Here are links to the lectures I delivered at the recent NGA Camp
TWISTING, TEACH IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!
FAILURE A PREREQUISITE FOR SUCCESS
EVOLVE AND ELEVATE YOUR PROGRAM
NCAA OPPORTUNITIES and RECRUITING STRATEGIES
Thanks to everyone who was able to jump on the zoom Tuesday July 23.
Here is a PDF of the Presentation. Thank you John Lavallee for putting this together and Thank you Meredith for joining us. Contact Information for John and Meredith is at the end.
John Lavallee: jtcilavjl@icloud.com
Meredith Gadd: info@collegeyou.org
You Never Know Who You’re Impacting
Every once in a while, something stops you in your tracks and reminds you exactly why you started.
Recently, I received a message from a coach I’ve known for years. As I read it, I cried — not because I was sad, but because I was overwhelmed with gratitude. The kind of gratitude that wraps around your chest and squeezes gently, saying, “You did it. You made a difference.”
“It’s my first time having an athlete make Nationals and I’m one of the team coaches… I’m very proud of that as this has been a coaching goal of mine for a long time.”
All I’ve ever truly wanted in my career is to be relevant — to contribute something meaningful to the sport I love. What began as helping gymnasts grow and succeed eventually turned into mentoring coaches. And in that message, I saw the fruits of that evolution.
“I don’t know if you remember, but back when I was coaching Level 6… you took the time to have a call with me and we talked about process. How everyone and their dog can teach the skills, but it’s about the way you go about it that will make the difference.”
Yes. That’s it. That’s the core of everything I believe about coaching — that process is everything. That mentorship is just as vital as technique. That how we lead matters just as much as what we teach.
“I refer to the notes I took during that call often, and they are a big part of how I run the program and what I’m trying to build going forward.”
To know that a conversation we had years ago is still shaping the way a coach approaches their athletes, their goals, and their program — that’s powerful. That’s legacy. That’s relevance.
“Thank you for all the time you’ve given me over the years… You’ve been a wonderful mentor, friend, and so much more.”
Reading those words broke me open in the best way. Because in this work, we don’t always get to see the ripple effects we create. We give our time, our thoughts, our belief, and we hope it lands. We hope it helps. And sometimes — when we’re lucky — someone takes the time to tell us that it did.
To that coach: thank you. Thank you for reaching out, for being honest, and for carrying forward the kind of coaching that builds people, not just skills. I’m so proud of you — and I can’t wait to hear about your experience at Nationals.
And to every coach reading this: keep going. Keep giving. Keep having those conversations. You never know which moment will become the one that changes everything for someone else.
This is what Gym Momentum is all about.
Supporting each other. Growing together. Paying it forward.
With deep gratitude,
Tony
Founder, Gym Momentum
From Practice to the Podium
From Practice to The Podium. Long term gymnastics success.
When I first started coaching gymnastics I wanted to be a GREAT coach (what ever that meant). Now looking back at what I feel was a reasonably successful career I feel I accomplished many of my goals. More importantly I helped many gymnasts reach their goal. I have seen coaches is small gyms with barely enough equipment have great results and I have seen coaches in gyms so big they almost need their own zip code really do nothing. Where I have seen most coaches fall short is with lack of a plan and failure to follow though.
Even the best plan is going to have mistakes. Whether that plan is for an individual athlete, a group or a team. There also needs to be a set of checks and balances. You are not going to have all the answers or even know what some of the questions are or will be. Here are just a few.
- Who is going to check you?
- Is it the right skill for the right athlete?
- Is it too many or too few competitions?
- When do you need the athletes to peak? When to recover?
- Can the athlete or team handle the training load?
Luckily- not much of what we have done is truly innovative. It’s all been done, Others have paved the path. Written down the basic recipe- all you need to do is add your own spice.
- Where to start your plan?
- What are YOUR goals?
- Do your co-coaches have similar goals?
- What are the goals of the athletes (individually and as a team)?
- Do your athletes buy into your program? Do the parents?
A question NOT often asked is: What is your story? What makes you special? In todays society gymnasts and their families will have many choices they could make. A different gym? A different sport? USAG, NGA, USAIGC, AAU, X-cel, D.O. WHY SHOULD A GYMNAST AND THEIR FAMILY PICK YOU AND YOUR SYSTEM?
There are countless questions you need to ask and answer on your path to success. Here is where to start:
WHY CAN’T YOU DO IT?
When I opened up my gym I had a great coaching staff and I decided that we were going to have a top level program. We were going to have continued success at Level 10 and have some elite gymnasts as well.
We laid out the plan. Hours per week, how long each event, what conditioning needed to get done. We all contributed.
We thought about the competition schedule. When would our first meet be, when would we want the girls to hit their physical peak.
