Rick McCharles shares a good drill for teaching clear hip circles and toe on handstands
[Read more…]
GYMNASTICS RECRUITING IS A DIFFERENT BEAST
Evan Stichler
Head coach Danna Durante talks with Christa Tanella during a gymnastics meet between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., Friday, January 18, 2013. (Evan Stichler, evansan8@gmail.com)
College recruiting is a pretty popular subject when it comes to talking about your school’s next generation of champions.
Fans love to watch players throughout their high school years and see who might be representing your favorite team in the coming years. [Read more…]
Sometimes you do what you can do
There is nothing worse than seeing a child spill emotions down her cheeks and not being able to dig deep and remove whatever is the cause of this rain.
All I can do is bring out my silliness and splash around for a bit.
This was a short repost from my dear friend Rebecca Sykes’ Blog. Rebecca lives and coaches Edmonton where she is also a photographer. I was lucky enough to have Rebecca on staff at Gym Momentum Camp 2013
HAVE SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? Keep the MOMENTUM going!
Do this to help conquer fear.
Snakes, heights, or small spaces? Beam flight, Bar dismounts, Vault? Whatever starts your knees wobbling, watching someone else safely handle the source of your fear can help you overcome it, finds a new Swedish research.
If you see a person like yourself safely managing the source of your fear, your brain will absorb that information and use it to reduce your phobia, explains study coauthor Armita Golkar, Ph.D. Your brain tells itself, “If it’s safe for her, it’s safe for me, too,” Golkar says.
So whether you’re freaked out by Beam flight, a release move on bars or a tumbling pass on floor, ask a team mate to take on the source of your shivers in front of you, Golkar advises. Here’s an example: Afraid of every layout on Beam? Have your team mate do one in front of you. When she doesn’t die, your brain will recognize that your imagined threat is nothing to worry about, the research suggests. (In fact, this may be even more effective than you tackling your fear yourself, Golkar says.)
Double Flyaway Drill
The double fly away creates a challenge in that for many gymnasts it is the first time they have flipped twice.
Here is a drill that I use to give the kids some experience in flipping. [Read more…]
7 ways to increase productivity
I am currently sitting in Legal Seafoods in Boston waiting for my flight to Houston. I will be coaching at the JO training camp this weekend and I am stressed trying to figure out how I will get it all done. I am a notorious list maker. The best intentions and most focused to-do list can be derailed by the slightest distraction. Productivity killers are everywhere. [Read more…]
6 “P’s” of Essential Training
Early in my career as a coach I was given the advice that to be successful I needed to use the 6 P’s of COACHING
Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
DEAR COACH
Dear Coach
The following are two letters to coaches. They are not actual letters rather they are composites of letters. The first letter is from 1990 to me in my first year “really” coaching, the second letter is from 2013. Compare and contrast the content and tone of the letters. [Read more…]
Rob Murray shares his plan for Pak Full Twist
Gym Momentum Coach Rob Murray Shares his PLAN for Pak Full Twist.
His gymnast Lexy Ramler successfully competed this winning Bars and All Around at 2013 JO Nationals before moving to elite ranks and competing this skill successfully at USA Championships in Hartford. [Read more…]
To CHOKE or NOT To CHOKE. That is the question
Now that football season has started again- Have you ever wondered why you see so many professional kickers miss “easy” field goals? Their brains may be to blame: Thinking too hard could cause you to choke under pressure, says new research from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The study found that your explicit memory, or step-by-step thought process, can muddle your implicit memory (your tool for remembering how to do things automatically) and negatively affect performance. For example, if you try to remember all the steps to riding a bike while pedaling, you’ll quickly be in the bushes. But hop on and start cycling without a second thought, and you’ll coast away easily. [Read more…]