USAG REGION 4 CONGRESS LECTURES
Thanks to all the great people in REGION 4 for having me speak at your congress. I had a great time in the wonderful city of St. Louis. You are great hosts for such a great event. MEN’S US Olympic Trials was the best I’ve ever seen. Women’s P and G Championships was everything it needed to be! Now on to San Jose and the Rio!
- Here is the link to an article I wrote on Developing a Plan for Uneven Bars. Lecture notes Coming Soon. SORRY I had to take off and not answer questions at the end. I had to get my cab to the airport. Feel free to email me any questions. Tony AT Gymmomentum dot Com
- Vault Drills for Compulsory Gymnasts
- What To Do instead of waiting in line
Share Your thoughts and any PHOTOS and VIDEOS of my lectures on the Gym Momentum FB Page. (I have to prove to my wife that I actually work while I am away!)
As you know I am the Chairman of the US Elite Coaches Association. Learn More about this great organization.
USAG REGION 8 CONGRESS LECTURES
Thank you all for having me down to your Region. You have a great Region and a great Congress. I felt very welcomed! I hope my lectures were informative and made you think! Hope too see you soon. Please share any photos you took during my lectures so I can prove that I actually worked while I was there!
Special Shout Outs to:
- Danni B from Thomas for picking me up, taking me out for Sushi and out on her boat!
- April and Daniel from New Vision for taking me out to a Bosnian Restaurant.
- Anne Josephson, Always great seeing you! We will go dancing soon!
- All The USAG National Staff. You all work so Hard!
– Coaches As Educators (BTW- sorry for making you cry)
– Failure a Prerequisite for Success (part of coaches as educators lecture)
– Bar Plan (lecture slides coming soon. Here is link to article I wrote on it It covers 99% of lecture)
Share your thoughts and comments on the Gym Momentum FB page.
To learn More about US Elite Coaches Association
Dear USECA Members
Dear Members
I have just finished teaching a gymnastics course in Milan Italy and I am on my way to Frosinone to teach another. In the Q and A portion of the course I found myself referring again and again to this journal and the video club when asked about the best places to learn.
In this day and age anyone with an IPhone and a YouTube channel and put up videos and claim to be an expert. All coaches search for information, drills and ideas. We are looking for better ways, technical considerations or even just ways to liven up practices. Listening to some of the drills and ideas that have been shared by “experts” I am concerned that we could be ruining the next generation of coaches and potentially harming the gymnasts. A LONG time ago when I had my first coaching job I was fortunate enough to have some very talented bar workers to work with. I taught a blind full in a week. A Tkatchev in 2, another learned a Gienger and double layout in a month. Of course it was because I was a great coach. Everyone should listen to me. This coaching thing was easy. This same group was NOT the best tumblers or vaulters. It must be them. They were just slow. I had to be creative with drills. I spend a great deal of time paging through the USECA journal and looking at videos. I consulted with judges trying to be a little creative with routine construction. I learned more on tumbling and vaulting in those years than I probably have the rest of my life. After all, there is a lot to learn when you start at zero. The next group of gymnasts I worked with were pretty gifted tumblers and vault was pretty easy for them BUT I was about to pull my hair out at bars. What was wrong with these girls? Why couldn’t they just do what the other group had done. It must be that someone else didn’t give them the basics or that these kids just didn’t care. It certainly couldn’t be me.
Now generations have passed and I have come to realize that I was the smallest part of the equation. It was about their talent and drive. I learned more about coaching, about technique on the events they struggled with. I became more creative and possibly inspirational with the groups of average talent.
If you want to find an expert, look for the coach who has taken gymnasts of average talent and achieved above average results. This journal, this website and the accompanying videos are all the work of experts. We edit so you don’t have to.
The USECA Journal has some big changes ahead and many challenges to face. We will continue to be the journal you can trust.
It was great seeing so many of you at JO Nationals. I am looking forward to seeing you at Classics, Championships and Trials.
Tony
USECA Membership Changes
Dear USECA Member,
This year USECA is celebrating 40-years of gymnastics service! Not only are we proud of this accomplishment but we are ushering in a new look and renewed vigor to support our gymnastics community. We have been very fortunate to have the support of some top level coaches and educators throughout our forty-year history and look forward to working with them in the future. For our newer coaches, welcome to a great organization! You will see a new logo, new membership tiers, new website, and more! Please take a moment to read through our new changes. Contact USECA if you have questions or comments…we are open to all inquiries.
In the past, USECA had three parts to its membership:
Voting Membership
Associate Membership
Video Club
In years prior it was important to have these three memberships. But times have changed and we are changing to improve what we offer our members. We have moved our Journal and Videos online for quick and easy access. We have changed our website appearance with a new logo and design and most importantly, we have changed our membership tier.
USECA NEW Membership Tier
Individual Membership — $270 per year
Membership for one (1) individual member—Includes 10 online Journals and 8 to 10 online Video bundles (2 videos per bundle) per year. It also includes a USECA Member Shirt and calligraphy USECA Membership Certificate.
Club Membership — $369 per year
Membership for one (1 facility) Gymnastic Clubs—Includes 10 online Journals and 8 to 10 online Video bundles per year. Club Membership allows multiple log-ins to the USECA web page containing the journals and videos. This allows the coaches of your club to have their own log-in to avoid sharing passwords. Log-ins may be added or closed if coaches join or leave your club. All emails (for each separate log-in) must have the same domain name. This membership also includes 2 USECA Member Shirts calligraphy USECA Membership Certificate (may order more shirts at additional cost).
Additional Services — Priced as Noted
Mailed copies of Journal — $30 per year
Mailed DVD copies — $15 per single DVD, $120 for the full year
Extra USECA Member Shirts — $35
Educational Materials — See website for full details and pricing
Thank you for your continued support. Because we are a membership base non-profit organization, we rely on your support of USECA. Please pass the word of our new look, new lower price structure and valuable educational material. We look forward to a great ‘new beginnings’!
Tony