Real Growth Begins At The END Of Your Comfort Zone
At GYM MOMENTUM TRAINING CAMP we believe that only in a state of discomfort can you grow and achieve your greatest potential.
As a gymnast or a coach in order to get better you need to get out of your comfort zone. If you find yourself in a place where everything is “OK” or everything is “good” , you are probably stuck NOT BEING AWESOME. I have seen many coaches and gymnasts flounder and be miserable because they are simply in a comfortable spot. Things are easy and they are not improving.
Breaking a habit, trying a new skill or technique, making new connections, are not going to be easy, but it’s worth it. It’s exhausting but rewarding.
Calvin Coolidge said “All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.”
Go where the demands are high. Go where the pressure is to perform.
Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, Psychologist and author of “Better Than Perfect”, says people who regularly seek out fresh experiences tend to be more creative and emotionally resilient than those who remain stuck in a routine.
“Breaking your own mold can only make you stronger and more confident to reach higher levels in your professional and personal life,” she says.
To grow as a gymnast or coach you need to embrace the discomfort. The transition will be uncomfortable and scary, but daring greatly can push you further than you can imagine. Stretch yourself. You might just like what’s possible.
Discomfort is a catalyst for growth. It makes you yearn for something more. It forces you to change, stretch, and adapt.
The secret to success lies in the very thing you’re avoiding. Those things that seem to break you down and humble your spirit.
Seek out discomfort. Be deliberate about doing things that push your limits magnificently. Difficulty helps you to grow.
If you want long-term success, stop avoiding what’s hard.
If you’re truly pushing yourself to improve — in any capacity whatsoever — you are uncomfortable.
When you are challenged, you are asked to become more than you were. That means creating new perspectives, acquiring new skills and pushing boundaries.
Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional, says Roger Crawford.
Don’t fight the discomfort. It’s what you feel when you are growing.
A little push beyond your safe bubble is exactly what you need to grow.
Finding fulfillment in your gymnastics career might just entail stepping outside of your comfort zone once a day, once a week, or even once a month.
Choose what works for you and enjoy the stretch.
If you are serious about improving your future self, get used to being uncomfortable. Comfort can ruin your life. Only in a state of discomfort can you continually grow and achieve your greatest potential.
Gymnasts and Coaches must each build a healthy balance of comfort and adventure.
Puerto Rico Clinic Notes
Gracias por invitarme a Puerto Rico. Disfruté trabajando con todos los entrenadores y gimnastas. Lo siento, esto me ha llevado tanto tiempo para publicar.
LECTURES
- Twisting, Teach It Right The First Time.
- Yurchenko Vaulting
- A Few Favorite Yurchenko Drills
- Yurchenko Blocking
- Other Drills, Shared by my friend Gerson Ramirez
- Developing A Plan for Bars
- 5 skills at Bars
A more realistic timeline for long term development would have the gymnasts being introduced to most of their skills by the age of 13.
My reasoning is that developmentally it seems the best time to learn. They generally have not hit their growth spurt where you may end up having to scrap some skills that are no longer practical. They do not have a huge amount of school work and have the least amount of FEAR.
When ever I do a congress I always hear about this great 10 year old back in the gym. This gymnast is learning so fast she is going to be the next Olympic Champion. Then what happens? They grow, become afraid, have too much school work to train enough hours to finish the skills. My experience has shown me that you simply do not have enough time to introduce a skill , refine the skill and compete the skill after 13.5 years old.
In order to have program wide success you need to have a plan. A plan for each group and each individual. If you are doing 1 level per year. You are simply going to run out of time.
Questions to ask yourself-
- What age will this group start competing?
- Will they be skipping a level or at some point do 2 levels in 1 year?
- What did I learn from the LAST GROUP that I will do differently?
- What will I do the same?
- What competitions do we NEED to be at (Large invitationals to see how you stand up on a Regional or National level)?
- Should we get involved in USAG Developmental Camps or TOPs?
- Are we looking at collegiate gymnastics or potential National Team?
- What skills will these gymnasts need in 3 years?
- In 5 years?
- In 8 years?
With every group you need a plan. Ask these questions so that you have direction.
Master Clinic. Civitavecchia, Italy
My Notes.
Differences between Italian Gymnastics Clubs and US Gymnastics Clubs.
- Our business are Private.
- We must keep at least 3 people happy to have them continue. The gymnast, the mom and the dad.
