Gymnastics Coaching.com

World Championships in Stuttgart 2007 (Sept. 1-9) are the important Worlds. There teams qualify to the 2008 Olympics.

Denmark in 2006 was more a test of the new code of points. A reality check for international coaches and gymnasts.

Surprisingly, the best internet commentary on Denmark was GYMmedia.com, specifically expert commentator Dieter Hofmann.

A quick summary of Hofmann’s conclusions:

adaptation of new code went better than expected

A-score (difficulty) elements were more easily recognized and credited

“B-scores seem to have become more stable. Nonetheless quite a few times differences of up to 6 tenths were seen.”

“technical execution – in my opinion – is still not being handled well enough. Almost on all apparatus routines with a great execution were presented and they didn’t get enough credit for this compared to routines through which the gymnasts just got through without major mistakes.”

it took to long to flash the final score

“… level of performance overall has increased. With China, Japan and Russia in the men’s field and China, USA and Russia in the women’s field …”

nations without strong teams can still win individual event medals

Hofmann’s full commentary with photos: GymFamily.Com

Coach Christopher Sommer posted an article on the Testosterone Nation website: Iron Cross for Bodybuilders – Simulated Gymnastics Training With Weights.

He is one of the best, most innovative strength coaches we know. His overview includes some interesting exercises in the inverted position. Reversing gravity is smart training!

… see the full article

Christopher Sommer is the men’s head coach at the Dessert Devil Gymnastics National Team Training Center in Mesa, Arizona and has one of the premiere men’s gymnastics programs in the United States. He’s also been training female gymnasts, Navy SEALS, Air Force Para Rescue, undercover DEA, Hostage Rescue and FBI among others.

Every gymnastics coach has a slightly different theory on hand care. Here’s one I have never tried posted by James Bathurst:

If you’re doing a lot of gymnastics, weightlifting, grip training, or hand balancing (my 4 favorite hobbies) then calluses are an inevitability. They raise up and start to get pinched and can eventually rip off. This is a bit painful and a pain to deal with during training. Let me show you what to do to take care of things before you’re leaving quarter size chunks of skin on the gym floor. …

The supplies are simple, grab yourself something to scrap the calluses off. I use a butter knife (or other dull knife) …. I also have a bucket of warm water in which to soak my hands. …

After you’ve soaked your hands for a minute or two, take them out and lightly towel dry them. You’ll notice that your calluses are raised a bit and have turned white – indicating dead skin. …

… take the dull knife at a 90 degree angle to my hand and start scraping at the calluses. You know you’re doing it right when you see the dead skin coming up. This should NOT be painful. … read more on beastskills.com

The Luxor casino in Las Vegas is planning a new Cirque du Soleil production.

It’s confirmed this will be a Cirque magic show fronted by the amazing magician Criss Angel, who reportedly signed a 10-year deal.

Criss Angel appeals to a young demographic due to the phenomenal success of his TV show Mindfreak. The Criss Angel project will bring Cirque Nouveau (the new circus) to the attention of young people.

This can only be a good thing for acrobatic coaches.

Chriss Angel – official website

At first glance, this looks interesting.

But — after a few clicks — you get some weird results.

And why are they using the incorrect word “gymnastic” instead of gymnastics?

It seems no human being is involved. Each page on this site is assembled by software guessing what should go where.

Skip the “Introducing Gymnastic Topics” website. I won’t even link to it from this post. This kind of stuff clutters the internet.

My lungs are green from the many pit cleaning sessions I’ve endured.

At Taiso they clean the pit at least once a year, sometimes twice. What a mess!

Taiso Gymnastics

More photos of this gym cleaning – Warren Long

Tony Smith at University of Calgary finally disposed of his foam cube pit and replaced it with much cleaner covered pits. Good idea.

I understand they are more expensive to install, but possibly cheaper over the long term.

Coach Kurt shows quick reflexes slowing down a gymnast who slips from horizontal bar.

But this lad looks like he is competing skills he cannot yet do well.

Click PLAY or watch the video on YouTube.

Catching athletes after a real “ping” (slipping at the bottom of the swing) from bar or rings is nearly impossible. This gymnast lost his grip on the upswing.

James Bathurst hosts an interesting website called BeastSkills.com devoted to his personal strength training.

I wanted to share what I’ve learned and help those with similar interests in strength. I called it “Beast Skills” because the page deals with those skills which seem impossible, or “beastly” — one arm chin-ups, handstand pushups, planches, etc.

Here’s a sample: learning “the Flag”.

For those who assume skimboarding only involves skimming on a board.

Photo Today : Vertical Splash Skimboarding- Morgan Just – Adventure blog

Is Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan the most impressive gymnast of all time?

I think so.

At age 31, she is the only female four-time Olympic gymnast. She’s won medals at major competitions from 1991 through to a Bronze on Vault at Worlds 2006.

She’s competed for the Unified Soviet team, Uzbekistan and Germany.

The 31-year-old Chusovitina has lived and trained in Cologne for the past several years. She applied for citizenship in the spring of 2006 and was approved in time for Worlds.

Chusovitina to Compete for Germany – International Gymnast

What a career! So far …

“I am strong and I could possibly compete in London Olympics,” Chusovitina said jokingly. “I think the young gymnasts should be afraid of me. I got a family and has a seven-year-old son and I have everything now.”

quoted in China View