50 Stocking Stuffers from Gym Gab

HO, HO, HO!

Are you ready for Christmas? Makenna over at Gym Gab (my new favorite Gymnastics Blog!) has taken some time to put together a great list of goodies for your gymnasts! Check them out here.

Image credit: Gym Gab Blog

Happy Shopping!

Flips 4 Flops Giveaway

'Tis the season for giving and my friend Sandra, creator of Flips 4 Flops, and I are embracing the holiday spirit with this flippin' awesome giveaway!

Name this Flips4Flop and you could win 5 custom made pairs for your team!

To Enter:

Leave in the comments what you would name the Flips4Flop in the picture.

For additional entries 

You can Pin This! on Pinterest,

Like Coach Casie on Facebook

OR

Share this giveaway on Facebook!

One lucky winner will be chosen on Saturday, December 7th.

Friday Freebie: Gymnastics Gift Tags

Happy Friday everyone! It's that time of year again, when we are scrambling around to find the perfect gift and the perfect way for presentation of the gift. When you've got a team of gymnasts, some coaches' gifts and other gymnastics fans to provide for it can be quite disheartening to find there are little options to choose from.

Don't worry, I've got your back!

How to Make the Most of Your Craft Foam with DIY Gymnastics Stamps

This weekend is going to be fun! Funky and I are headed to one huge pool party for two sisters (one happens to be my level 4 gymnast who has one of the most delightful floor routines that you just can't help but smile from first beat to final pose!) Presents, favors & swimming suits ready to go. But there's a thing about the gift wrapping paper.

You see, I am super cheap thrifty. In Singapore, they don't sell wrapping paper by the roll. It is sold in 1 meter squares, boring or overly girly with pink lace or some other gaudiness that makes chics like me puke AND almost $3 a pop in some stores.

Third world problems...I know.

So, how do you avoid this wrapping paper inflation of Singapore?

PRINTABLE: Boys Superhero Gymnastics Birthday Banner

Super awesome, superhero gymnastics?!

YES!

It's here for you and I'm just dying to see someone print this out and make a banner for their little dude. So if you do follow these super simple steps to create a little bit of awesomeness I would love to see it.

Healthy & Easy Snacking for Gymnasts: Pre, During & Post Workout Printable

So, I've got to confess, I fell off this amazing clean eating that gave me this powerful energy in and out of the gym. I blame the pregnancy for my indulging in ridiculous amounts of dairy, donuts and chocolate for my meals snackin'. With 10 more weeks to go until we get to meet this little gymmy doing flips in my tummy, I'm getting the household back on track with healthy, clean eating.

Foot down, are you ready to do the same?

For you all out there scrambling to find EASY snacks for your amazing gymnast. Here is a list I made. I now keep it on my fridge and use it as a reference to keep us in full swing.

Pre-Workout Snacks 

•Apple & nut butter
•Bananas & peanut butter
•Cottage cheese & fruit
•Avocado
•Small bowl of cereal
•Whole grain english muffin
•Pita bread with hummus
•Fig newtons
•Trail mix
•Veggie strips
•Energy bar

Mid Workout Snacks 

•Grapes
•Kiwi slices
•Cut Papaya cubes
•Sunflower seeds

Post Workout Snacks 

•Banana
•Coconut Water
•Fresh fruit juice
•Pineapple
•Veggie Juice
•Dates & Nuts
•Cherries
•Natural Peanut butter & apple wrap
•Sweet potato
•Frozen grapes
•edamame

I'm hoping this list will help you out when you are trying to pick snacks out for your gymnast. It doesn’t always have to be an Iced Milo and a bag of chips. Mix it up!

Since you read through the whole thing I will reward you with a freebie.

Now all I need you to print this out, post it on your fridge & fuel those bodies! 

Download the Pre, During & Post Workout Printable by clicking here & saving from Slideshare!

What Kind of Gymnastics Levels are there in Singapore?

I've gotten asked this question a few times from readers and friends back home. If you are familiar to the USAG Junior Olympic program, what I like to think is a pretty darn good comprehensive program for the development of top gymnasts, diggin' deep into the Singaporean levels systems can leave some of us to raise an eyebrow.  Yes, and I plan to do just that...dig a little deeper. But for now, here's a little overview. 

In Singapore, Singapore Gymnastics (SG) is the national governing body that runs the competitive system. This "10-year Long Term Plan for Gymnastics in Singapore to enter Top 12 in the World and Compete at the Olympics" system is broken up into two streams before the gymnast would compete F.I.G.:

Stuff Gymnastics Coaches Say

Who doesn't love a fun infograph?

Signs of a burnout gymnast

For a proud parent of an aspiring gymnast, the last thing you want is your daughter/son to feel any sort of pain. Be it physical or emotional stress, our lives are dedicated to protecting the most important people in our lives.