- We try to keep the girls in the gym for as many years as possible.
- American Gyms are VERY busy. We use every cm of space.
- School comes first. Very few clubs “home school”
I miei appunti.
Differenze tra club di ginnastica italiana e club di ginnastica americana.
I nostri affari sono privati.
Dobbiamo mantenere almeno 3 persone contente di averle. La ginnasta, la mamma e il papà.
Cerchiamo di tenere le ragazze in palestra per il maggior numero di anni possibile.
Le palestre americane sono MOLTO impegnate. Usiamo ogni cm di spazio.
La scuola viene prima di tutto. Pochissimi club “scuola domestica”
2. Most girls go to University. This is a big goal for many gymnasts. Only a small % will compete Nationally and even fewer Internationally.
Many MANY gymnasts in the USA. 12 make National Team. Maybe 10 compete Internationally each year
La maggior parte delle ragazze va all’università. Questo è un grande obiettivo per molte ginnaste. Solo una piccola percentuale competerà a livello nazionale e ancora meno a livello internazionale.
Forse Ginnaste da 200,ooo negli Stati Uniti. 12 fanno la squadra nazionale. Forse 10 gareggiano a livello internazionale ogni anno
3. Become Failure tolerant. It is part of the process. You cannot make a correction with out the possibility of making another mistake.
- Praise them when they try
- Catch them doing something right.
- Praise publicly- punish privately.
Diventa tollerante ai guasti. Fa parte del processo. Non è possibile effettuare una correzione senza la possibilità di commettere un altro errore.
Lodali quando ci provano
Prenderli a fare qualcosa di giusto.
Lode pubblicamente – punisci privatamente.
What Gymnasts want from a coach-
- Trust them
- Protect them
- Listen to Them
Keep your RULES simple
1- be on time
2- work HARDER than your hardest working gymnast (coach)
3- Coach the kid you are working with. (Focus on what YOU are doing)
4- Don’t come to me with a problem with out a potential solution
5- EVERYONE leaves with a smile
Cosa vogliono le ginnaste da un allenatore
Fidati di loro
Proteggili
Ascoltali
Mantieni le tue REGOLE semplici
1- essere in tempo
2- lavorare più duro della tua ginnasta di lavoro più dura (allenatore)
3- Allena il ragazzo con cui lavori. (Concentrati su ciò che stai facendo)
4- Non venire da me con un problema senza una potenziale soluzione
5- TUTTI lascia con un sorriso
In the USA we have Many many competitions.
1. Competitions must be fun
2. Learn to compete. Learn to WIN and to LOSE
3. Most competition seasons align with school year. This gives us summer to train skills and keeps the girls in the gym for summer.
4. Respect for competitors.
Negli Stati Uniti abbiamo molte competizioni.
1. Le competizioni devono essere divertenti
2. Impara a competere. Impara a vincere e perdere
3. La maggior parte delle stagioni di competizione si allinea con l’anno scolastico. Questo ci dà l’estate per allenare le abilità e mantiene le ragazze in palestra per l’estate.
4. Rispetto per i concorrenti.
Typical Groups Hours/ wk
- Pre competitive team. 4-5 year olds. 4-6
- Level 3. 6-8
- Level 4. 8-12
- Level 5/6. “TOPS” (+2-4 hrs/wk). 12-14
- Level 7/8. Developmental Team (20+). 14-16
- Level 9. 16-28
- Level 10. 16-28
International 28+
Physical Preparation (conditioning) is an event.
IF YOUR GYMNASTS ARE OFTEN LATE AND OFTEN LEAVE EARLY OR HAVE MANY EXCUSES- CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
EVERY GROUP YOU HAVE IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT. EVERY GYMNAST WITHIN YOUR GROUP WILL BE DIFFERENT. STOP TREATING THEM THE SAME.
WITH GIRLS- IT’S A RACE TO INTRODUCE THEM TO AS MANY SKILLS AS POSSIBLE BEFORE AGE 13.
- AT 13 MORE SCHOOL. MORE FEAR. MORE STRESS. LESS TIME.
La preparazione fisica (condizionamento) è un evento.
SE I TUOI GINOMMETI SONO SPESI TARDI E SPESSO LASCIANO IN ANTICIPO O HANNO MOLTE SCUSE – CAMBIAMO COSA STAI FACENDO.
