Beware of YOUTUBE Experts. 

One of my college professors once said, “there is a big difference between having studied the biology and behavior of tigers in the library and coming face to face with a tiger in the wild.” Right now there are  many “Experts” on Youtube. Anyone with an iPhone and a YouTube account can pass themselves off as an expert.

Why would you want advice from someone who hasn’t done it before or doesn’t have a great deal of experience? 

A couple weeks ago I needed to a  fix a broken valve spring on my plow truck.  Having never done anything this complicated I had my iPad propped up on the engine and I followed the YouTube video step by step. Everything seemed ok. But the truck ran really rough. I called a friend who works in a garage and he sent me to another video. This one showed another step and now my truck ran much better. 
LESSON- I should have called my friend who works in the garage first. Gotten his advice before I tried.  

As I was researching VALVE ADJUSTMENT videos for my truck- VALVE REPLACEMENT SURGERY camp up. Oh dear god!
DO YOU REALLY WANT A DOCTOR WHO LEARNED TO DO THIS SURGERY ON YOUTUBE?!  
Of course not! 
DO YOU WANT A SURGEON WHO HAS ONLY DONE THIS SURGERY ONCE OR TWICE? 
No, you want someone with experience. 

As a coach, you need to be hungry to learn. You need to work for that knowledge. You cannot just sit behind your computer and look at videos and think that you are getting an education. There are so many camps,  congresses, clinics and conferences out there. 
Get off your ass and go find one. 
If one isn’t available- HOST ONE. I can think of a dozen REAL experts who would be happy to run a clinic in your gym for you and the clubs near you. If this is not practical, find a coach with experience and ask them if you can visit. 

Become a critical thinker and skeptical of YouTube experts. – When you see a video, look at that persons credentials. There are certain some great thinkers out there and you can find some good drills but if your entire educational plan is largely based on watching YouTube videos, you are probably not going to be as successful as you want. When I post videos I try to post quality material. I have experience, I’ve made mistakes, I try really hard to have a good foundation and then find drills that work for that particular gymnast.  But even that is lacking.

Tumbl Trak Clinic at Twisters Gym Washington

We all know some A LIST coaches.  Mary Lee Tracy,  Kelly Hill, Tom Forester, Valeri Liukin, Al Fong and Aimee Boorman to name a few.  These are great coaches who put in their time and have had a great deal of success.   

No one  I know started coaching or teaching to be average. I think we all got into the professional end of the sport to become an A LIST COACH.  It does not have to be an A LIST Team coach. Maybe it is the A LIST of Pre-school coaches like Beth Gardner. 

I was listening to  The Hidden Brain  on NPR this weekend. The show was about  A LIST celebrities in Hollywood. What they have in common and what do you need to do to become one. The A LISTERS are most photographed together than any other group. They are the MOST cliquey and it seems to be all about where you go and who you hang out with. 

They go to the same parties and restaurants. It is as important where they DO NOT go as where they do go. 

As a coach or teacher there are many lessons you can take from their research. You have to be seen. You have to go to the right meets and the right training camps. You certainly can go to any competition you want but if you spend your time going to small competitions with not a great deal of competition, what’s the point? What are you learning? Are you pushing yourself to compete with the best? I would rather be middle of the pack at a very competitive competition where some of the A LIST coaches are than be the best at a small competition. 

In Hollywood and in Gymnastics you have to SEE and be SEEN. Your social standing depends on it in Hollywood. Your “street cred” in the gym depends on it as well.  According to research, in Hollywood it is very difficult to break into that A LIST. You have to have a HUGE blockbuster movie/ TV show or you have to date/marry into the group. There are huge barriers to even meeting and being seen with the A LIST. 

In gymnastics you can go to competitions and camps to see our A LIST coaches and even work with them. 

At one point, social status was also influenced on flashy wealth. Now it is based more on inconspicuous consumption. It is no longer about the silver spoon but more about  cultural capital.  A spoon is a spoon. They all serve the same purpose whether it is SILVER or a more basic metal. A LISTERS are  now spending time and money  on less showy things  like daily Yoga classes, Education, alternative energy cars and houses. These things are certainly expensive and the price tags add up.

Most team coaches want the social status of having a HIGH LEVEL TEAM or being a premier educator at a national congress. But NO ONE is going to hand you a group of high level athletes and you really can’t marry your way into the A LIST of coaches. You are going to need to spend a great deal of time and planning. 

You need to spend your TIME and MONEY on less flashy things. A new set of bars or a brand new tramp looks great but maybe time and money is better spent on things like EDUCATION, COMMUNICATION and PLANNING. 

A LIST actor Will Smith has said, “IF YOU STAY READY YOU DON’T HAVE TO GET READY”. 

With your gymnasts and coaches, you can’t wait until you have a Level 10 to have a plan for your Level 10 Team. 

What are you waiting for? Go and find a training camp this summer where you and your gymnasts can work with A LIST Coaches (like Chris Gallardo, Steve David, Don McPherson, Vasko Vetzev, Tony Retrosi, Jeremy Mosier). 

As you plan next seasons competitions plan on a competition or two where there are some GREAT clubs to watch. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel. Go and see what they do. Have your gymnasts watch those sessions as well.