Gymnastics Coaching.com

Valentin just started a new blog for The Gym Press.

I wish more coaches would do the same. Acrobatic coaches are much unrepresented in the blogosphere.

Gymnastics Coaching is BIG PICTURE. All things to all people. Most blogs are narrow focus. One club. One athlete. One coach. The narrower, the better, usually. Those have fewer readers, but readers who are very engaged.

If you’ve considered it, check a new tutorial on how blogs work:

WordPress is better than Blogger, in my opinion, though the two are similar. (This site is on WordPress.) Both are free.

There are so few acrobatic coaching blogs now that I can guarantee you will have readers.

The CCTV Dance Contest found some dazzling new stars … “Hand in Hand” performed by disabled dancers Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei moved and inspired the audience in equal measure …

Click PLAY or watch the video on YouTube.

… Both the dancers had lost limbs as a result of car accidents. Ma Li lost her right arm and Zhai Xiaowei his left leg.

Their dance is about how people overcome life’s frustrations and enjoy the happiness of love.

Zhang Jigang, judge of the 4th CCTV Dance Competition, said, “I don’t expect the dance to be so dazzling. It’s not only about joining hands, but also care, support and help in the heart.” …

sezart.tv: Hand in Hand

Thanks Stu.

Related post: movie – “Lefty” starring Carol Johnston

Rettig’s Gymnastics is half way between New York City and the Pocono Mountains.

They are seeking full and part time instructors and coaches including Womans J.O. Program U.S.A.G. levels 4 – 10. Starting pay between $18.00 and $23.00 per hour depending on experience and versatility. Benefits include paid vacations, holidays and health insurance.

Email: djrettig @ cs.com

Starts tomorrow …

… they have invited the top 20 athletes and the top 10 teams of this year’s World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships to compete in Beijing.

As each of the associations of those best 20 athletes can only field one gymnast, so there will be a total of 16 gymnasts in the individual events and 10 teams in the group events. Among the 10 teams Italy and Japan will only take part in the group events. …

Press conference for rhythmic gymnastics event – 2007 Rhythmic Gymnastics International Invitational Tournament

official website

Jesus has got game.

They’re called Jesus Inspirational Sports Statues. Each features Jesus Christ engaged in one of 12 different sports, from soccer to track to gymnastics, with two children.

… The imported color statues, about 6 inches tall, have been a hit, … said Frank Pollicino of Nesconset, N.Y., who sells them and other goods on his Web site www.catholicshopper.com.

“These really have outsold everything that I do,” Pollicino said today from his Long Island store. “This is going to sit on a child’s dresser where normally you have images of God. I think it’s an inspiration to people.”

The Web site calls the statues “the perfect gift for every young Catholic athlete or coach. . . . a wonderful way to reinforce Jesus ‘as friend’ in everyday activities.”

Jesus statues got game / Inspirational figurines depict Christ as sports guru for kids

I hope no one is offended. That would be as silly as jailing a dedicated teacher for calling a Teddy Bear Mohammed.

There’s more, from another company. Jesus sports action figures:

source – WeAreFishermen.com

Why the incredibly long list of links in the right hand navigation? That’s typical of the blog format. Blogs are all about networking.

It’s cluttered and messy looking. But very useful, if you are looking for something in particular.

The goal is ONE CLICK. Find what you want in only one click of the mouse.

For example, lets say you are looking for information on “psychology” or wanting to click through to the Gymblog website.

On any page on this site use the FIND FUNCTION in your web browser to search for the key word Gymblog or “psychology”.

Nine times out of ten, you will jump immediately to what you are looking for. (The more unique your search term, the better)

When that method doesn’t work, use OUR SEARCH box (top right hand corner). And when you really, really get frustrated, email us.

PS

Based on a suggestion from coachnate, we’ve cleaned up the gymnastics category, putting the competitive apparatus together:

A great capture by Hsu-Ta.

Waiting on Flickr

What is she thinking?

Do we instruct what mental key words to focus on at this moment?

What if there is a long delay?

I don’t seem to recall this routine from the Athens Olympics.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’m not sure where that animation comes from. abcd tells me it’s from the Athens 2004 playstation game.

It was posted by brunab1 from Brazil.

Amanda Turner wrote a great article for International Gymnast magazine:

The numbers tell the story of Aljaz Pegan’s incredible career.

The venerable Slovenian has competed in 14 world championships — every one since his first appearance in 1989.

Six times he has competed in the high bar final at worlds — winning four medals, including the gold in 2005.

He is ranked No. 1 on high bar in the FIG World Cup points system; with more than 750 points, he has nearly 300 points more than the next highest gymnast.

photo – gymnasticsonline.co.uk

But for Pegan, the only unimpressive number in his career is 0. That’s the number of Olympics he has been in. Four Olympics have passed since his first world championships appearance, three have passed by since his first world championships final and one has passed since his first world medal.

At the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart, he barely missed qualifying to the Olympics. It was the first time that the qualifying system, which traditionally grants berths to the strongest teams and all-arounders, allowed individuals to earn berths to the Olympics by winning an apparatus gold medal. But Pegan won the silver on high bar in Stuttgart, and although it was another world championship medal, it wasn’t enough to earn him a trip to Beijing.

At age 33, Pegan points out that trying one more time to qualify to the Olympic Games in 2012 may be unrealistic.

So for the next five months, the most important number for Aljaz Pegan is: one. There is one single remaining berth to the 2008 Olympic Games, a wild card spot to be decided in April by a Tripartite Committee made up of one member each from the FIG, the IOC and the 2008 Olympic organizing committee. It is the number one that keeps Pegan’s Olympic dreams alive today.

In this IG Online interview, Pegan talks about his numbers, his Olympic hopes and the efforts he and his country are making to convince the Tripartite Commission that he is deserving of its selection. …

IG Online Interview

As I’ve said before, Aljaz Pegan should get that wild card. More details.

P A R A L L E L B A R S

China’s LIANG, Mingsheng and FENG, Zhe (- with the highest a-score of 17.0) swept the gold and silver medals in the parallel bars final at the third part of the pre-Olympic finals.

photo

Placing third in the event was the p.bars finalist of the 2005 and 2006 Worlds, YANG, Tae-Young (KOR), who had ranked first in the qualification round (- … two judges awarded him 9.10 his B-score reached 8.950, higher than that of China’s Feng Zhe). …

Results, Parallel Bars
1. LIANG, Mingsheng (CHN) – (16.8) = 15,800
2. FENG, Zhe (CHN) – (17.0) = 15.775
3. YANG, Tae-Youjg (KOR) – (16.8) = 15,750

H I G H B A R

1. KIM, Jihoon (KOR) – (16.5) = 15,425
2. HOSHI, Yosuke (JPN) – (16.4) = 15,150
3. TANAKA, Kazuhito (JPN) – (16.2) = 15,000

GYMmedia.com

The meet is finished. Final scores: GymnasticsResults.com (P Bars and H Bar missing as I write. They should be posted shortly.)

I expected Fabian Hambuechen to easily win Horizontal Bar. But he had a strange “ping” on dismount, falling.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.