We thought about when we wanted each gymnast to have their highest skill level. When would we start taking skills out of routines and training programs.
For a few decades we stuck with that plan, of course making small adjustments along the way.
How did we end up with a good program. It’s simple. We decided to.
You can too.
If you want to be with a group of people who can answer your questions and probably ask some more- check out GYM MOMENTUM CAMP this summer.
Gymnastics HOME Conditioning
Because most gymnastics clubs across the country try have closed, many competitive gymnasts are without a place to practice. I have seen many photos and videos of gymnasts doing their best at home. Including home trampolines out in their garden, Dance from floor routines in their living room or even using the Back of the couch as a beam! (Please do NOT do this).
It is important for gymnasts to be physically prepared for their transition back into the gym when things return to normal. Physical exercise also improves the bodies immune system.
There are 10 basic actions you need to keep strong so that when the gyms reopen you can transition back into the gym faster.
- Aerobic and anaerobic base. Gymnastics is largely an anaerobic sport. More of a sprint than long distance run
This may be the easiest part to do. If you have legs you can run. Think of your floor routine (or better yet- listen to your floor music).
After a 5 minute warm up: Jog during your dance parts, sprint during your tumbling parts. 10x
If you have an exercise bike at home
After a 5 minute warm up: Keep up a good pace during dance part- Practice your arm positions. Sprint or increase resistance during your tumbling parts. 10x
BASIC GYMNASTICS ACTIONS/ MOVEMENTS
- Handstands and Press Handstands
- Jumping and landing
- Throwing and Catching
- Hollow and Arching Korbut
- Pushing and Pulling
- Kipping and Casting
HANDSTANDS
- 30 seconds handstand every time you walk into your room
- Handstands in different grips
- Press Handstands (Teach your Mom/ Dad to help!)
- Bounce Handstand off bed!
JUMPING and LANDING
Women’s Gymnastics is 75% legs. If you do nothing else make sure you keep up on your leg strength.
There are thousands of exercises you can do at home for your legs. This is just a sample, not a comprehensive list.
Squats: With or without weight. Do Not have weights at home? Use your sister or brother! Fill a back pack with books wear it across your chest.
- Keep good form.
- Single leg squat
Toe raises, Inverted “V” toe raise.
- With a partner
- Single leg
- Legs straight and bent
Ankle Pull Back with a partner or bungee
Hamstring push ups with your feet under a couch or chair.
- Lift a book or pillow and twist
- Reverse: twisting on the way down
Single Leg jump and stick.
SQUARE JUMPS: Fold a towel in 1/2. Jump clockwise to each corner. Jump counter clockwise to each corner. L and R.
Roll Back to candlestick Jump.
- Single leg
- Both legs to split jump
Jump Lunges
Lunges on stairs
Lunge Kick on stairs
THROWING and CATCHING
(also a great way to make friends). Reality is that in the gym we often forget eye- hand coordination. If they cannot catch a BALL- they cannot catch a BAR.
The throwing action (think of throwing a soccer ball forward) is in all front tumbling
Throwing it backward is in all back tumbling.
HOLLOWING and ARCHING and Core Stability
Hollow hold 30 seconds. Rock 15x
Side Arch hold 30 seconds. Rock 15x
Arch Hold 30 seconds. Rock 15 x (sweep arms down like in front layout)
Side Arch hold 30 seconds. Rock 15 x
Butt Lifts. 10 x straight legs, 10x tuck
Bent leg Plank Hold 20 seconds
Single leg up do 10 each X
Side Plank hold 20 seconds twist (lawn mower) with or without weight 10
Push up Plank Hold 20 seconds. 10 shrugs. 5 each arm up to push up and back.
Side Plank hold 20 seconds twist (lawn mower) with or without weight 10
Hollow hold 20 seconds
V up or Straddle V Up 10 x
Press through to push up
Push ups
Regular
Wide
Narrow
Beam hands
Press Handstand pirouette
PUSHING and PULLING
If you do NOT have a pull up bar or a TREE or access to a bar.
- Pull Ups on door frame 10 x
- Leg lifts on door frame
- Push Ups
- Handstand Push Up
- Pike Push Ups, feet on Chair or couch
- L Dips. Hands on chairs
- Planche holds. Hands on chairs
KIPPING and CASTING
- Candle stick. Hands under couch
- Roll Out with wheel
From Knee to handstand- pirouette to wall
Straight Arm Lifts with weight.
ASK GYM MOMENTUM- Gifts for Graduating Seniors
“I judge my success not by competitions won but my how many graduation and wedding invitations I receive” Tony Retrosi
Hi Tony, I have been to many of your sessions at congress in the past. Thank you for all the wonderful information you share!Last year one thing that stuck with me is you said you base your success on how many graduations and weddings you get invited toI thought that was a great way to look at it. A lot of my original gymnasts are graduating and they are inviting me to their graduations. This is wonderful, and I am lucky! Can I ask how you handle giving gifts? I am having a hard time trying to decide what is fair and affordable for kids that meant so much to me and I to them, and they spent many years in my gym. Thanks again for all your great posts, sharing, ideas, and congress lectures! I hope to continue to learn from you for many years to come. Have a great day! Thanks again!
