. …

An Important PSA

LFE is better than Big Fake Smile syndrome, you must admit. 🙂

Check out The Balance Beam Situation

# 10. Planking

See the entire list on Buzzfeed.

soberanis100 on Oct 17, 2011:

… his name is Kohei Uchimura.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

In an era of “hacky” routines, Uchimura is one of the best “execution” gymnasts all time.

For the first time I’m attending Dave Adlard’s New Years festivities in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

One of the long weekend events involves gross food — and acrobatic challenges. In this one you try to throw cheezies so they stick to the whipcreamed face of your partner.

During the obstacle course, your opponents can try to blast you off the beam with Exercise Balls.

… It’s difficult to describe this mayhem in words. See a few more photos.

Coaches, friends and family won’t soon forget this party. It’s a competition, too. Of those who finished every contest, I believe I finished LAST ALL-AROUND. 🙂

And what a doll.

See more on Big Fake Smile.

Did you see Jen’s picks of the best videos of the year?

Her “First Annual Year in Montages“. Mostly featuring U.S. WAG, but not entirely.

For the second time on this site I’m linking to this superbly artistic edit from European Championships 2011 Berlin.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

See the rest on Full In Full Out – The Year in Montages

The final training camp complete, here are the 7 girls that will travel to England:

… Talia Chiarelli (Sarnia), Madeline Gardiner, Victoria Moors, Mikaela Gerber (all Cambridge), Kristina Vaculik (Whitby) and Peng Peng Lee (Toronto), … Brittany Rogers ( Vancouver, British Columbia). …

Ready for London!

The competing team will be selected there.

I feel Canada has a very good chance to finish in the top 4 teams, even without the injured Jessica Savona. Blythe thinks they can finish 1st at the Test Event.

Canada’s men’s team flies to London tomorrow. They’re in tough against 6 other equally excellent squads. And Great Britain who should easily finish 1st of the 8 teams.

via @theallaround

Gymn.ca:

2010 World team member Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto was in good shape to contend for a spot, but developed wry neck (torticollis). While not a serious condition, she needed five days off training and thus was unable to verify her routines.

2011 World team member Dominique Pegg is still recovering from a hand injury suffered in training at the Pan Am Games.

Read an excellent interview with 3-time Icelandic national champion Thelma Rut Hermannsdottir:

IG: Looking back on 2011, what was your proudest moment in gymnastics?

TRH: When I look back over the past year, I must say I am really proud of my results and achievements. My proudest moment this year was when I was fourth on vault at the FIG Challenger Cup in Maribor, Slovenia, in September. I and one other girl in my club were the first Icelandic girls to compete at a World Cup. In March I became Icelandic champion in the all-around for the third time, and in the same competition, in the apparatus finals, I won vault, placed second on beam and uneven bars, and third on floor.

The competition season ended on very positive note when the Icelandic team finished second in the Northern European championships in Uppsala, Sweden. This is one of the best results for the Icelandic team and it was really great to be a part of that. At this meet I was ninth all-around. So, to sum up, this year was quite a good year.

John Crumlish – IG Online Interview: Thelma Rut Hermannsdottir

The have 13 Santa Clausesiss in Iceland. How about that?

She’s coached by Gummi Brynjolfsson. And is considering NCAA. College coaches are advised to make a recruiting trip … to Iceland. 🙂