Gymnastics Coaching.com

by site editor Rick McCharles.

The International Gymnastics Federation moved from Moutier to a new building in Lausanne, Switzerland earlier this year.

It’s conveniently located close to the train station.

This past summer, on recommendation from Keith Russell, I visited the new digs. And was very impressed with the operation.

Meike Behrensen, F.I.G. Media Operations Coordinator, gave me a tour.

(You’ve probably noticed how well and widely Meike has been getting information out to the world in recent months. I’m getting updates every couple of days from multiple sources. Thanks.)

I felt a bit sheepish entering the lovely historic building after all the less than positive things I’ve had to say about F.I.G. over the years. But you won’t find Bruno Grandi at the FIG offices. Nor
Nellie Kim.

Here the FIG employees work frantically trying to keep all the events and programs worldwide on track.

It’s not easy.

I was impressed with everyone I met: young, enthusiastic, energetic, multi-lingual. To survive working for FIG you must have a lot of good qualities.

On this blog we mostly cover Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. But in Lausanne they administer Trampoline Sports, Rhythmic, Aerobic, Acrobatic, Gymnastics for All, … and much, much more.

Consider this a shout out for the F.I.G. Staff. We really appreciate what you are doing for coaches and athletes.

Related:

GYMmedia – F.I.G. Headquarter moves to Lausanne

GYMmedia – The FIG in Lausanne …

Nicole Miller is the Recreational Gymnastics Coordinator at Lakewood-Trumbull YMCA in Connecticut.

She’s posting her coaching notes online. Drills and Skills. So few Rec coaches do this that I linked to her site from our right hand navigation under Recreation Gymnastics.

It’s divided into sections based on competitive apparatus. There’s a glossary page and links.

Check it out. Or send the link to your Rec Director.

Gymnastics Skills Coaching Handbook

It’s a work in progress. Nicole will be adding more over time.

Note that this is a “Google Site“, a simpler alternative to blogging software. Easy to update.

ONE of Scotland’s top gym coaches has been jailed for three years for a series of sexual offences, committed over a period of more than 20 years, against young girls he was training.

…

The fifty-one year old, a former Performance Director of the Scottish Gymnastics Association, was found guilty last month after a five week trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court of three charges of sexual assault and seven of lewd and libidinous behaviour against girls aged between six and 16.

The girls were all training … between December 1986 and February 2008 – a 22 year period. The offences occurred in the gym; in Lasswade High School; his former home in Loanhead; his car; and a caravan at Seton Sands in East Lothian. …

His victims, some of them now in their late twenties and early thirties, described in their evidence how “Mitch” as he was called, would kiss and cuddle them, have them sit on his knee and make sexual and inappropriate remarks. He would also use inappropriate coaching techniques, touching their breasts and buttocks.

Dolphin, who denied all the allegations, claimed the girls often came and sat on his lap as part of the “family atmosphere” he was trying to create. He also said that cuddling young gymnasts as an encouragement or reward for a good performance was commonplace throughout the gymnastics world.

Defence agent, Vincent Belmonte, said Dolphin continued to deny culpability for the offences, but the jury’s finding had already caused him considerable financial hardship. “He has lost his home, lost his employment. Lost a career he has been involved in for nearly 30 years at the highest level”. …

read more details – Top gym coach jailed for child abuse

I can recall a few male coaches in 1980 who had a lot of physical contact in the gym with female gymnasts. It was a different era. But this statement he made is clearly wrong:

… cuddling young gymnasts as an encouragement or reward for a good performance was commonplace throughout the gymnastics world …

Around 1980 in Canada we entered the era of shaking hands with gymnasts. Or “high fives” at line-up at the end of work-out.

Hugs became rare. Or became the awkward “side hug”.

The Bela Karolyi bear hug in competition was reserved for a particularly wonderful performance. Our coach education clinics all added an Ethics module sometime in the 1980s. We made a point of informing immigrant coaches of ethical expectations in their new country.

Obviously male coaches must minimize physical contact with all gymnasts, male and female. Keep professional distance. Never be alone with a gymnast in the gym or anywhere else.

