Gymnastics Coaching.com

Alison Arnold Ph.D. is a sport psychology consultant for USA Gymnastics, a former gymnast.

Her site is Head Games.

One of their online offerings is called Web Camp ($99/month). There you can get video tutorials on mental toughness training.

They have free trial sessions, as well.

Jami Sims of GymMeet did an interview with TV star Janae Whittaker Ali, former captain of the Penn State gymnastics team:

So, we’re here to talk about the Head Games Web Camp. What is it exactly?

JW: A chance to train your mind ONLINE with a LIVE mental toughness trainer, like myself. There is nothing like it. You can get mentally tough this summer from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access! It is designed to have you grow in confidence, overcome fears, and be able to perform your best.

Why is it important in sports to be “mentally tough?”

JW: As we say at Head Games, “Out of control thinking leads to out of control performance.” Who wants to have an out of control performance? Sports are mentally challenging. It comes down to the one who can be confident and consistent…in training and competition. Your mind either makes you or breaks you. We all have fears and inconsistencies. It is important to learn [not how to be fearless], but how to have fear and do it anyway. This is called courage. And, being mentally tough makes sports a heck of a lot more fun! It is fun to be in control of your mind, it is fun to win.

read the rest of this interview on GymMeet.com (free membership required)

capnemofromrus from Russia has posted over 700 sport aerobics videos on YouTube.

One series includes elements from their code of points.

Quality is good. Check a sample: A256 – Flair on YouTube

If you want to see more, browse the hundreds of clips on the capnemofromrus YouTube channel.

Related: Archive for the ‘aerobics’ Category

The most original modern dance. The most original acrobatic elements

Bboys dance competitions.

This video is long at 8min. But includes at least 20 outrageous moves I’ve never seen before.

It’s a competition final between Team Korea (maximum & gamblers) vs B-town allstars (Germany).

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I think they can dance.

NBC TV is “old media”, trying to find a way to thrive and survive in the age where you and I want “video on demand”. Trying to modernize.

Many feel that old media is doomed. That NBC will be too slow to change in trying to compete against smaller, newer rivals.

Yet NBC got a lot of good press for their online product called Hulu launched March 2007. It is a video on demand service offering streaming TV shows and movies, primarily from NBC and FOX. The slogan is “Watch your favorites. Anytime. For free.”

Hulu is free. Later they can find ways to monetize it. NBC and FOX are real players on the web.

Right?

For me Hulu has been a disappointment. Too many restrictions.

But the real evidence that NBC wants to chase away their customers to competitors is happening right now. First Jess. Then the Live.Breath.Love.Gymnastics blog reported that NBC is taking down gymnastics video clips on YouTube. The very same day, Gymnast.com is uploading their videos to YouTube. Using YouTube to promote the new website. To attract people to Gymnast.com. Using YouTube as free advertising.

Gymnast.com “gets it”.

Gymnast.com

At VISA Championships in Houston the Gymnast.com cameraman stood right beside the NBC cameraman.

With hopeful optimism I’d initially given NBC’s new website a positive review. Later I learned I could not watch their videos from Canada.

NBC sucks, for me.

After the Olympics, I’ll go back to boycotting NBC productions as much as possible.

Those of us who want to see Olympic video clips online will find a way, even if it’s not on YouTube.

UPDATE: NBC and CCTV in China have Olympic broadcast rights. Seems even Beijing is getting serious about preventing copyright infringement. This will only work if those networks offer a way for fans to see gymnastics legally. If not, fans will find a way to post clips.

UPDATE: I tried again today. Something NEW was on the site. It said that IF I download silverlight2 BETA from Microsoft that I could watch NBC video on my new Mac. I did. And did get a preview video to play. Nothing else.

Nice user experience NBC. You suck.

On Cloud Nine

original – flickr – Vanda

Interesting coloured strobe effect.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

With 10 individual titles in world championships and gold medals in three successive Olympic Games, the Ukranian “Iron Man” was one of the greatest gymnasts of all time.

Shakhlin won seven gold, four silver, and two bronze Olympic medals.

winning Gold in the Tokyo Olympics 1964

International Gymnast has a wonderful recap of his career: Boris Shakhlin, 1932-2008

Women – GymnasticsResults.com
Men – GymnasticsResults.com

Holland’s Epke Zonderkand … during the apparatus finals at the World Cup Gymnastics tournament in Moscow, Friday, May 30, 2008.

(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) – ESPN

Epke finished second in Horizontal Bar finals with 15.25.

Jade Barbosa tied for Gold on of Vault with Anna Pavlova. 14.75.

(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) – ESPN

Hey, the young guys from England — Daniel Keatings and Louis Smith — coached by Paul Hall finished 1st and 2nd ahead of Hungarian great Berki. Keatings is a legitimate Olympic medal contender.

Recently I posted about DVDs available from preschool guru Beth Gardner.

This package is even better for preschool specialists …

Click on the RECREATION link on the GymSmarts home page to see the details of this and Beth’s other resources.

UPDATE: IG is reporting that the hosts “won six out of 10 titles” – Russians Shine Bright in Moscow

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International Gymnast has all the qualifying scores to finals.

Diego Hypolito, as is so often the case, led Floor qualifiers with 15.625.

But watch this Finals routine where he took the Silver medal. I’m always shocked that this guy does so well in competition. He is very “beatable” — yet rarely beaten.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Where’s the “Hypolito“?

This is not a very impressive routine to me. I can’t see it in the Olympic Floor final.

American Steven Legendre did not even qualify for the top 15 to U.S. Olympic trials. Yet at VISA Championships the NCAA Floor Champion scored 15.8 from 16.50 — his routine including the best “Hypolito” that’s ever been competed.

Legendre is young. No doubt he’ll make future World Championships Floor finals.