Gymnastics Coaching.com

The U.S. Women’s World Championships Team that won the team title and 2007 world all-around champion Shawn Johnson of West Des Moines, Iowa, were chosen as the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Co-Team of the Month and Female Athlete of the Month, respectively, for September for their accomplishments at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. The 2007 world team champions tied in team voting with the U.S. Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships Team.

The U.S. women won the team gold medal, just the second ever for the USA and the first team title won at a World Championships held outside of the United States. The U.S. Women’s Team brought home seven medals total – four gold, two silver and one bronze – from the World Championships for its most successful performance ever at a team world championships. By finishing in the top 12, the U.S. women qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Johnson is just one of four U.S. women to win the coveted world all-around title, joining Kim Zmeskal (1991), Shannon Miller (1993-94) and Chellsie Memmel (2005). …

News: U.S. Women’s Team, Johnson take USOC monthly honors

Thanks John Smith, NASA.

Not the first question on my mind.

But here you are …

Oct 15 is Blog Action Day. Bloggers are asked to post something to do with the environment…

Personally I am skeptical as to the wisdom of the mad rush towards anything GREEN.

What do you think?

Leave a comment below.

I’ve moaned for years about the lack of opportunity for adults to do gymnastics in Calgary.

Last year one of the clubs dropped their adult program.

But this year one club added a program — Stampede City and now Jodie Bevis confirms Gymtastics (Tuesday nights 8:45-10PM) is running adult.

There’s more adult gym — at least 4 clubs in a city of 1 million — than ever before.

Is this a trend anywhere else?

By the way, I must say (again) how much I like the Gymtastics website and branding. Congratulations to owner Darlene “the bean” Fedyna. She’s built her club from nothing to one of the programs we all want to emulate.

more photos

It helps Darlene that she competes in the marketplace against clubs governed by elected Boards of Directors. Darlene can make bold decisions far more easily than can volunteer trustees. It’s the biggest weakness of the socialist Canadian gymnastics model.

Stuntman Wayne Michael’s bungie jump as Jame Bond from a 220m dam in GoldenEye was voted the best movie stunt of all time in one 2002 poll:

The jaw-dropping 750ft plunge beat scenes from classics such as Ben Hur and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to top the Sky Movies poll.

GoldenEye opens with Pierce Brosnan’s 007 leaping from the dam attached to the bungee cord.

007’s bungee jump tops best movie stunt poll

No doubt you can name better movie stunts.

But can you name another you can duplicate yourself?

Head for the Verzasca dam in Switzerland if you want to be like Bond, James Bond.

This, one of the highest commercial jumps in the world, is run by Trekking Outdoor Team.

For fun click PLAY to watch the “GoldenEye” Theatrical Trailer on YouTube.

Rick McCharles

Just getting prepared for my 4 sessions for Region 2 Gymnastics Congress (R2R), Spokane, Washington October 19—21, 2007.

Computers and the internet for coaches

Are computers just time-wasters? Or can they help you do a better job in the gym?

Have more FUN in the gym (the “science of fun”)

The Canadian gymnastics philosophy is Fun, Fitness, Fundamentals. First priority is Fun.

An overview of dozens of activities that will make your gym a happier, more productive place.

Video presentation: Advanced gymnastics for boys and girls

Select gymnastics video clips you’ve likely not seen. Some are from Australia, some from the internet. Most time will be spent on unique drills used by British coach Paul Hall who had both male and female athletes competing at Worlds 2007.

Using circuits to teach floor and vault to class kids

The art and science of building circuits in the gym. Best practice.

Detailing the BEST ways to utilize circuits in the gym is particularly fascinating to write-up, I’m finding. I will post this topic on Gymnastics Coaching after I present a similar Circuits session at the British Columbia Congress, end of October.

Hope to see you at one or the other Congress.



I’ve always loved adding some seated calf work to the general conditioning program of gymnasts. It compliments the plyometric specific rebound training we do already.

And the machine is VERY safe for kids.

PowerLine Seated Calf Machine – Amazon

As a young coach, I recall hearing this factoid. That at the Mexico City Olympic Games Dr. Yessis did a field test where the Olympic lifters had higher vertical jumps than Track and Field athletes.

Finally, some visual evidence:

Shi Zhiyong reacts to successfully clean and jerking 170 kg.

larger original – flickr

OK, maybe not this guy:

larger original – flickr

They are part of a huge collection of Chinese weight lifting photos posted by dehwang.

Weightlifting – Wikipedia

KungFuDoggie just “happend to be walking by on the way to the wushu gym and caught a glimpse of the girls gymnastics team working balance beam basics in Shanghai“:

http://uncutvideo.aol.com/v6.121/en-US/uc_videoplayer.swf

UnCut Video – Now Playing “GYMNASTICS IN CHINA ON BALANCE BEAM”

Carol Luber posted some historical photos of herself, her sister Karen, her father Al and much, much more.

Al Luber, owner of Santa Monica Gymnastics Center in his early years competing for UCLA. I believe they are from around 1967.

Maya Kato and on a wooden balance beam competing at the Santa Monica Beach Gymfest …

I still remember Maya from photos in International Gymnast magazine.

Larger versions of these photos on Carol’s blog – Sparklehaus: Santa Monica Gymnastics Center

Santa Monica Gymnastics Center – home page

(via Gymnast Crossing) – History of Santa Monica Gymnastics Center

JBS runs the Chalk Bucket forum. He posted a thread on this intriguing photo:

Benefits:

very clean

far less expensive than foam

somewhat force absorbent

easy to add mats to floor level and higher

Problems:

somewhat force elastic (risk of injury?)

could be punctured

risk of vandalism

durability?

At first glance I’d say no go. But I would need to to see it in action before I could render a final decision.

If you have seen an air pit or know more about the concept, head over to
The Chalk Bucket – Air Pits page and leave a comment.

The same website that posted the air pit photo — Sport Loisirs Creation — from France has this illustration of an air filled vaulting “table” mat.:

source

Great idea!

I LOVE air matting in general, especially those made by Gordons, distributed by TumblTrak.

But an air pit?

Call me skeptical.

Foam suspended on a net is still the safest.