The only thing that is constant in the gym is change. Kids come and kids leave. Every child you work with today is going to leave. They may quit. They may go to a different gym. They, hopefully, will graduate and go off to college.
My goal is that during their time in my gym, I have impacted their life in a positive way. Don’t mistake my overall goal as a lack of competitiveness. I want/ need to be good at what I do. I do not want to be “just average”. That goes for the gymnast that are graduating. I do not want them to be average or basic.
Every gymnast I coached (and my own two children) receive on graduation the book, “Oh the Places you’ll Go” by Dr Seuss. I take a great deal of time and care in the inscriptions I write. I want to recount our highest highs and our lessons learned.
I’ve written a few blogs on my gyms blog for graduating seniors . As well as for my daughter on her graduation from college and my son on his high school graduation.
The young ladies and men who work at my gyms through college I take out for a nice dinner. The Head and The Heart
Here is some advice I would give graduating seniors today. This falls under the “keep it short and sweet” category I wrote about the other day.
5 RULES ON GRADUATION
- Do not ADD to the population
- Do not SUBTRACT from the population
- Do not show up on the TV News, Newspaper or social media doing something stupid
- Do not get thrown in jail
- If you wind up in jail, establish dominance early.
ASK GYM MOMENTUM- Getting My Business To Grow
This weeks question comes from a coach and club owner who was looking for advice on how get their club to grow.
Before I gave advice from my perspective I wanted to reach out to other business professionals. I reached out to Stacey Hylen, A business coach from Montreal. Stacey has two daughter’s in gymnastics and has been involved in the sport as a board member.
Do you have a Question for GYM MOMENTUM? Don’t be afraid to ASK!
ASK Gym Momentum- Yurchenko Blocking
The question I received last week was on drills for BLOCKING on Yurchenko Vaulting.
Not to over simplify it but it really comes down to SPEED and Angle of impact. Essentially if you have a fast enough entry and hit the table at a good angle- all you have to do is stay tight and the block will happen.
When I am coaching vault I ask:
- Were they fast enough?
- Did they turn over their Round Off quickly?
- Did they get arms open in the Back Handspring?
- Did their feet stay behind?*(see note)
- Were they tight when they contacted the table?
* Very often an inexperienced gymnast will be nervous and snap their feet in their back handspring too soon (trying to flip before they have actually contacted the table). That is why we do many Back handsprings to hand stand.
Some drills I didn’t have time to film but are pretty self explanatory-
- On tumbl trak- Back Handspring to Handstand Rebound in HS (make this a contest- how many times can they bounce in handstand? )
- From small/ medium slow run- Round off to board. Back handspring to mat stack or table TRY TO REBOUND IN HANDSTAND 2 or 3 TIMES.
Have a question for Gym Momentum? ASK Gym Momentum and I may pick your question to video a response to!
tony@gymmomentum.com
Ask Gym Momentum- Conditioning Exercises For Bars
Uneven Bars is possibly the most challenging event. It is different that the other events for girls. A Cartwheel learned on Floor Ex transitions to a Round off and aerial. The can be used at Floor, Vault and Beam. Bars is just different and takes, obviously, a great deal of upper body strength.
My general rules for conditioning:
- Tell the girls what they are conditioning for so that they understand the connection.
- Strength the Shape
- Move through the Shape
- Add Speed as they move through
- Teach them the skill that the shape is for.
- ALWAYS monitor conditioning.
- Have strength related goals
- Have Strength related prerequisites (for example- 8 pull ups before they can giant.)
The Core Strength you are doing for other events is probably sufficient for bars.
Bars takes grips strength and endurance. Rope climb is pretty great at this. Think, 12- 15 skills in an optional bar routine. They should be able to do 12-15 pulls with each arm on the rope. Strengthen the handstand, the handstand shape as well as moving IN and OUT of a handstands. The strength from 1/2 leg lifts will give them the strength needed to hold feet up after skills on low bar.
I feel Press Handstands are very necessary to be a good bar worker. A gymnast needs to be able to lift their body upside down to a handstand on every circling skill.
Spot MILLIONS of cast handstands. There is no way around this. Sorry.
This is only a small list. I hope it helps!
Have a Question?
ASK GYM MOMENTUM. tony@gymmomentum.com
Ask Gym Momentum, What is the Meaning of Life
I had a question Asked to Gym Momentum.
Tony,
What is the meaning of life?
Dallas
I know he was kidding but it did make me think.