WARNING SIGNS

• Not enough sleep/sleeping every chance she can.
• Irritable. (watch out!)
• Not wanting to go to practice. Making excuses. 
• Talking about quitting. 
• Saying the coaches don't encourage her like they do the other kids
• Complaining about not having free time
• Increase of injuries
• Decreased appetite
• Lack of enthusiasm

But what happens next?

Not all cases are the same but here are some tips to help cope with whatever might be going on, gymnastics related or not. 

• Talk to them about rescheduling activities. Lower training hours, switching to a recreational program, etc. 
• Try to find out which activities they put in high priority. 
• Talk to their coach. Perhaps, he or she notices too and chances are they have dealt with this situation more than once before. 
• Come up with a game plan. GOALS to get out of this rut no matter what! What needs to happen, when, why and how?

Being forced to do a sport they just aren't into is much more damaging to a gymnast than retirement. Some say finishing what you started is something we need to instill in our children, I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

Would you make him/her finish the season if he or she decided its time to hang up the grips?

Traits of High Achieving Athletes

Summer time is here and its time for another round of goal setting for the upcoming year. Not only will the gymnasts be working on physical goals but also emotional and mental goals. I've been pleasantly surprised by the large amounts of information for mental training and sports performance provided by the USA Gymnastics mental toughness trainer Dr. Ali. She has a great website, Head Games that offers many web camp sessions to help any athlete get over fears or to up their game.

Many of the tools used for mental toughness training I find very helpful in my daily matters. Especially, the deep breathing when I'm late for anything and it's out of my control! I'm hoping by teaching some of the techniques to my gymnasts they can use these tools not only in their gymnastics but also when stress gets high outside of the gym. Hoping they will know what to do to keep a cool head and push through tough times. 

I've found that many traits of highly achieving athletes have the same emotional competencies of successful business women, lawyers, doctors, artists, musicians and mothers. Let's take a look at some of the traits of highly achieving athletes:

• Self Awareness - These women know their strengths & limitations, they have a great perspective between their ideal & actual performance.

• Emotional Control - These women manage feelings & impulses to act, they can stay focused on the coal in the face of competing emotions. 
• Internal Motivation - These women love what they do (like gymnasts love the sport) versus fame, money and dreams of others. 
• Empathy - While being sensitive to others they are supportive of teammates, co-workers and colleagues. 
• Social Skills - These women are effective communicators that create bonds with others and share great value. 

I use the term women, because I feel that my girls are essentially that....little women who need the nurturing care through their gymnastics career and beyond.  

Birthday's & a HUGE announce ment!

My new obsession is designing gymnastics themed birthday parties. Ever since my friend had me do a few goodies for her daughter's 7th birthday, I've caught this bug that gives me something to do when I wake up every night at 3:00 am.

This is one of my latest designs that is available for customization via my etsy shop.

There are also plenty of other designs from other shops that are just as awesome. Check out some of these great ones too. 

Cool Zebra Theme 

Retro Boys Theme

Now on to the HUGE announcement:

My little Funky girl is getting ready to be a big sister! That's right, Coach Casie is expecting her 2nd baby. Perhaps this has something to do with my obsession with birthdays. I'm interested to hear any stories on how you've coached pregnant, especially spotting. I've made it through my first pregnancy coaching up to age 10 only, tweens and teenagers that are bigger than me post a challenge this time.

First Day Front Handsprings over Vault

I've been quite busy lately in the gym preparing a couple teams for the Singapore Open Championships in a couple of weeks. A few upgrades from Singapore Nationals in March and an in-house this past weekend, I'm excited to see my girls making great improvements.

One of my teams will not be competing and the girls have had quite a bit of fun working on new skills for the next season. Layout flyaways and giants on bars and front handsprings on my new found favorite event to coach, vault!

For the past month or so I've been practicing shaping from a Sweet Spot on floor and going over blocks. They love it and I like that they will do about 20 reps each in 15 mins. They tend to fix their shapes almost immediately after correction and they find the confidence to go over obstacles at a really high speed. I do some return station drills including; hollowed heel lifts, handstand shoulder shrugs & front support shoulder shrugs with some pre


I took them to vault over the table for the first time last week. Here's what came of it:


Less than 6 months for the next competition. Hopefully I can get these girls to soar!

What are your favorite drills for a front handspring vault?

Nadia in an Adidas?

Nadia in a red leotard, believed to be Podium training. It's strikingly similar to the Adidas Gymnastics Leotards of today. A true testament that a classic look never goes out of style.

Ice Baths: Why does my daughter want to do them?

It’s a known fact that immediately after an injury that ice is the answer. An Ice Pack applied to the area helps reduce pain and swelling, but have you ever tried an ice bath? Sounds chillingly unbearable if you ask me.

