tumbling, tramp, diving, acrobatics, circus, cheer, dance, martial arts, X sports … and more
A lot of gymnastics gyms are adding slack lines. Inexpensive. Fun. And … fairly safe.
Backflips, Frontflips, 360s, 540s, Drops, Spins, ….
Click PLAY or watch a competition on YouTube. (10min)
I’ve not used them much. Leave a comment if you’ve got advice about slacklines for coaches like me.
Thanks
The Gymnastics Examiner wrap-up …
Gymnastics Examiner – The gymnastics week in review for March 24th
I missed this story:
… USA Gymnastics will induct seven new members into its Hall of Fame this year. The honorees are Olympians Dominique Moceanu (1996), Wendy Bruce (1992) and Kip Simons (1996) who is now coaching the Air Force Academy men’s team, new U.S. men’s national team coordinator Kevin Mazeika, two time trampoline Olympian Jennifer Parilla and her coach Robert Null, and Ellen Garlicki Nyemcsik, a former rhythmic gymnastics World Championships team member, who has done wonderful things for the sport in the U.S. (USA Gymnastics) …
http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js
photo – Dominique Moceanu
Wonderful Jessica Lopez has not retired. She’s getting better!
… Lopez, second at the Nadia Comaneci International in February and third at the American Cup in March, claimed an easy victory over two Brazilians. With the highest score on each event, Lopez defeated Leal by nearly 3 full points. Priscila Cobello won the bronze.
“My performance could not have been better — it’s marvelous!” a thrilled Lopez said.
In Wednesday’s event finals, the former Denver standout added three more gold medals on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
“I thank God I had a very good performance in the competition today, and I am very proud to give these medals to my country,” said Lopez, 24. “It’s thanks to all the work and preparation I’ve been doing with my coach (Brazilian Nilson Medeiros) that I was able to have this triumph.” …
International Gymnast – Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela Rule South American Games
http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js
Jorge Hugo Giraldo from Colombia scored 89.15 all-around. That puts him up with the very best gymnasts in the world.
Here’s a photo of him from the Olympics:
http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js
Click through to Amanda Turner’s IG article for a full report and scores.
Then over to Gymnastics Examiner for Blythe’s report and pics from the meet – Photo gallery: South American Games
Aunt Joyce and Gymnastics Issues day 1 and day 2 have linked to routines.
Click PLAY or watch Huang Qiushuang’s Bar routine on YouTube.
It wasn’t a strong WAG field. Yet resulted in a really interesting meet.
Cirque’s Marceline Goldstein linked to this clip. Thanks.
Professional athlete Leander jumping from a 22 floor high building onto a nearby parking roof by the use of a kite. EXTREME!!!
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
This guy’s so good he can walk on water.
A follow-up from Mizo’s Single Pommel Circle video.
The Stockli “B” is an advanced skill for competitive pommel horse. …
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Watch more gymnastic training videos on the Gymnastic Minute Channel.
Follow them on twitter @gymsmarts
F.I.G. has the best write-up on the second day of Finals – Out and out success!
Vault
1 – Cao, Yulong CHN 16.062
2 – Sapronenko, Jevgenijs LAT 15.862
3 – Wammes, Jeffrey NED 15.612
… Home town boy Nasser Al-Hamad finished 4th on Vault. Just off the podium.
Parallel Bars
1 – Dong, Zhendong CHN 15.900
2 – Kierzkowski, Adam POL 15.225
3 – Chen, Xuezhang CHN 15.150
Horizontal Bar
1 – Zonderland, Epke NED 15.950
2 – Zhang, Chenglong CHN 15.675
3 – Pegan, Aljaz SLO 15.325
Wu, Liufang of China won both Beam and Floor.
Beam
1 – Wu, Liufang CHN 14.700
2 – Erceg, Tina CRO 13.600
3- Khwela, Jennifer RSA 13.350
… Vault Champ Jennifer Khwela wrote “one of the most inspirational pages in the history of South African gymnastics“. She succeeds in sport despite starting in an impoverished township. Congratulations.
Floor
1 – Wu, Liufang CHN 13.975
2 – Huang, Qiushuang CHN 13.850
3 – Uctas, Goksu TUR 13.700
http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js
photo – Liufang
Doha rehash from the Couch Gymnast
Andy Thornton posted an article titled: How to deal with balking…
… If you’re a gymnastics coach, you immediately know what I mean when I use the word “balk.” It can be a coach’s worst nightmare.
A gymnast develops a fear of a skill – sometimes a completely irrational one – and one time becomes scared enough to actually abort the skill before even attempting it. Common examples include dismounts off of high bar/uneven bars, release moves, backward tumbling skills on floor, and just about any skill on beam.
Balking once or twice isn’t what drives the coach crazy…it’s the fact that balking becomes a habit that tends to get worse and worse if it’s allowed to continue. A gymnast may at first balk about 1 out of every 10 attempts, then soon this becomes 1 out of every 5, then 1 out of 4, 1 out of 3…and then half the time. Often this trend continues to the point where the gymnast simply has psyched himself or herself completely out and won’t go for the skill at all …
read and comment on his American Gymnast blog – How to deal with balking…
In over 30yrs coaching, here’s all I’ve learned about balking:
• it’s more common with females than males
• it’s more common with backward skills, than forward
On those skills where kids are most likely to learn to balk (e.g. flyaway), go slow.
You can hurry a forward handspring, but it’s best NOT to rush a backward handspring.
Finally, the main quality you need as a coach is patience. Every balking problem is different. Stay calm and the gymnast may resolve the mental block themselves. (Booking an extra practice dedicated only to e.g. Beam Series is a last, last resort.)
related post with good comments – gymnastics mental blocks
This was selected the #1 photo ever published in Outside magazine, as chosen by one of their photographers.
That’s surfing legend Laird Hamilton and daughter Reece, shot by Peggy Sirota.
It reminded me of all the gymnastics coaches I’ve known and their baby toss stunts. Dave Arnold, for example, used to toss his kids back and forth to other coaches … each time stepping back one pace. The goal was to see how far apart the two “spotters” could get.
Shiro Tanaka’s kids could do “Geinger”, “Jaeger” and many other releases by the time they were 6 months old. (Yes, he did drop them once in a while, on to a soft mat.)
One of Shiro’s new borns, first day at the gym, he tossed into the pit. We uncovered him sitting quietly and happily near the bottom.
Leave a comment if you have any baby toss stories of your own.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 