We were very, very close to seeing a World Gymnastics All-around Champion … who fell on her last tumbling pass.

But she had some “bad luck”.

Rebecca Bross of USA falls as she competes in the floor exercise during the Women’s All Round Final on the fourth day of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2009 at the O2 Arena on October 16, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js

1 SLOAN Bridget USA 57.825
2 BROSS Rebecca USA 57.775

The worst medal despite a fall I can recall was Cheng Fei at the 2008 Olympics.

Whatever rules we use in our sport, most coaches feel that a full fall on a routine is a failed routine. It should not be awarded a medal, despite any insanely high start value.

That said, I remember Nastia winning Beam at a VISA Championships with a fall. Yet it truly was the “best” routine of the Final.

Related: IG Forum – Winning/Medalling with a fall

What do you think? Should our rules medal routines with a fall?

Leave a comment.

There’s a lot of buzz in Canada about the Ice Dancing team Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue.

At 2009 World Championships they were third. But Canucks are speculating they could be the team to beat at 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Check out a short sample of Moir and Virtue on YouTube.

… “We want to be at the top,” he said in preparation for Friday’s Grand Prix opening of the Trophée Eric Bompard event in Paris. “We think we are the best ice dance team in the world.” …

CBC

This blog normally doesn’t cover figure skating. For that click over to the hilarous but profane Aunt Joyce’s Ice Cream Stand.

People tell me their judging system, formerly the worst of any sport, is much improved.

And Figure Skating remains one of the most popular spectator sports in North America.

1. NFL Pro football, 2. Ladies’ Figure Skating, 3. Ladies’ Gymnastics, 4. Major League Baseball, 5. Pairs Figure Skating, 6. Men’s Figure Skating, 7. Pairs Ice Dancing, 8. Men’s Gymnastics, 9. NBA Pro Basketball, 10. NCAA/CFA College Football.

Cirque casting scout Stacy Clark linked to this video titled Powerful.

It’s powerful.

The advert titled CHILDREN SEE, CHILDREN DO was done by DDB SYDNEY advertising agency for CHILD FRIENDLY AUSTRALIA …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I find that coaches underestimate the influence they have on athletes. My main worry these days are things coaches post on Facebook that are seen and later emulated by athletes.

The finals of the 2009 World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships will be broadcasted on Universal Sports, Nov 13-14.

UniversalSports.com/gymnastics

Many are speculating whether the young American gymnast might be a future tumbling / vault contender in Senior.

Some even compare her to Alicia Sacramone. (Especially since she uses one of Alicia’s old Floor music pieces.)

Check out Alexandra’s “easy” triple twist. She must do a good quad twist in training.

Click PLAY or watch a Floor routine from Pan-Am Jr’s on YouTube.

Overshoot Drill: One Arm Drop

In this week’s gymnastics technique video, Ryan Snider of Aerial Athletics shows the drill he uses to teach an overshoot on uneven bars.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike Technique Tuesday.

http://www.gymnastike.org/assets/portal/add_ons/mediaplayer-4.2/player.swf

Gymnastics Videos on Gymnastike

Dave Adlard convinced me that this controversial drill works well. I’d used it for twisting backward flyaways, but was (for some dumb reason) reluctant to use if on Shoot Half.

Valentin Uzunov posted an article on The Gym Press:

… a 12 week off-season sprint training program, for preadolescent gymnasts (7-12 years of age), who have not had formal sprint training. A detailed discussion is presented on the theoretical and practical application of the key concepts to effective sprinting for vault: optimized running mechanics, start of run-up and acceleration. The methodology behind this program is based on current track and field coaching methods, scientific literature on sprinting biomechanics and preadolescence speed and strength training principles. …

read the full abstract

It’s available to download for a few dollars. (This is a great way to support Valentin’s work studying the art and science of gymnastics coaching.)

He’s posted a number of videos on TheGymPress channel supporting this article.

One sample is a drill that I use a lot – Partner hamstring curls. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Gymnasts often have a muscular imbalance: their quads are too strong relative to the hamstrings. Partner hamstring curls are ideal for getting close to a maximum contraction safely.