Gymnastics Coaching.com

At the Gymnastics Alberta annual retreat for recreation leaders, coaches were asked to climb a wobbly telephone pole and jump for a slippery trapeze.

Alberta Gymnastics at YMCA Camp Chief Hector on April Fool’s Day, 2006.

You should be able to watch a short video clip below.

Cirque has 12 shows worldwide and is more popular than ever. Over 7 million people will see a performance this year.

Cirque du Soleil has 2,400 employees and is hiring every day. I am contracted with Cirque as a travelling consultant helping them find the most talented gymnasts, divers and “extreme sport” athletes in the USA. Coaches tell me there is a big demand as Cirque continues to expand.

I am proud to be even a small part of an organization like the Cirque du Soleil.

CrossFit is an advanced strength and conditioning program used by police and military. It is popular with the martial arts community.

Firefighters, too, like CrossFit because it does not use weight machines, preferring free weights. They use many gymnastics exercises in which body weight provides the resistance.

Many video clips and photo sequences are linked from their exercises page:

CrossFit excercises list

team sit-up using a log for resistance

This blog goes live, posted by Canadian coach Rick McCharles.

Rick is also the editor of one of the most popular gymnastics coaching websites on the internet » i-needtoknow.com/gymnastics

La Nouba is an independent production built right into downtown Walt Disney World, Orlando.

It has been a big hit. In fact, Disney is considering building more specially-made Cirque venues at their other giant amusement parks around the world.

I loved the show. Their trampoline act is the best I have ever seen.

The current poster girl for La Nouba is one of the most popular Cirque performers, Natasha Hallet, member of the 1992 Canadian Olympic Team.

I have friends whose dream vacation is spiritual, doing yoga for hours every day on the beach.

Historically we in the gymnastics community have been suspicious of Yoga. If you asked me to locate a fraud, I would look first in ashrams.

I am embarrassed by my lack of knowledge mastery of the musculoskeletal system. (I have no memory syndrome.) Still, my understanding is better than 90% of Yoga teachers. Their explanations are not as science-based as I would like. Where are the chakras? Exactly?

But my Tulum beach yoga teacher Sarah swayed me. I really enjoyed her sessions.

Joe Laughlin convinced me too. Joe is a professional dancer and a former National tumbling champion. A serious athlete.

Joe retired at age 37. Then made a comeback a couple of years later. He said that by doing only Pilates (something of a Germanic evolution from Yoga) he was restored to the best shape of his life. Many serious athletes I know have embraced pilates. It works.

I now, finally concede that yoga can improve fitness and is not simply trendy posturing. Not just an excuse for sipping latte with your yoga-mat-toting friends.

Martial Arts Acrobatics is a 2 DVD set featuring Team Air and Team Chat.

It’s the best martial arts acrobatics video we have found.

As a poor-listener this is something I need learn.

When I disagree with someone in future, I plan to:

1. Listen carefully – “I hear you.”

2. Acknowledge – “I appreciate / recognize how you feel.”

3. Offer proof – “I know how you feel. I felt the same way when…”

4. Share your discovery – “What I found that worked for me was…”

Disagree — without undermining.

No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

Thanks to Garth Rowan for explaining this to me. He calls it the Feel, Felt, Found formula.

For decades I have been the guy with the video at the clinic. The one taking notes on a laptop computer. The one responsible for sending the report out to clubs. …

Last clinic for 3 coaches from our gym, we had 2 camcorders running.

For the first time I see this for an upcoming coaching workshop:

Personal video/still shot cameras are NOT permitted at any Congress session. Gymnastics Queensland may video all Congress Sessions and DVDs will be available for purchase shortly after the completion of Congress.

Hmm. They clearly want to generate some revenue from the proceedings in addition to the course entry fee.

My fear is that the extra revenue will not cover the cost of production. I hope I’m wrong.

I’ll be reporting on that Congress in the next couple of weeks. Will let you know what happens.

Only the French could have come up with a sport this insane. You may have seen videos clips of youth in street clothes running, overcoming natural obstacles on the route with a variety of gymnastic and acrobatic moves including jumps & wall runs. It is an urban thing.

As usual, the recently maligned Wikipedia is the best reference on the web for anything interesting:

Parkour – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The wildest clip I have yet seen should be on this page, if you have high speed internet.

Doug Taylor pointed me to this building jumper video page.