Going through the recent issue of Inside Gymnastics Magazine There was a great article where Mary Lee Tracy shared her insight. I want to share her “10 things” and add my own insight. [Read more…]
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.)
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…]
DREAMS HAVE EXPIRATION DATES
DREAMS HAVE EXPIRATION DATES
When I was younger, ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS MAKE AN OLYMPIC TEAM. It wasn’t a far-fetched dream either; I was pretty good. But I got slower, and I got less motivated, and I had other interests. Sooner or later, it became clear that it wasn’t going to happen. My dream of being an Olympian had an expiration date, and expire it did. [Read more…]
What Message Are You Sending Your Gymnasts
I was at a competition last week and I was speaking with a group of coaches about motivation in the gym. Summing things up- In my gym, Atlantic Gymnastics, I only have a few rules. I feel that if you have some basic rules, nothing complicated, people will follow them. [Read more…]
Ideas on Being a Coach
Once again I was reading Functional Path Training. A great blog.
Ideas on Being a Coach
Coaching is not something you do, it something you are with every fiber of your being, there is no half way you must be all in. The journey is long and rewarding because of the opportunity to guide athletes in their development athletically and most importantly as people. Here are a few thoughts and concepts that I have found to be valuable in my experiences from years of coaching. [Read more…]
Random Thoughts, Ideas and Observations
Random Thoughts, Ideas and Observations
Coaching is teaching, the key to good teaching is communication and the key to communication is not more talking, it is more listening. Good coaches listen more and talk less. Then they act (not react) on what they hear.
Nothing ever happens in a vacuum. Everything is related. This is certainly true of the body as a kinetic chain and with the interdependence of the various systems of the body and also true of sports and movement skill. [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…]
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…]
Take a Break from the Routine
Tumbl Trak
Take a Break from the Routine
Doug Davis
This is the meet season—uncounted numbers of compulsory routines, day after day, in gym practice. Those compulsory skills can get awfully old, for gymnasts and coaches alike. Just for a break in that routine (!) think about allowing a certain amount of time each week or so, for playing with some fun skill parts that will be used later in optional routines, or for higher level compulsories. [Read more…]