The Force is strong in this one....

I wonder what else Coach Vader can spot?  :p

Sunday Funnies

Marc Jacobs

Toe Point Conditioning

Two toe point videos I really like are these:

And I kind of like this foot arch stretcher, as demonstrated in this video.

This foot stretcher is $200!

Happy Cherry Turnover Day!

Why did the cherry turnover?

Answer: ןןoɹ uoɯɐuuıɔ ǝɥʇ ʍɐs ʇı ǝsnɐɔǝq

Sunday Funnies

Wedding Rings

Tony & Jenna Beck

Motorcyclist Front Flip

This was posted a couple of days ago and has been making its way around fast:

Damn lucky.

Motorcyclists who weave in and out of traffic and between cars always make me nervous.

When I was at UCLA, a bunch of the guys seemed to love motorcycles- and they all seemed to have stories about crashing and doing stupid stuff.

Backhandspring Training

Inspirational 62 year old learning RO BH

I don't know how I ended up on this channel, but I did:

The video is from 2013, and I believe he was 62 at the time.  You can see some of his other videos, recording his journey.



This is what it says about him on his YouTube channel intro:

A Life-Changing Event:
On Oct. 2004, Lee was in a serious life-death accident. Upon awaking from a coma, he was told that his right foot and ankle was spared amputation due to the insistence of his wife to reverse the medical recommendation to amputate. The medical opinion was that he would never be able to use his right foot or ankle in a normal manner and that the foot would be problematic in the following years.

Lee's recovery involved a month long hospitalization period, and 2 months convalescence period before stepping back into the gym to regain his noteable strength and fitness.

Lee carries a permanent wound on his right foot which needs care at least on a weekly basis. When asked about it, Lee smiles as he says " I may have pain every day, but I don't suffer. The pain is an acceptable part of my day, considering the alternatives."

Sunday Funnies

Source

Welcome to the Wild, Wild Gym

Saddle up, Boys!

This was the last week of summer camp and the theme was "Welcome to the Wild West".  With school having started this past week, attendance was light.

I had shown up to the gym early to help out with the excel, Wednesday, but there were so few of them, they really didn't need me.  I noticed a saddle on top of the pbars (campers were learning how to mount a horse) and thought to take a picture of it on top of a "real" horse.

The other idea that struck me was, "how fun would it be to play "bustin' bronco" atop an octagon barrel by suspending it over the top of a pit?

I wanted to try it with bungee cords, but the ropes probably worked better.  My two concerns were the stitching breaking off of the equipment (I figured it'd just be the hooks and webbing stitched on the barrel, which aren't used for anything anyway) and Murphy's Law of a kid falling onto the rope and hurting himself with a scrape.

I tried out my idea with the camp kids with the instructor's approval, and it worked out beautifully.

So Friday, when I told the Hot Shots to bring their cowboys hats in (didn't tell them why), I tried covering the rope ends with noodles (they didn't stay on and I felt safe enough that I didn't tape them to stay on).

I only gave them 2 turns before we did our regular warmup- and it was a blast!

My 6 Hot Shots begin training at the same time as the level 4 team next week, jumping from 6 hours a week to 9-12 hrs, for level 3 training.

Congratulations, cowgirls!

Gymneo translated excerpt: Getting stretched away from the bar

Backhandspring drill using the vault table

Front Layout Drill

Post by Jorge Luis Quiala.

Quiala also has other interesting drills.

Similar concept:

I'm not opposed to these drill and have played with similar setups, myself.

For me, though, it's kind of an unnecessary Rube Goldsberg setup, more bucks than bang.  There are easier methods to acquire a front layout- especially if you have things like pits to work with.

This is easier and less trouble. 

 One of the drills not shown is to bounce, then flip through a hollow onto the back; then try rotating all the way to the feet without ever releasing the heels.  Then once you do allow the heel release, it rotates beautifully.

So I'm not a fan of the early heel drive.  But it still works:

Lack of shoulder flexibility or thoracic immobility?

Spreading the Workload

Video description:

A few quick tips for teaching gymnasts to not use their lower spine as a primary mobility area, as it can load some spine structures dangerously. Goes over some background, a quick drill for encouraging movement at the hips/thoracic spine/shoulders, and how to transfer it to gymnastics skills.

Gym Drills Dot Net

My co-coach and I have toyed with an idea like this- creating a video library of drills for staff ed, along with curriculum for each level.  That way, any coach should be able to sub and know what a particular group should be working on a particular day; and can pick from a list of menu items, a set of options or suggestions on drills and setups for skills.

Easy sign up.

"The Diving Fool" (November 13, 1951)

Amazing comedy diving act from Larry Griswold on the Frank Sinatra Show:

Griswold (September 17, 1905- August 24, 1996) was a co-inventor of the trampoline with George Nissen.  Wikipedia:

known as "The Diving Fool", was an American gymnast & entertainer who was involved in the early development of the trampoline.

Griswold was a college level gymnast and tumbler while studying physical education at the University of Iowa. While coaching at an acrobatic school in New York, he enjoyed performing in vaudeville shows. However, he decided to return to Iowa to become a teacher and in 1931, he became a gymnastics coach at the University of Iowa where he met George Nissen who was also a skilled gymnast & tumbler.

Read more on Wikipedia.

Here's the 2010 ISHOF induction:

Sunday Funnies

Bathroom Hall Pass

This is one of my Hot Shots.  Friday, I made her wear this VIP hall pass around her neck, privileging her to journey from bars to the bathroom for a potty break mid-rotation.

When I was at BGS, I went through a phase of wearing "Hello my name is _________" name tags, filling it in with something different each day.  I also made a few bathroom hall passes that I'd slap on the gymnast when she asked to go visit the tinkletorium. 

Good times.

Lever in, Lever Out, Lunge & Finish

Lever in, lever out and Capital "T"

Team developmental kids:

Gymnasts are Who We Are

Via Ganba Gymnastics:

Run like a girl

A Mighty Girl Facebook page:

"My coach said I ran like a girl, I said if he could run a little faster he could too." 
-- Mia Hamm

Compulsory vaulting drill for body tension

Swing Big! posted a nice drill idea from Troy Wright:

It reminds me slightly of something I came up with a few years ago while working with lower level compulsory girls.  It involves using a rainbow (donut mat):

Stand the rainbow mat up so that it looks like a “C”. Gymnast kicks up to handstand facing the doughnut hole side of the “C”. The rainbow mat tips over to become a backward C, which puts the gymnast from upside down to rightside up. Like Troy’s drill in the first video, the gymnast must maintain body tension, or else she will sag into the well of the “C”.

I had filmed it, the one time I did this; but that footage is now lost.  The gym I am currently at does not have these donut halves.  Hopefully my description makes sense.

Sunday Funnies