I once did a polar bear jump into freezing lake Minocqua back home in Wisconsin before I moved out to Asia. It is definitely something to try once....only once.

But if you’re a gym mom or dad, you might be wondering why the heck your son or daughter wants to fill a tub with ice and more important is it safe? According to Runner’s World, ice baths are a method of cryotherapy or “cold therapy.” Immersing your body in ice water constricts blood cells and creates a reduction in metabolic activity, which reduces inflammation and prevents the breakdown of tissues.

When you get out of chilly water, the tissues begin to warm up and your blood flows faster. This helps return the by products of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body. So not only does a soak in an ice bath help prevent inflammation, but it also flushes harmful metabolic debris out of the muscles. Many athletes, especially gymnasts swear by these post-workout ice baths. Dotting their bodies with ice packs is an option, but full-on immersion in ice water is much more effective. They only need to be in the chilliness for 10 to 20 minutes.

Here’s a clip from one Stick It, one of the most popular gymnastics themed movies of my gymnasts. I think they get the idea here, really not thinking about the benefits.

I would love to hear it, have you ever done an ice-bath or would you ever do one?

Does heat make muscles worse?

Q: When I have a tough workout at the gym and conditioning is just crazy, my muscles are so tight and sore. I love to get into a hot shower to relieve my pain, but I read somewhere that heat can make the pain worse. Is this true? Should I take a cool shower instead?

A: Heat or Ice? hmmm, let me try to put that question to rest.

If you have an injury, like a pulled muscle or a sprained ankle, ice is needed to reduce swelling.

However, sore muscles indicate that you have microscopic tears in the fibers. This is normal and means you challenged your muscles. As the fibers heal they become stronger, making you stronger. When you heat your muscles either with a hot bath, heating pad, or warm compress, it helps to bring blood to the area, which aids in healing.

So go ahead and step into your steamy shower or jump in a hot bath after a grueling practice. Massage will also soothe your tight muscles, so it's a great excuse to make an appointment for a little pampering.

The next day (hopefully you do not have gymnastics practice) if you're still sore, do some low-impact exercise, or work other muscle groups — the circulation of blood will ease your discomfort.

Inspiration from the Flipside

You know, instead of the job I’ve been doing on and off since high school and solidified during graduate school. The one that doesn’t require a diploma but does demand patience (lots), the ability to lift squirmy humans, and a working knowledge of how to spell and pronounce “Tsukahara.” I wonder if coaching is something that I am supposed to outgrow.

 Taken from the Flipside column Diana Gallagher wrote on the Couch Gymnast. The most inspiring thing I've read all week!

Can Chocolate Improve our Customer Service?

I started making custom designs for gymnastics themed birthday parties over at The HandXStand. My recent addition in services includes making Hershey Kiss Labels. 

I know for many it seems a little bit odd being chocolate and all, but think of the possibilities it could provide to improve service in Gymnastics Centers.

I Support Equal Marriage Laws

I normally don't blog about political matters, however when I feel so closely tied to a cause it's hard not to share the passion I have for equality for ALL individuals. A while back Brigid, The Couch Gymnast posted an awesome gymnastics version of the Marriage Equality logo. It inspired me to make a handful of versions myself in support for my friends and family members, I'm behind you 100%.

The Freedom of Movement is Within Us

My husband and I always talk about movement and usually end up in a discussion on what came first, yoga or gymnastics. We both agree that movement gives us freedom, releases fears and emotions that can not be explained in words. The experience of movement gives us so much that we tend to forget.

Ido Portal gives such an inspiring interview in this video. Not only is he super reflective of his own experiences but also gives gymnasts around the world the biggest compliments.

Very cool!

Q & A: Are Carbohydrates bad for Gymnasts?

Q: Coach Casie, someone told me carbohydrates are bad for gymnastics. Is this true?

A: We hear a lot about carbohydrates today. Often, they are called bad and unhealthy. Yet, this is not true.

You need to realize that it is necessary for your body to have the carbohydrates that it needs to power through your body’s demands. Carbohydrates are an important player in your bodies' nutritional needs, especially for a gymnast who needs to be BETTER, FASTER and STRONGER than their competition.

You should always look for whole grains when it comes to carbohydrates. Also check the labels on the food to make sure they are not full of sugars, bad fats and processed foods. (I hope that didn't just ruin your dinner meal plan.)

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, What's up?

I haven't been working out in a long time. I've been putting excuses in for myself and it's about time I get back into the swing of things. Last go at the INSANITY workout, I found myself having to leave the country and head to a 3 day wedding giving up on the workout plan. Another problem is, I get sore. Very, very sore. While I appreciate a little post-workout pain, I deal with serious delayed onset muscle soreness, aka DOMS.

