If it is to be it is to be, it’s up to WE.
Success is not about me, it is about we, it is about collaboration, working together with other people to achieve a shared goal. You can’t do it alone. You need a support team. [Read more…]
3 Traits that can make or break a Coach
It’s easy to feel confident when you have a Highlight-reel coaching resume’. But any self made coach will tell you that it’s not WHAT your done, but HOW you did it that matters most.
Many coaches may not have common personality traits, but they do share a small set of similar psychological characteristics. I believe there are 3 common characteristics shared by the successful coaches. (I am sure there are more than 3 but if I wrote them all now, there would be nothing for me to write about another day!). [Read more…]
Practice Perfect- 42 rules for getting better at getting better.
I just finished a book that is a must for every coach’s library, Practice Perfect – 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better by Doug Lemov, Erica, Woolway and Katie Yezi.
It is a very good blend of the science behind practice and the author’s practical experience. Obviously the cornerstone for effective athlete development is practice, but too often it is just about putting in the time. Now with the 10,000 hour figure looming out there everyone is even more concerned with putting in the time (Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell). It is not the time in practice, it what you put into the time. Practice must be deliberate, focused and connected to the desired end result – performance in competition.
In an article in the January 19 New York Times on 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman says it quite well: “ Every game is different, No matter how you look at it, you have to pay homage to the football gods every week in practice, in meetings, in your preparation. Then you have to go out and perform on game day.”
What are you doing in practice?
Do you know why?
Are the practices appropriate for the people you are coaching?
Are you paying homage to the gods of gymnastics?
Read Practice Perfect for answers to these questions and many more to help your athletes be better at getting better.
In this book, the authors engage the dream of better, both in fields and endeavors where participants know they should practice and also in those where many do not yet recognize the transformative power of practice. And it’s not just whether you practice. How you practice may be a true competitive advantage. Deliberately engineered and designed practice can revolutionize our most important endeavors. The clear set of rules presented in Practice Perfect will make us better in virtually every performance of life. The “how-to” rules of practice cover such topics as rethinking practice, modeling excellent practice, using feedback, creating a culture of practice, making new skills stick, and hiring for practice. Discover new ways to think about practice. Learn how to design successful practice. Apply practice across a wide range of realms, both personal and professional
Mentoring
Typically your level 4 team is your youngest competitive group in the gym. Over the course of the year, this group will spend about 400 hours in the gym on their gymnastics education. Your Level 10s may spend about 1300 hours in the gym on their gymnastics education.
How much time are you spending on YOUR gymnastics education? [Read more…]
Questions Every Gymnast Needs To Answer
In order to come up with a PLAN for your workouts and practices, each gymnasts should really take the time to answer these questions. [Read more…]
Learning How To Train
The other day I was able to step out of the gym and take a look as the Level 9s and 10s trained. It reminded of how important it is to learn how to train. It also reminded what a big step this is in the development of the athlete. The group ranged from first year Level 9s to some 10s who have competed at Nationals a number of times. The contrast in the workout was amazing to watch. Everyone did the workout. [Read more…]
Healtified Chocolate
I know I am a little late for Valentines day but who really needs a reason or a special holiday for chocolate.
Healthified Freezy Chocolate-Banana Shake
- 1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
- 1 6-ounce container Yoplait® Light Very Vanilla yogurt or Original French Vanilla yogurt
- 1 medium banana, sliced and frozen*
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Step1 In a blender, combine milk, yogurt, frozen banana, cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla. Cover and blend until smooth and frothy.
*Note: To freeze banana,
peel and slice banana. Place banana slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Freeze about 1 hour or until firm.
80% less sat fat • 100% more fiber than the original recipe. Tastes like a chocolate-dipped banana—plus it’s an excellent source of calcium. Now that’s healthified heaven!
Healthified Decadent Hot Chocolate
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
- 2 1/2 cups fat-free (skim) milk
- 1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (1 1/2 oz)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Step1 In 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar and cocoa. Stir in milk and half-and-half until blended. Cook and stir over medium heat until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Remove from heat.
Step2 Add chocolate chips; stir constantly with wire whisk until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. To serve, pour hot chocolate into 4 cups.
50% fewer calories • 77% less fat • 20% more calcium than the original recipe. When it’s cool out, warm up with a cup of hot chocolaty goodness. You won’t believe it’s better for you!
Flow state
Recently, I attended a rock concert by The Who. In the middle of one of their classic songs, “Teenage Wasteland,” (Baba O’Riely) lead singer Roger Daltry, stopped singing, stepped back from the front of the stage and looked around the arena in amazement. Everyone in the standing-room-only audience of was singing, standing, swaying, and singing the song together. All were lost in the moment, thinking of nothing but the present . . . [Read more…]
Being a TEAM
* When I first posted this- the last line was inadvertently left out after the photo. This was pointed out by a reader. SINCERE Thanks.
The last line SHOULD HAVE read- THIS WAS A REPOST from Tom Burdorf’s great blog. If you do not follow his blog- you should. He has a lot of great things to say.
When I was in High School (a fairly long time ago) I was often frustrated by the learning process. Each teacher viewed their class as THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. They did not work together. I had a 10 page term paper due in History and a 10 page term paper due in English. Could I use the same paper in both? NOPE.
I never understood the reasoning behind this. Why not have one, 15 page paper due. With the History teacher working in conjunction with the English teacher.
I see many gyms that work like that. The Vault Coach has a certain set of drills and conditioning that they insist MUST be done. The Floor coach has a certain set they feel, of course, must be done. The same is true for every event.
The beauty of gymnastics is that certain movements are shared at each event. As coaches we need to consciously make connections to make training more effective and efficient. We need to understand that that although we may target a particular event or muscle group they are all affected regardless of the emphasis. Ultimately the most important connection we must make is to connect the training to the competition. Never lose sight of the fact that the goal of training is to prepare the athlete for competition, therefore all training must connect to competition by thoroughly preparing the athlete for the demands of the competition.
Now although I am a HUGE advocate of working together. I also believe that there can only be one leader. Pick your cliche’
- a team with 2 starting quarterbacks is a team with out a quarterback. (ask the NY Jets)
- Too many cooks ruin the soup
- Too many Chiefs, not enough indians.
Work as a TEAM to come up with THE PLAN. F
ollow through by Implementing the PLAN. There will be a time when you will be the leader. There will be a time for you follow. When you lead- lead by example. When you follow, follow with gusto. I have seen too many gyms brought down by dissension. Work Together towards that common goal of gymnastics greatness.
THIS WAS A REPOST from Tom Burdorf’s blog (on Facebook) . If you do not follow his blog- you should. He has a lot of great things to say.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE? Keep the momentum going!
CRASH OF THE WEEK. REVERSE HECHT DRILL CRASH
Here is a good drill that we use for turn over in Reverse Hecht/ Tkatchev and Stalder/ toe shoot to high bar. Annie just went a little hard on first one.
[Read more…]
