Gymnastics Coaching.com

Gymnasts push boxes across a carpeted Floor to improve general leg strength.

It works. And is FUN.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Coach Mihai Stoica. Altadore Gymnastics Club.

<img align="right" border="0" hspace="10" vspace="5" blockquote id="image7217" src="https://gymnasticscoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/Coach-Sommer.jpg&quot; alt="Coach-Sommer.jpg" / Coach Sommer of GymnasticBodies shows an advanced version of the “hamstring push-up”.

Much of an athlete’s ability to jump explosively resides in his glutes and lower back. GHR (glute ham raises) are an excellent movement for directly developing these two areas simultaneously.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Gymnasts are notoriously weak in the hamstrings relative to the quadriceps. Hamstring push-ups are an excellent drill to correct this imbalance.

more conditioning videos from Coach Sommer on YouTube

Katrina posted a good interview with the reigning World Champion Shawn Johnson on the BodyRhythm blog:

Kevin Sanders / AP

… Although Johnson placed first all-around at last year’s U.S. Championships, she has not yet confirmed exactly when she will return to competition. She has the chance to defend her world all-around title at the World Championships taking place in London in October.

“It’s hard to give a specific date or place for a competition where I’ll be back,” she told IG. “Whenever I get back into the gym, I’ll get back into competition. It just depends on the time. I’m still riding out the publicity from the Olympics. You want to ride that out as long as you can, because it’s really fun, and it’s what makes your career.” …

Take that doubters – Shawn Johnson interview

Good news for fans.

But I don’t understand why Nastia has had time to get back in the gym, but not Shawn.

Nastia is even busier with special events and appearances.

A charming, feel good video. Nice edit.

Montage of gymnasts who were great when they were young.

Click PLAY or watch Forever Young by KaraKarateka on YouTube.

Gymnasts still danced on Floor when I was young.

(via Chalk Bucket)

Have you heard of this event?

It’s been around for a while.

2009 Colorado Springs, Colorado
2007 Colorado Springs, Colorado
2005 Colorado Springs, Colorado
2003 Hartford, Connecticut
2001 St. Louis, Missouri
1999 St. Louis, Missouri

It’s America’s largest Olympic-style multi-sport festival for amateur athletes. 10,000 athletes. Women’s gymnastics is one of 29 sports featured in the State Games of America.

official website

The U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs will host the gymnastics competition this summer.

July 30 – August 2, 2009

Levels 4 through 10, following USA Gymnastics guidelines.

Details on USAG

From the Regina Leader Post: by Brian & Roy Boychuk

The Uneven Rings.

Thanks Stu Cram.

Honestly, I was fairly disappointed in UCLA last year.

They had a lot of problems.

But in 2009 they look like the big name team with the best potential for the future. Rookies going 1-2-3 in the All-around against Cal. Amazing.

A trio of freshmen led the way for the Bruins, sweeping the all-around standings with a 1-2-3 finish. Aisha Gerber totaled a career-high 39.55, UCLA’s highest all-around mark so far this season, to capture her first all-around win. Vanessa Zamarripa was not far behind, scoring a career-best 39.5 to place second. In third place was Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, who scored 39.45. …

UCLA Breaks 197 Barrier In 197.125-190.575 Win Over California

Two are Canadian. And everyone remembers what Canadians Kate Richardson and Yvonne Tousek did for UCLA in the past.

Only a fool would bet against Georgia in the NCAA Championships 2009. If Courtney Kupets is healthy, they will win.

But for 2010 … my early pick is the UCLA Bruins.

Leave a comment if you have a prediction.

About.com Gymnastics linked to one of their “Cool Skills“.

Click PLAY or watch Rhian Pugh 2005 American Cup Prelims on Beam on YouTube.

Amy Van Deusen called this the “side-side aerial”.

Cute.

Rhian Pugh from the U.K. was Junior European Champion on Bars 2004. She had some interesting skills on that apparatus you can see in this montage.

Coach Wayne is William Wayne Evans:

A veteran coach in the world of Gymnastics, Tumbling and Cheerleading, CoachWayne has taught private lessons, camps and clinics in both the United States and Europe. Among his accolades, Coach Wayne has produced eight instructional videos; the top-selling 7-video set “Better Back Handsprings” and “Basic Handstand Position.” His “Tumbling Tips” articles are read by hundreds of thousands of students and teachers worldwide …

He and his wife, double Olympian from Slovakia, Zuzana Sekerova, have a mobile gymnastics business.

It’s called CoachWayne2go.

Check this news clip on the service.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I predict that, once again, a little known Canadian gymnast will be the man to beat in College All-around. This is Casey’s final year of College gymnastics.

He’s a machine at knocking out routines consistently. This past weekend Casey needed a buzzer beater to pull out the team competition:

Casey Sandy earns his seventh career weekly accolade, tying Minnesota’s Guillermo Alvarez (2002-05) for the most Gymnast of the Week honors in Big Ten history, after claiming top honors in four events while aiding No. 3 Penn State to a 348.900-348.350 victory over conference rival No. 2 Michigan on Saturday.

The defending Big Ten and NCAA All-Around Champion won individual event titles in the vault (15.950), parallel bars (14.700) and high bar (15.450) en route to claiming the all-around crown with a score of 90.000, the highest total in the nation thus far this season. Down to the final competitor of the meet and needing a monumental high bar effort to overtake Michigan, Sandy came through in the clutch for Penn State, posting a career-high score to will the Nittany Lions to victory.

Big Ten

I’m still disappointed Casey did not compete for Canada at the Beijing Olympics. I wish he had been there, at least as an alternate.