I thought I would take this painful lesson as a chance to review the best strategies for dealing with DOMS. I know there are many gymnasts who may experience DOMS, especially if you are like me getting back into the gym from a long break. For a refresher course on the subject, read more.

• DOMS is defined as pain usually felt 12 to 48 hours after exercising, but can last as long as a week. It is a commonly held theory that the pain comes from microscopic tears in the muscles and the swelling associated with those tears. Sometimes you can actually see or feel the swelling.
• In 2007, an Australian study found that stretching did not relieve the pain associated with DOMS. I feel, though, that stretching the muscles when sore helps to build more elasticity in the new muscle fibers.
• The soreness should go away by itself, but do avoid any vigorous activity that makes the pain worse. Light aerobic exercise can help the healing process by bringing fresh blood to the sore muscles.
• Some people find pain relief in massage, although this doesn't necessarily improve muscular function.Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID) like ibuprofen can help relieve the pain, but like massage, this will not speed your recovery time.
• A proper warmup can help reduce the symptoms associated with DOMS. Increasing blood flow to muscles with light cardio makes them more elastic, so they are more resistant to micro-tearing.
• When you're experiencing DOMS, your muscles are actually weaker. Keep this in mind and avoid strenuous activities until the pain has subsided, because you are more likely to injure yourself.

Here's to less complaining! 

Adidas Gymnastics Leotards

One of my favorite leotards a gymnast of mine wears is this fantastic yellow Adidas gem of a leotard. It's simply stunning.

All of my girls are just waiting for the new line of Adidas Gymnastics leotards to come out and so am I. They really take the cake when it comes to design & color combinations.

This morning I woke up to some amazing news, McKayla Maroney (one of my most favorite gymnasts of late) has joined the Adidas Gymnastics team along side teammate Jordyn Weiber.  Sounds like a winning team to me.

ManageMe Sport: A new app coming soon!

I can't wait for this app to launch! I love my apps and use them on my iphone and ipad constantly for organization, planning, heck even blogging

From their site:

• No more documents and speadsheets! The ManageMe Sportcloud based platform allows you to store, view, edit and analyse your athletes data on the web and across all your iOS devices
• With our cloud based application you're sure to have all your athletes information wherever you are and whenever you need it
• Designed for Men's and Woman's Artistic Gymnastics. Plan, review and store measurements, competition results, calendars, video's, skill repertoire and medical data.

Gymnastics in the new millenium is exciting isn't it? Head on over to their facebook page and spread the news!

Round-Off Back Handspring Double YUM!

For some feeding a gymnast is like pulling teeth, you can't seem to get her to eat. While keeping in mind that she can't simply be eating a well balanced diet if it holds up any longer, you feel like just anything would do. Before you reach for those french fries and sugar packed cereal, remember what she puts into her body effects her performances. I'm certain you all want that drive home to be a joyous recap of all the awesome stuff she did at practice.

Not to worry, eating healthy is not so drab as it sounds. In fact, it's exactly the opposite. I've collected 10.0 snack recipes that fit perfectly for a gymnastics family. Each recipe is easy to make, packed with nutritional value to fuel top performances and most of all, yummay!

Gymnastics Mom & Dad Bingo Game

It's Okay to admit it....watching your child for hours at end while they do their gymnastics lesson is not as exciting as doing it yourself. I know, I'm a parent too and I totally get it. It's possible you check your emails and facebook updates like OCD (Outta Control Disorder!) Tonight you get to stop that craziness  and bring some fun into the parent viewing area with Gym Mom or Dad Bingo!

How to Throw an EPIC Gymnastics Themed Birthday Party for Boys

Give your little man the best gymnastics themed party that will inspire him and all his friends to go for gold. From invites to food and drinks, this post will include all things to make that possible.

DIY Massage with a Tennis Ball

Getting a massage is not always an option to relieve sore muscles for a gymnast.  I love getting a massage done by a professional masseurs. (Thanks Groupon, you save my wallet from complete extinction!)  When I'm on the go or can't squeeze in the time to head down to the spa between coaching, being Mama or doing other awesome stuff I reach for this go-to object.

How to Ease Sore Muscles

We all know that saying, "no pain, no gain." This is especially true with the sport of gymnastics. When we challenge ourselves and our muscles, we can get a satisfaction. Sore muscles are never comfortable, but wear them with a badge of honor knowing that you pushed your body a little harder than usual. On those days after intense training, give yourself a little treat by easing those powerful machines you call muscles.

Eating Right for Myself and My Gymnasts

When it comes to eating right and nutrition practicing what I preach to my gymnasts is a little hard but I'm stickin' to it. Knowing that if my body is in top form, they might follow suit. 

