Gymnastics Coaching.com

inspir8tion posts some of the very best pics on the internet. One sample:

larger original

see the inspir8tion gymnastics photo collections on flickr

We often see kids sent to gymnastics because parents know it’s one of the best ways to develop strength.

That happens even in China.

Olympic champion Chen Yibing was so delicate as a child that his parents sent him to a gymnastics training camp at the Tianjin Amateur Physical School to build him up. …

A story of ‘weak child’ to king of rings – China Daily

I was disappointed that Chen did not do his “pull to Maltese mount” on Rings at the Olympics. But we may see it again. He’s talking about training through to 2012.

It was the same story with Olympic Trampoline Champion He Wenna:

… “He Wenna was a tiny and weak when she was in the kindergarten, so I sent her to a local sports school to improve her health conditions.”

The coaches at the school found she had a gift for gymnastics, and she was sent to the provincial team for training in 1995. At the team, she switched to trampoline in 1998. In 2002, He Wenna joined to the national trampoline team. …

Daughter’s trampoline gold delights mother – China Daily

Leave a comment if you know of other gymnastics “success stories”. Children sent to gymnastics because of supposed physical deficiencies.

Jennifer Isbister sent me a copy of Little Big Dreams, a Chinese documentary about young boys training at the (now infamous) Li Xiaoshuang Gymnastic School.

I’d seen clips from it on YouTube montages.

This particular boarding school is by far the most “infamous” in the western media because they keep inviting film crews. It seems to be featured in every Chinese gymnastics documentary.

… Every year, more than 100 children, aged between three and ten years old, come from all over China to the famous Li Xiaoshuang Gymnastic School to train to an incredible standard, even though some have yet to learn even how to tie their shoe laces. All of these children have left their hometowns to travel to a boarding school faraway to pursue the Olympic dream, which their families hope will lead them to fame and fortune. But only the very few will ever achieve the highest standard to become world-famous Olympic gymnasts, and they must sacrifice their childhood and family life to get there.

Digital Rights Group

It’s a harsh life for these young boys. They train 330 days / year. Only 3hrs of regular school / day.

Out of 10 children, only 3 or 4 will make it to the Provincial Team by age 9 or 10.

Sport schools are becoming commercialized in China. Parents of first year students at Li Xiaoshuang must pay high fees once their child is accepted. The extended family and sometimes even the village contributes.

One coach in the movie uses a “cane”. That sounds shocking to me now. But when I was a student in Canada in the 1960s getting the “strap” on the hands was a regular part of discipline. I cannot even recall when corporal punishment was discontinued in my city.

related posts on Chinese sports schools

This equipment set-up (surprisingly) worked very well for girls training round-off straight jump dismount “timers”.

The steep, high, soft walls “encourage” the kids to be very straight.

Altadore Gymnastics Club

The coach accepted no credit as the girls had invented it themselves.

The C Score has been reporting on the meet, just finished:

Yang Yilin took the title at this event, and took third on the UB finals. This may be the biggest news from these championships.

But who’s the FUTURE superstar for China?

Perhaps Chen Chuyan.

The AA medalists of the Chinese national championships: Yang Yilin, He Ning, and newcomer Chen Chuyan:

details – Chinese Nationals — is Chen Chuyan the one to watch? – The C Score

Once again, Stanford is almost everyone’s pick to win the Men’s NCAA Championships.

1 Stanford (10)
2 Oklahoma (2)
3 Ohio State (1)
4 Illinois
5 Penn State
6 Michigan
7 California (1)
8 Minnesota
9 Iowa
10 Nebraska

GymInfo – 2009 Men’s Pre-Season Coaches Poll

On the other hand, l was there last year when Oklahoma stunned Stanford at home, defeating them by 0.45 points in the final rotation. What a shocker!

I feel any of the top 7 ranked teams could win in 2009.

The best analysis of the Men’s season to come is posted on Stick It Media.

photo – Thom Glielmi – Stanford Head Coach

Bruno Grandi is age-74.

Outspoken. Controversial.

He’s just been elected for a 4th 4-year term.

larger version – flickr – FIG

Good news?

I’m not so sure.

Those that don’t like Grandi post on the “Bruno Grandi Is The Worst Thing To Happen To Gymnastics Since Gina Gogean” Facebook page.

There’s more:

… Women’s Technical Committee President Nellie Kim (Belarus) and Men’s Technical Committee President Adrian Stoica (Romania) also ran unopposed for re-election.

Poland’s Maria Szyszowska was elected for a first term as president of the FIG’s Rhythmic Technical Committee. …

Four members of the Men’s Technical Commitee were re-elected: Huang Liping (China), Julio Marcos (Spain), Istvan Karacsony (Hungary) and Sawao Kato (Japan). New members are Canada’s Edouard Iarov (formerly of Kazakhstan) and American Steve Butcher.

Three members of the Women’s Technical Committee were re-elected: Kym Dowdell (Australia), Yan Ninan (China), Donatella Sacchi (Italy) and Yoshie Harinishi (Japan). New members are Lyubov Burda Andrianova (Russia) and Naomi Valenzo (Mexico).

Unopposed Grandi, Kim and Stoica Re-elected for FIG Posts – International Gymnast

Steve Butcher and Edouard Iarov will certainly make an impact.

I feel it’s far too difficult to oust incumbents in the F.I.G.

And … shouldn’t we have age and term limits?

Olympic Horizontal Bar medalist — some feel it should have been GOLD medalist — Jonathan Horton goes BIG.

No doubt about that.

But lost in the anticipation of the Olympics was the story of how he proposed to longtime girlfriend Haley DeProspero:

“She didn’t know it was coming,” he said, grinning.

Who could blame her?

Horton asked DeProspero to marry him between the two biggest meets of his life, the U.S. Championships and the Olympic trials. Both were part of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team.

Not exactly a time you’d expect a big-time contender to make a life-altering decision. Then again, Horton and DeProspero have always juggled their sport and their relationship. …

Click through to read the entire romantic gymnastics fairy tale: Horton had more than Olympic rings on his mind – NewsOK

(via Gymblog)

by site editor Rick McCharles

Iarov was the coach of Valeri Liukin. And is currently the National Coach of the Canadian Men’s Gymnastics Team.

He’s a genius coach, though often very controversial. I’ve been much influenced by his coaching philosophy.

At a training camp for age group gymnasts, I took photos and notes. Here are a few sample drills:

much more information, many more photos on my report – Iarov Training Camp, December 2001, Montreal

MUTINY ON THE RINGS is the best photoset on flickr of traveling rings.

I’ve linked to it before. But they keep adding new pics.

larger original – flickr

see all their photos – MUTINY ON THE RINGS

related post: DVD – Wild Rings – very COOL