Floor Routines #45-41!
Floor Routines #45-41 of the last decade…
Andy’s Top 50 Women’s Floor Routines of the Past Decade…Routines #50-46!
I’m sure many of you have picked up on some of my frustrations with the level of gymnastics in the elite women’ world nowadays, in particular on floor and vault. While the difficulty in the men’s tumbling and vaulting around the world has risen astronomically over the last decade, on the women’s side these two areas have gone in the other direction
Bungee Drills for Swing Handstands
One of my favorite skills to teach and perfect as a boys’ coach is a swing handstand on p-bars. I feel it is a skill that is often taught improperly and without correct attention to detail, and yet it is one of the most important basic skills for a developing young gymnast.
French International Qualification Videos!
The finals at the French International is underway today, but I wanted to go ahead and post some videos and comments on some of the awesome routines from the qualification round.
Awesome Russian Men’s Videos!
The Russian men haven’t won Olympic gold since 1996. A team bronze in 2000 was followed by sixth-place finishes in both 2004 and 2008.
How do we look for those non-physical qualities in a young gymnast?
I’ve already discussed how I test for those seven physical qualities that I consider most important to look for in a budding young gymnast. Now I wanted to go into more depth about how I look for the seven non-physical qualities I mentioned on my list
Ksenia Afanasyeva and Ekaterina Kramarenko…still major Russian players?
Ksenia Afanasyeva and Ekaterina Kramarenko are definitely two of my favorite Russian gymnasts…both were major players for the Russian team in Beijing, and both are still holding on for possible spots on more Russian world and Olympic teams.
More Senior Jesolo Videos!
Here are some more videos and commentary from some of the top gymnasts at the recent Trophy Jesolo meet, including former world all-around champ Vanessa Ferrari and a few of the Americans and Russians:
Jesolo Videos!
You may have heard by now about the results of the recent Trophy Jesolo competition in Jesolo, Italy, but I’ve just found some videos up in the last couple of days. Here’s a look at some of the highlights I’ve come across so far:
Great Physical Tests I’ve Learned to Use…
Now that I’ve told you the 14 qualities I look for in a young boy I’m evaluating for competitive gymnastics, I’ll share some of the specific ways I look for and test for each of these qualities
Andy’s 14 qualities of a young male gymnast
One of my favorite things to do as a coach has always been “testing” young kids to be on the competitive team. I’ve always coached boys for the most part, and thus this testing process has typically entailed taking a 5, 6, or 7-year-old boy and trying to decide if he has enough potential to be invited to the competitive team
BALKING….A coach’s worst nightmare
If you’re a gymnastics coach, you immediately know what I mean when I use the word “balk.” It can be a coach’s worst nightmare. A gymnast develops a fear of a skill – sometimes a completely irrational one – and one time becomes scared enough to actually abort the skill before even attempting it