That time of the month: Gymnasts and their period

When I was in my last few months at my former employer, my then co-workers would beg me not to go. I like to think it was because they really enjoyed working with me but deep down inside I think it was because I was the only female. One of them would say to me, "What if....uh...you know....that time of the month?"

Interview with Singapore's rising gymnastics Talent: Kelsie Muir

With less than a week away from the 2013 Singapore National Championships, gymnasts and coaches around the country are putting those last touches on their choreography and building confidence to showcase their upgraded routines. For most gymnastics fans in Singapore it is a chance to see how Kelsie Muir's gymnastics has matured in the past year.

Kelsie Muir (born 1999) is one of Singapore's most promising gymnasts. Over the years she has won many Singaporean competitions at every level and shows no signs of slowing down. For a gymnast her age she shows a remarkable degree of elegance and confidence, a true contest of the efforts of her long-time coach at Prime Gymnastics, Rachel Kennett.  Recently, Prime Gymnastics recruited High Performance Coach, Xu Heping, in efforts to take Kelsie's gymnastics to another level. Singaporean gymnastics fans are eagerly waiting to see Kelsie at this weekend's competition.

Here is a look at Kelsie in action from last year.

Here's a little interview of Singapore's rising star: Kelsie Muir

Coach Casie: What age did you start gymnastics? Why did you choose the sport?

Kelsie: 3.5 years old. I didn't choose it. My my put me in when I was young.

Coach Casie: What do you like about gymnastics?

Kelsie: Friendship, it keeps me fit and its FUN!

Coach Casie: Which new elements are you learning at the moment, which would you like to perform at this year's competitions?

Kelsie: I am learning a Ray on bars and a new dismount. BHC to Hecht with back tuck salto. (Mukhina, D)

Coach Casie: Which particularly difficult element would you like to master one day?

Kelsie: I would like to learn a full twisting vault (yurchenko) and the bar dismount (Mukhina) with a full twist.

Coach Casie: Do ou have a role-model for gymnastics?

Kelsie: The seniors at Prime Gymnastics.

Coach Casie: What event do you struggle with?

Kelsie: I struggle mostly on floor and vault because I keep getting injured.

Coach Casie: What are your coaches always having to remind you?

Kelsie: Knees, toes, head in.

Coach Casie: What is your dream future?

Kelsie: To represent Singapore in the Olympics.

What is Sports Nutrition for a Gymnast?

Today is the day that you begin to enhance your gymnasts' performances. 

As gymnasts, they already know that they need to work hard preparing their bodies physically so they are the best they can be.

You want to insure their body is doing everything in the correct manner from start to finish.

They may spend hours perfecting even the simplest  movements. They also work extremely hard to build  muscle to enhance how well they can run, punch, flip and swing. Or, they may spend countless hours pushing their body and mind to just go backwards. All of these things are essential parts to being a successful gymnast. There is no doubt about that. But, that is not all that you need to handle either.

Out of the Gym Work Outs

Besides planning their routine, the next set of reps and the next competition, they should be concentrating on their nutrition. Think about it. What their body eats is what makes it move. What they put into their body is the fuel it will use to do the things that they want it to do. What they do not put into the body can not help them to succeed either. While it may sound hard to determine what the right products are, it does not have to be. As gymnasts, they need to focus their time on nutrition as much as they focus it on their workouts.

Everyone (gymnast, coach, gym mom and dad) should should take the time to learn about what our body needs, how it reacts to the foods we put into it and how well it will perform based on the fuels we provide it. 

What are some of the foods that make you feel awesome, on top of your game? What foods make you feel sluggish? 

Book Review: Head Over Heels About Gymnastics

I was super pumped when a package in the mail from a the UK arrived. That meant Head Over Heels About  Gymnastics Floor Skills had made it safe and sound to Singapore.  From their website: 

Head-Over-Heels-Gymnastics   is a child friendly book that provides step-by-step instructions and top tips explaining how to perform a large variety of gymnastic floor skills via simple language and eye catching photography. This book is a must-have for budding gymnasts of all ages and abilities, covering many different elements of the sport from balance to strength, flexibility, co-ordination, speed and control in addition to positive body awareness. 

The book begins with example warms-ups and stretches, moving on to cover posture and all basic gymnastics shapes, which are instrumental in performing more complex skills. These skills are then covered in the next sections; Jumps, Skills, Rolls and Leaps. Bringing all of these skills together, the book then demonstrates how combined, these skills can be used to create routines. 

Warm Ups with a Twist

At our gym our girls take pride in their warm up, they get to show off a little bit to the parents and inspire the little gymmies too. Most days you'll see a couple little girls on the side of the floor mat trying to follow along with the teams, its super cute. Our head coach puts together a new warm up routine every few months or so, she has this brilliant gift where she can choreograph just about any sound and make it look awesome!