OGNI GRUPPO AVETE DIVENTARE DIVERSO. OGNI GINNASTICA NEL TUO GRUPPO SARÀ DIVERSA. SMETTERE DI TRATTARLI LO STESSO.
CON LE RAGAZZE – È UNA CORSA PER INTRODURLE COME MOLTE COMPETENZE COME POSSIBILE PRIMA DELL’ANNO 13.
AL 13 PIÙ SCUOLA. PIÙ PAURA. PIÙ STRESS. MENO TEMPO.
Physical Preparation for Gymnastics. Prepare the body, prepare the mind.
Small changes to conditioning to make it more sports specific
TELL THE WHAT THEY ARE CONDITIONING FOR!
KORBETT- HOW MANY PLACES CAN YOU DO ITY? 3x 5 in 3 different places
Stuck landings. In different places
30 second handstand 3 different places
Inverted V toe raises
1/2 leg lift and go to weak side
Fingertip pull up
Handstand shape- wall bars- pirouettes
Leg lift pike through- different grips.
Hanging pirouettes
Hanging pirouettes w/ pull up
P. Bar dip and walk
Hollow Press Circuit
Beam hands push up
Across floor warm up
Everyday warm up on Bars.
5 skills.
- Kip
- Cast Handstand
- In bar skill (clear hip, toe hand etc)
- Giant
- Flyaway
Floor Bars
- 30 seconds every grip
- 15 seconds invert grip
- 10 seconds each hand each grip
LECTURES
- Twisting, Teach It Right The First Time.
- Yurchenko Vaulting
- A Few Favorite Yurchenko Drills
- Yurchenko Blocking
- Other Drills, Shared by my friend Gerson Ramirez
- Developing A Plan for Bars
- 5 skills at Bars
September Education Courses and Clinics
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 15th. USA GYMNASTICS W200
Freehold Elite Gymnastics- 6 Paragon Way Suite 113, Freehold, NJ, 08753
You will need to register through USA Gymnastics.
This is a live, six-hour, hands-on training course designed for school age, pre-team and Level 1-4 coaches. This is a NEW course developed for pre team, level 1-4 coaches and even school age recreational coaches. Course topics include warm ups, conditioning, lesson planning, hands on spotting and lecture for all Olympic events. This is a great hands on experience of drills and skill progression with instructors demonstrating practical examples of coaching level 1-4 gymnastics
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 16TH. USAIGC CLINIC.
DEADLINE AUGUST 30TH.
RAINBOW GYMNASTICS, 800 Hollydeli Court, Sewell, NJ 08080
SCHEDULE
- 11:00- 11:30 Registration
- 11:30-12:00 Introduction Q and A
- 12:00-1:00 Conditioning for success
- 1:00-1:45 Floor Tumbling. Focus on lead up and Twisting (Teach it Right the first time)
- 1:45-2:30 Beam. Lead up and Drills. Jumps leaps and Tumbling
- 2:30-3:15 Bars. Circling elements and Flyaways. SWING BIG!!
- 3:15-4:00 Vault. Lead up to Flipping Vaults!
USAIGC Clinic Registration Form
CLINICIANS: USAIGC EDUCATION DIRECTOR TONY RETROSI, CARA GONZELES
Clinic Goals: To Educate Gymnasts and Coaches on technique, progressions and training plans.
Fee structure. basic 4-5-hour clinic
-$300 per CLUB. 1 coach and 5 gymnasts.
-$550 per CLUB- 2 coaches 10 gymnasts.
-Additional gymnast or coach is $50 each.
Educational Director: Tony Retrosi
Based on the number of gymnast’s additional staff will be added.
RESERVE YOUR SPACE NOW:
USAIGC Clinic Registration form
PAYMENTS SENT TO:
Gym Momentum 23 Whittier St, Dover, NH 03820
Thank You Tumbl Trak!
A HUGE THANK YOU to TUMBL TRAK for supplying Gym Momentum Camp with Sliders and Their New Paralletts to all our staff, visiting coaches and participating gyms.
(Now could you send me fun things to play on at my lake house?)
Beware of YOUTUBE Experts.
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.
When I started coaching and I wanted to increase my knowledge I sought out other coaches with experience and a proven track record. What I noticed was that few of these coaches ever wanted to be the smartest person in the room. They were constantly looking to increase their knowledge base. I value education and every day I try to learn something. Something that is going to make my gym better. Something that is going to make me a better coach, something that is going to make me a better person.
