The Streetlight Effect

It’s well past midnight and a man is on his hands and knees, underneath the lone light on an otherwise dark street.  Driving by on routine patrol, a police officer stops her car and steps out to ask the man what he is doing. “I’m looking for my keys,” the man wearily replies. “You lost […]

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Is All Training Created Equal?

This is no real secret. The answer is in the training. It isn’t more hours, or more training, but the correct training. The athletes must learn how to train smarter, more efficiently. The coaches must continue to take the time to teach the skills correctly the first time and all the time. Source: Is All Training […]

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Gymnasts and “Trying”

Don’t tell an athlete that they didn’t try Tell them that they can try harder. Is that splitting hairs? Maybe. But hear me out. “You aren’t trying” puts an athlete on the defensive. It demonstrates to that athlete that you don’t believe they are giving full effort. It tells the athlete you don’t trust her. “I […]

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Dominoes and Kips: Building Toward Success in Gymnastics

  This I know is true: There is no such thing as an overnight success, especially in gymnastics. For instance, anyone who has been a part of the sport can tell you this—it takes an enormous amount of physical preparation and carefully sequenced progressions to learn a kip. (Just ask Susie’s coach…) But anyone who […]

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Can You Quit and Still Have Grit?

    While a cute rhyming couplet, “quit” and “grit” wouldn’t seem to go together. And yet, they can and do. According to grit expert, Dr. Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, quitting is a critical component of grit for this […]

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The Unlucky 7: 7 Setbacks Most Gymnasts Eventually Face (and How They Can Rebound from Them)

Resilience and grit are the best buddies of any gymnast, but are particularly tested when things go south. Stick around in the sport long enough and you (or your child/athlete) are likely to encounter many, if not all these ‘unlucky’ seven: Not Moving Up a Level. Despite your hard work, there remains an element or […]

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9 Suggestions to Help Your Gymnast Hear, Receive and Implement Feedback

  “Are you even listening to me?” This phrase escaped my lips many, many times as a parent and as a coach. And yet as frequently as we might complain that kids do not listen, how much time do we spend actually teaching the skills necessary to cope with feedback? Hearing, accepting and implementing feedback is […]

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The Pre-Workout: 10 Tips to Making Practice Great Before You Even Get to the Gym

  Gymnasts: want to have a great workout? Here are some things you can do before you even get to the gym: Get a Good Night’s Sleep.  Getting sufficient sleep is difficult with school and gymnastics demands.  But it is essential to performing at a high level.  Lack of sleep impairs your reactions and can […]

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20 Traits that Gymnastics Develops: A Diagram

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