Interview with the Man Behind JAOVideos: A great Gymnastics Coaching Resource

A few years back as I logged on to YouTube, I get a recommendation to check out JAOVideos  If there’s anything I know about recommendations from a computer algorithm is that most of the time they are painstakingly off. However, this time the computer gods were dead on.

As a follower of JAOVideos, I’ve learned some great techniques for my younger gymnasts. Each video is unmistakably well thought through and systematic. The drills that are showcased are clearly effective for producing the results coaches are looking for. Some of his more popular tutorials have reached to an audience of over 200,000. The channel showcases not only tutorials on skills but also how to DIY equipment and my personal favorite, athlete progress and successes. VAOVideos has recently passed the 1 million views mark, amazing milestone that would make amateur filmmakers jealous. 

Yummy Quinoa Patty Recipe

I've become the queen of patties around my house, even grandpa and grandma have fallen for these yummy treats. The best thing about it is they are easy peasy.

Coming home after a whole night of coaching, normally I loathe doing ANYTHING in the kitchen except eating. Last night was different, I had the motivation to make something nutritious and delicious in less time it takes my girls to do a complete warm-up.

Q & A about Skill Deconstruction for Gymnastics Skills

Need a little more info to get your Skill Deconstructions underway, here are some questions 

Frequently Asked Questions About Skill Decomposition.

Universal Gymnast Problem: The Wedgie

Last November our club hosted the largest gymnastics competition in Singapore. Over 500 gymnasts from 10 countries and 3 continents participated in the Prime international Invitational.   This competition stands out in my mind, not because it was the biggest one of the year but because of a wedgie. yes, a big huge wedgie. On the last rotation of our session, one of my optional gymnasts decided to add a not-so-descrete buttpick to her wonderful choreography to get her wedgie out within the first 5 seconds of her Floor routine.  To her defense, her competition leotard did not have the perfect fit and the rest of her routine was beautiful.  She ended up winning sixth place on floor which gave us an even bigger laugh after awards.

An Interesting Staff Meeting

Friday afternoons are Prime Gymnastics Staff meetings, this particular meeting got a little out of hand.

For the Man's Man: MAG Cuff Links

Men's Artistic Gymnastics Cuff Links straight from my sweatshop...errr computer room/mini-gym/studio. You got it, something classy for the men. I've been trying to come up with some great ways to dress up a male gymnast, gymnastics coach or any gymnastics fan.

I've convinced the husband to be my model and I'm super excited to show these babies off.

Panda Gymnastics

Look what I found at the Singapore Zoo today. 

Pandas like gymnastics too!

Isn't she cute?

D.I.Y. Ice Packs for In and Out of the Gym

At the beginning of the day our freezers start out full with handmade ice-cube packs and store bought ice-packs. Daily minor icing of youngsters boo boos are a natural occurrence in any gymnastics center, not to mention the team ice party sessions that are way too frequent and sometimes ridiculous. By the end of the day, both of our freezers look quite bare and we're off to buying new packs and refilling the ice trays. Who knows where those things end up!

I found a great way to cut costs in and out of the gym, after taking a hint from a friend when I asked about my little funky one always wanting ice packs. (We live very close to the equator and have no air conditioning, I can't blame her!) I thought I would share this simple, cost effective and brilliant idea with the gymnastics world. 

What to do When Your Gymnast is Stressed

Gymnastics teaches us life lessons. True,  but it also comes with a boatload of stress. Ways of dealing with stress, in my opinion,  are LEARNED techniques.  Not often will a coach sit a gymnast down and say, “This is how you relieve stress.” In fact,  a gymnast might not even understand what stress is in the first place. It’s our duty to explain to all young children what stress is and how to deal with it in a positive way. 

Resistance Training for Gymnastics

What is resistance band training?

Resistance band training is a technique used by gymnastics and cheerleading coaches to enhance their athletes’ performances.  Resistance band training activates the core muscles for stability and balance and builds up leg strength for tumbling and jumps. It is also a great tool to use for flexibility training.

I’ve been looking into the most effective, safe way to implement resistance band training into my team training plans. There are a few options:

Importance of Completing A Gymnasts Awareness

As promised, a bit more from the Sharing Session. This one is thanks to a couple of co-workers who attended a Trampoline Course with Jack Kelly an International Performance Coach. They passed down a document titled, Twenty Six Essential Principles for the Development of World Class Performance in Trampoline Gymnastics written by Jack Kelly. 

How to make a Lesson Plan from Skill Deconstruction

Now that you've done our skill deconstruction using the free downloadable template you have yourself at least 10 elements to make up drills that will fulfill the requirements for those drills. You might be asking yourself, "What is the best way to make a lesson plan out of the drills?"

12 Reasons Why Gymnastics Coaches Should Use Pinterest

Indeed, it is!