I know I am getting old and I accept that. Maybe that is why I am distrustful of a “YouTube” education. I believe that to be an expert you need to have taught something more than once. You need to have failed and recovered. You need to get your hands dirty. When I am out on the road doing clinics and consulting I do not want to be a wide eyed idealist convinced I have all the answers or a perfect plan. I cannot talk about what it takes to coach an athlete through the Olympics because I have never done that. I want to learn from those around me. I want people to learn from my failures as well as my successes.
It seems that today’s experts tend to be judgmental bystanders. Many of your YouTube experts sit comfortably behind their computers lending advice, putting out videos of the way they may have done something ONE TIME with ONE gymnast.
– They are happy to tell you how you need to coach your level 10.
– What the best drill is for a Jaeger or Yurchenko.
– What you need to do give you a winning program.
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.
Become an A LIST Coach (Gym Momentum Monday on a Tuesday)
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.
Gym Momentum Monday May 28
I hope everyone had a great weekend. It was Nationals weekend in Canada, Memorial Day weekend in the USA and May Holiday through out most of Europe.
I want to thank everyone who called me, texted me or e-mailed me to wish me a happy birthday. It was a great birthday! I received messages from all over the world! I am so honored.
This weekend we went to a wedding in Charleston SC for the wedding of one of our former gymnasts. A gymnast who lived with us for 2 years. It was like my oldest daughter. I was so honored to be invited. As one of you commented, “ That’s so awesome that you keep those connections with old athletes! It speaks a lot to your character as a coach.”
If you are coming to Gym Momentum Camp, please remember that leotard orders and T-shirt sizes are due at the end of the week.
gym-momentum-t-shirt-size-form (Every gymnast and coach gets a T-shirt)
Gym Momentum Coach Waiver
Gym Momentum Gymnast Waiver
Gym Momentum Leotard Order
USAIGC/ IAIGC Clinics. UK and Germany
I have just returned from two really great USAIGC/IAIGC clinics in Europe. I conducted a clinic at Sutton Village Gymnastics in the UK and Gym Infinity International in Germany. Someone asked me what keeps in motivated in life. I answered, “I love teaching. I love gymnastics. They ability to work with coaches who are motivated to learn drives me in life.”
Both clinics focused on BUILDING A BETTER PLAN. From conditioning to skill selection and progressions. We are all faced with a limited amount of time we can spend in the gym. There are millions of things we would LIKE to do and hundreds of things we NEED to do. How do we get it all in? How do we make the best use of our time?
Each clinic started with a few words on PHILOSOPHY. Very rarely does anything good ever happen by mistake. Good gymnastics is based on intention. We finished each clinic with time to answer their specific questions.
STRENGTH- regardless of the amount of time you spend in the gym you need to spend time building the strength of the gymnast first. As their strength develops you then make that strength usable for a skill. Condition with a purpose and make sure the gymnasts know what they are conditioning for. Tell them what skills the strength exercises are for.
Condition for the 7 gymnastics movements.
- JUMPING
- PUSHING
- PULLING
- KIPPING
- CASTING
- HOLLOWING
- ARCHING
TUMBLING- The focus of the tumbling clinic was on getting your tumbling OFF BALANCE in the direction you want to go. If the gymnast is tumbling backwards they need to be off balance backwards. We broke down cartwheel step in for back tumbling showing how it leads into a good roundoff thereby setting upon a good back handspring. For front tumbling we started with front walkover step in showing how that leads to a powerful front handspring.
Progressing into flipping we did gainer drills to show how, for example, in order to take the power from back tumbling and take it UP, the gymnast needed to have a forward action.
Twisting- Sharing my philosophy on twisting- Teach the front twist first then relate the back twist to the front twist. We all know children who have mental blocks going backwards and can get a little crazy with their twisting. By giving them something forwards to relate it gives them another tool to use.
Uneven Bars- Beam, Floor and Vault share so many skills and drills that at times you need to work twice as hard to be 1/2 as good. There are 5 basic skills that every gymnast must master to be successful at bars.
5 Skills Every Gymnast Needs toHave on Bars
- Kip
- Cast
- Inbar skill (clear hip circle, toe handstand, stalder)
- Giant
- Fly Away
BIG THANKS TO TUMBL TRAK UK who was nice enough to send in some Sliders and Forster Bars for clinics.