Gymnastics Coaching.com

An excellent, original, detailed article with great graphics and video animations. It’s posted on the useful Skills and Drills website.

I’ve linked to it before. And will again.

Steve Bonham, Georgia Southern University, lays out “Body Awareness Drills” that build a strong foundation for skill development.

It’s long. I’ve summarized the major headings:

THE DRILLS:

Drills for Body Segment Stabilization

Pressure Stand

Standing Tips

Kneeling Handstand

Candle

Wall Handstand

Half-Wall Handstand

PullMe-PullYou

Drills for Sensitizing Learners to Basic Movement Patterns

Rock’n’Roll

Inchworm

PushAway

Push-up&Away

Body Awareness Drills

I spent a fair bit of time trying to follow his logic.

I conclude: there are some excellent drills included. But many more and better drills could be added. This list is by no means comprehensive.

Alicia Sacramone on Flickr

I’ll be very disappointed if Alicia doesn’t qualify for the Olympics. She is the perfect captain for the US Team.

I don’t normally post gymnastics meet promos unless we are attending them. But this one caught my eye.

I love GYMNOVA equipment, but it’s so bloody expensive in Canada, most clubs cannot afford it. At this competition in Ontario, Canada, they will be selling at a 30% reduction. That might just possibly bring it in your price range.

The competition entry fees are — $85 / gymnast, $20 / coach — so it should be good. Complain if it is not a good meet, at those prices. (Compare what you get in the USA for the same entry fee.)

Contact All Star Gymnastics in Brampton, Ontario for details on the competition.

John Andrews details what you might not know about fast food “healthy choices”:

The movie Supersize Me has probably had more of an effect than the producers anticipated. Since then, in the fast food industry, there has been a market trend promoting menu items that appear to be healthy. But most of these menu items have ingredients that health conscious consumers would prefer to avoid. …

Bad “healthy” choices revealed from:

Burger King

Taco Bell

Wendy’s

Subway

KFC

Surprise Ingredients In Fast Food

ALL WE NEED IS EXERCISE – on Flickr by Way of Living

No one I know liked the effeminate style of the first modern Olympic gymnastics medallist from Greece, but you must admit his routine in Atlanta was as “clean” as any ever shown.

Click PLAY or watch the gold medal set on YouTube.

Melissanidis was astonishingly talented on Floor and Vault, but terribly inconsistent. You’d never guess after seeing his routine in Atlanta.

… Melissanidis began training gymnastics and classical ballet at the age of 9 and a half. His parents were not originally supportive of the idea, and, according to Melissanidis, only relented and took him to the Spartakos Thessaloniki gymnastics club after he refused to eat for two days. …

Melissanidis continued competing after 1996, winning the vault title at the 1998 European Championships in St. Petersburg. He represented Greece at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, but, struggling with injury, competed only on vault and high bar. …

Melissanidis has two vaults named after him in the Code of Points; both are variations of the Yurchenko double back. …

In recent years, Melissanidis has been active in various social and athletic causes. He is a member of Greenpeace, and, in 2003, publicly supported the Melina Mercouri Foundation’s campaign to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece. He was also one of the torchbearers in the 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in Athens.

In 2004, Melissanidis graduated from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki with a degree in medical science.

Ioannis Melissanidis – Wikipedia

I was reminded of his tumbling after watching a montage of some of the best combination tumbling being done in men’s gymnastics on Gymblog.

Tumble Tots is the “biggest mobile gym franchise” in the UK.

It’s worth looking at this successful business model which does reach out internationally:

Tumble Tots has been operating a successful Franchise Network since 1979 and many franchisees have benefited from the opportunity. To see what they have to say about Tumble Tots and the difference being a Tumble Tots Franchisee has made to their lives, read on…

Franchise Opportunities

Recommended from the Tumble Tots shop are the Sing-a-Long Action Song CDs.

Tumble Tots UK Programmes structured to develop children’s positive personality traits including confidence and self-esteem. | Home

(via Preschool Gymnastics)

Consider giving a week of gymnastics camp as a gift to that special someone. One of three Camp Woodward locations, for example. It’s a great motivator for athletes and coaches.

I plan to be back for my 4th year at Woodward West in 2008. That’s a gym camp in paradise.

Most of the videos I’ve posted have been of incredible Charlie Tamayo, but Woodward is for all levels of ability.

Coach Don Eckert posted a clip tagged: “A little bit of everything about Woodward West …”

Click PLAY or watch the Saltocafe video on YouTube.

Tip:

I love single leg squats. But there is a slight risk of injury to the supporting knee. Better to balance with one or two hands when you train them from stand.

… Lift one leg directly in front of you, parallel with the floor (leg should be straight). Bend the supporting leg 90 degrees and press back up. Hands should be used only for balance and NOT for assistance in returning to a standing position. Repeat the exercise on the other leg.

From the GymSports New Zealand November 2007 newsletter (PDF) – Coaching | NZ Gymnastics

I will be helping coordinate the video crew at the Canadian National Team Selection Meet, Elite Canada, held in Abbotsford this weekend.

Contact Louise Demers at ldemers @ gymnastics.bc.ca if you want to come join us as a volunteer at the big meet.

After much research, I bought myself a new camcorder and will be testing it out at the competition.

Panasonic HDC-SD5 Hi-Definition Palmcorder Camcorder BUNDLE

The new Panasonic HDC-SD5 uses the brand new AVCHD format to record full-HD video with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. Instead of DVD or mini-DV tapes, it records directly onto SDHC/SD Memory Cards.

It debuts as the world’s smallest palm-style 3CCD full-HD camcorder. Small enough for me to carry on my hip in the gym.

You can swap Memory cards to keep filming while simultaneously burning that footage to DVD or put it on your laptop for editing.

Japanese gymnasts finished first and second at the 12th annual Liukin Invitational, held Saturday night at WOGA in Plano, Texas.

Shogo Otsuki of Saitama Sakae High School won the all-around over compatriot Hojo Yodai, 87.300-86.900. Otsuki also won floor exercise.

U.S. junior national team member Danell Leyva placed third all-around with 86.850, edging Japan’s Yamamoto Masayoshi (86.750) and Ito Go (86.650).

The Houston Gymnastics Academy won a close team competition, edging the Japanese national team, 177.800-177.350. USOTC and Saitama Sakae tied for third with 173.200.

full results – International GYMNAST Magazine Online