With no doubt the power and appeal of Pinterest has taken social-networking to the next level. As a user, you get to create virtual pinboards about favorite topics and ideas or products that you find on the Internet to reference later. As my mom says, "I found a cool site with recipes and crafty thingies." - she couldn't remember the name Pinterest but I instantly knew what she was talking about. 

This site has instantly become a hit with foodies, fashionistas and educators. I've found it to become such a great resource but for a gymnastics coach who has never seen Pinterest before you might wonder what you can get out of using this awesome platform.  

Nutrition on the go to your Door Step!

Every time I walk down the cereal isle I get suckered into buying a few packs of granola bars. Perhaps it's that I'm usually hungry when I go or it could be the totally irresistible food packaging that makes my mouth water and causes me to completely ignore the price tags until I'm at the check-out counter. A typical pack of 8 bars cost well over $10 and I go threw a pack like candy. I'm hoping my husband doesn't read this post because I'm sure he would think I'm crazy spending this much money a month on just granola and energy bars.

Life of the Hashtag #Gymnastics

I made this little infograph for fun and my favorite Italian #gymnast comes out on top!

Example Skill Deconstruction

Using the free downloadable template, I was able to deconstruct a Front Walkover in less than 10 minutes and found 38 different aspects of the skill!! I'm sure there might be some I'm missing, if you can think of some please let me know. 

Gymnast Nutrition Books

Recently, I've been asked by a parent of one of my gymnasts to talk about nutrition in hopes to get her to get on track to healthy eating habits. Knowing that a "Coach Casie says to eat," might not cut it, I've decided to try an activity to get all the girls involved. 

Simple Guide to Deconstruct Any Gymnastics Skill

If you are anything like me, I’m thinking about gym the minute I leave the chalk-filled air. My mind is always running with thoughts on how I can improve the ways I teach a certain skill or how to make my girls better, faster and stronger.

While it’s quite easy to just hit up youtube for the latest drill, remember, it comes down to the basics and the fundamentals of the skill if you want to make any improvements. Not only does skill deconstruction have some attractive reasons to implement into your lesson planning, it is also the best way to get down to each element of a gymnastics skill.

Supplies Needed:

• ·      Good ol’ pen or pencil
• ·      Downloadable Template or any paper will do

Estimated time:

10-15 mins

How to deconstruct the skill:

Think of all the possible ways to break down a skill and write them down into the 14 different categories:

1. Body Positions and Alignment: Some gymnastics skills may have many elements in one. For example, a cartwheel has  a lunge, lever, split straddle, split and opposite lever and another opposite lunge.

2. Balance: What is the balance requirement? Do they need a significant amount?

3. Weight Transference: How many are there in the skill? What kinds? i.e. hand to hand, foot to hand, foot to foot.

4. Hand placement: What direction do you need their hands to be? How far apart are they? For bars, is it in over-grip, under-grip, mixed grip, eagle grip?

5. Direction of movement: Not all movements are natural. For example, backwards movement takes time to learn.

6. Eye placement: Where do you want them to look in the beginning, during the skill and at completion?

7. Supports: Arm, Leg, Torso, etc.

8. Lead in skills: What are they going to do prior to the skill? Keep in mind where they are coming from, what body positions they will be in prior to the skill or movements they will be moving through.

9. What is the skill after?

10. Flexibility requirements: Don't forget shoulders, Legs, hip flexors, and back

11. Strength elements: arms, core, legs

12. Action of a movement: When do they need to do the certain movement? How can you build this awareness for when to initiate a certain movement?

13. Position of a movement

14. Motions and Movements: Forwards, sideways, backwards, bilateral movement, opposable movement 

I’ve gone a step further and made a FREE downloadable template for you to deconstruct any skill. Anything from rolls to the most advanced gymnastics skill can be deconstructed with this time saving template. Gymnastics, Men’s Artistic Gymnastics, trampoline, tumbling’s, rhythmic gymnastics, aerobic gymnastics or Acro Gym.

In my next post, I will take a skill show you how I would deconstruct using the template. I will also explore possible drills using the template. 

4 Fantastic Reasons You Should Use Skill Deconstruction

I know what you are thinking… Who has time to sit down and break each skill down into the minimum number of elements? I've got the perfect answer, You do!

You can and should carve out the time for some professional development, and work on that Natural Process I blogged about last week. Using Skill Deconstruction is well worth the return on your initial time investment.

Gymnastics Word Cloud: Awesome Find!

Thank you internet for providing me with hours of fun and making it impossible for me to get the stuff I really need to be done, accomplished. Those lesson plans can wait a few hours. 

