Parallettes are a gymnastics tool that simulate parallel bars — which are similar to dip bars. You can use a pair of parallettes to do wallstands, handstands, dips, ab exercises, and tons of other weird, gymnast stunts. The following tutorial explains the process of making your own parallettes. The entire process shouldn’t take more than an afternoon, and is quite inexpensive because it uses PVC pipe.
At every major gymnastics competition people are live blogging. And posting to Facebook.
How long can it be before bloggers will be issued press credentials? Access to the media areas?
Here’s another nice development on the community front: For the first time, Oracle is issuing blogger credentials for Oracle OpenWorld. A group of “A-listers” (as Scoble calls them) will soon receive (if they haven’t already) invitations to accept full conference passes carte blanche, and to enjoy the same type of access that the mainstream press typically does (including a designated blogger area in the press room).
This may seem like a little thing, but for Oracle, it’s far from it. It’s active acknowledgment that the world has changed (no small feat for a huge corporation), and I applaud everyone involved for making it happen!
I will make some requests to competition organizers this year on behalf of Gymnastics Coaching. If approved, we may even be looking for guest bloggers.
Engineers in Japan are perfecting a wearable power suit that amplifies human strength to help lift hospital patients or heavy objects.
Driven by portable batteries, micro air pumps and small body sensors that pick up even the slightest muscle twitch, the Stand-Alone Wearable Power Assist Suit is designed to help nursing home workers lift patients of up to 180 pounds while cutting the amount of strength required in half, project researcher Hirokazu Noborisaka told LiveScience today.
At Wired Magazine’s NextFest new-technology forum here, researchers demonstrated walking and lifting weights in the 66-pound suit, which was developed at the High-Tech Research Center of Japan’s Kanawaga Institute of Technology.
These have to evolve into the mechanized Mobile Infantry suits of the Robert Heinlein novel Starship Troopers. (Not the lame movie of the same name which did not do justice to the fantastic book.)
Hero of the Los Angeles Olympics 1984. Hero of mine. Li Ning is one of the greatest gymnasts of all-time. Now age-44, he is chairman as well as head of business development for his own line of sporting goods in China.
The Gym Chat forumpointed me to a business post on Yahoo Finance:
Don’t Know Li-Ning? Ask Shaq
By Dexter Roberts
Not many people outside of China have heard of Li-Ning, but in the country’s fast-growing sportswear market, the Beijng company is proving a serious competitor for the likes of giants Nike and Adidas.
While those two behemoths still dominate among Chinese consumers, Li-Ning is in third place, with market share just below the roughly 17% to 18% that Nike and Adidas have. …
Teaming With NBA Stars
No doubt one reason for that good rating on “ambassadorship” is Li-Ning’s successful marketing and branding efforts, mainly focused on sports sponsorship. Li-Ning spends about 17% of revenues on marketing annually, more than most Chinese companies. National Basketball Assn.’s Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal is the brand’s top star, after having signed a five-year agreement in August, 2006.
While Li-Ning shoes aren’t available in the U.S., the company figures that an alliance with Shaq helps to lure the growing number of NBA fans in China who follow the league. …
Riding the Wave of the Beijing Olympics
… The company is sponsoring the medal-winning Chinese table tennis, diving, gymnastics, and shooting teams. And on June 7, 2007, Li-Ning and the Spanish government announced the company would be the official sportswear provider for the Spanish Olympic delegation at next year’s games.
The year-long run up to the world’s biggest sporting event clearly is key for Li-Ning. The company plans to add 700 new retail outlets in 2007 to its existing 4,300, and by the opening of the Olympics next August Li-Ning will have 5,600 outlets spread across the mainland.
First, they forgot to define the frame of reference. We can only infer they mean counterclockwise — looking down at the dancer from above.
Secondly, I don’t believe anyone can see this dancer turning clockwise (right twist). Yeesh. I FINALLY got her to change directions. I stared at the bottom foot only (as many had suggested) and she suddenly switched directions.
UPDATE – Immediately after posting this, people began responding they can see the image turning clockwise (right twist), turning towards the right shoulder.
Perhaps it really does work.
If you can, I expect you must be delusional, not right-brained. (Leave a comment below.)
Ken sent us a couple more cool handstand photos.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 