STICK like Uchimura

Dvora Meyers put together a deep dive into the history of competition Gymnastics landings. She digs into the evolution of landing mats, as well.

The most dangerous part of most routines.

If gymnasts are allowed a controlled lunge on Floor, use that technique. It’s much safer — absorbing force over more time and distance.

Personally, my strategy as a coach is to train competition landings with the goal of a 0.1 deduction small hop. If the gymnasts happens to STICK for no deduction once-in-a-while, I consider it a 0.1 bonus over the plan.

Read the article on Defector:

The Case Against Sticking The Landing

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

teaching kids about UNSAFE touching

Parents of recreation gymnast needed to be educated about “spotting“, of course.

Rick McCharles Gymnastics TIPS 😀

For Boys and Girls. 

This is a video I put together some years ago showing some of my favourite Gymnastics progressions.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (44min)

pirouette preparation

Before starting pirouettes, it’s essential that gymnasts are comfortable with transferring centre of gravity.

Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.

Kip progressions

I’d say the most frustrating skill to learn in women’s Gymnastics is Kip on Bars.

Here’s an excellent and comprehensive overview of progressions and conditioning for both Glide and Kip.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

introducing Rope climb

Inexperienced coaches ask young kids to climb too high, too soon. 

Instead, challenge them with these drills. And others close to the ground.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.  No audio. 

Those are precomp kids from Taiso, Saskatoon and Altadore, Calgary. But the drills are the same for everyone. Even non-gymnasts.

Bars – Double Layout dismount, 1/2 out 

In TRAINING. 

It would be easy to under-rotate this in competition. 

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.


“It’s the Hard Knock Life”

Nobody knows better than gymnasts how to fall safely. And get back up. 

It’s not the falls that stop girls from training sport.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.