Quick Tip to Improve your Gymnasts Speed

Lately, I’ve been taking into consideration the main points of Mr. Takashi Kobayashi from our sharing session when creating lesson plans. A co-worker always reminds me, first they need the speed and power…and he says it in his awesome Chinese accent that gets me fired up. After going over my resources, I’ve come up terribly short when it comes to training speed, agility and quickness. 

I believe if we really want to learn how to train powerful runners, we need to learn from other sports professionals instead of staying within our gymnastics comfort zone. Makes sense, right?

After scouring the internet, I found a great digital product for any youth athlete coach trying to Developing Youth Speed.  A PDF e-book, Easy To Follow Manual With A 9-week Program. 

Instantly, I had a golden ticket to improve my gymnasts performances and I’ve been implementing their ideas within my training. Here’s a little bit of what I’ve got my girls doing. 

As you can see, this would be much more effective if we had a bigger facility. ;)

Nonetheless, I can tell these drills help my kids put in more effort with a fun twist. They are starting to transform their abilities where my co-workers are starting to notice the differences.

I highly suggest taking a look at what they have to offer at Developing Youth Speed. From the author:

youth speed training agility quickness strength speed coach workouts 

• Lean how to incorporate balance, stretching, and movement that will have your athletes warmed up, breathing, sweating, and prepared to play at game speeds in less than 10 minutes.
• Learn why progression is king for athletic development and how performing advanced exercises too soon will result in your athletes peaking too soon.
• Do your athletes have a tryout coming up soon where being faster and quicker may mean the difference between making the team or not?
• Learn how to properly and safely develop explosive power based on the athlete’s age and maturity using only a medicine ball. 
• Learn how to use the agility ladder drills properly.  What 99% of coaches don’t know that could be hurting your development.

Sign up for their email list for FREE speed training tips and get your gymnasts FASTER! 

The Natural Process of a Gymnastics Coach

If you are searching for the best tools out there to become a gymnastics coach, you may find some useful resources online or in a book and through attending various courses and workshops. Sorry to say, that neither of them make one an extraordinary teacher. What separates the best from the rest is a coach that is also a teacher who is a brilliant facilitator that carries their learners to succeed.

When we look at the phases a coach goes through in our line of business, there are four distinctive phases, in each one a coach may have that key moment when arriving at the other advancement in their career. This natural process of a gymnastics coach will not be found in yours or mine resume or CV but rather it is in our intrinsic development.

Newcomers to the coaching world think in terms of the entirety of a skill; they teach gymnastics skills. They really only think in terms of teaching the skill at that point in time and that’s really all that they want to achieve. In spite of this, there are frequent setbacks when these newcomers teach the skill. (Ever try to teach a new kid a cartwheel with absolutely no preparation? Yes, me too…when I was starting my coaching career.)

At that time, coach becomes more conscious about the skills problems and aims to resolve the problem areas in the skill. Still, when making the effort to fix the skill there comes numerous problem areas in technique, lack of strength or flexibility or power. The majority of the time, these are not solitary problems but go hand in hand with one another.

Then, the gymnastics coach will think of the primary root of the skills and the components of each factor. They decipher each gymnastics skill, think of the essentials and set in motion their transition into the last stage of the natural process.

At last, they look at the entity. They look at each individual gymnast and realize they are teaching them how to do gymnastics. Each and every one of their gymnasts has special qualities accompanied by their personal flaws. In parallel, these coaches giving these gymnasts triumph from the very beginning in segments so that these gymnasts will be proven proficient each step of the way until they accomplish the skill.

This natural process, is something one would say, “You have to go through it yourself.” I can’t tell you to stat thinking in terms of the individual and their needs compared to another student in your class. Nor can I give you all the answers. In spite of everything, there are tools for you to speed up this process.

Next week I’ll post about skill decomposition and you can take a bite off that learning curve. Follow this journey, you never know what you’ll learn through the process.

SEA Games Myanmar drops Gymnastics

As concerns of Vietnam and other countries in the region, in a meeting of the Southeast Asian Sports Federation held in Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar) yesterday, January 29, the host country of the 27th SEA Games officially decided to exclude gymnastics out from the competition program.

Vietnam Net

We have yet to hear anything official from Singapore Gymnastics, however, given this news, I see our gymnasts out of an opportunity to compete. This is one of the (many) reasons Singaporean and SE Asian gymnasts are left behind. 

If you ask a veteran gymnast here how many competitions they've competed in during their lifetime, their answer might be 30 and that's including major international competitions. If you ask a level 8, 10 year old gymnast in America how many she's competed in she will probably give you a number double that. 

Give these gymnasts MORE opportunities please! Not take them away. 

Sharing Session at Prime Gymnastics

Last week, we had a sharing session in our gym. Many of our coaches' had been lucky enough to participate in a various number of courses throughout SE Asia leaving the rest of us to hold down the fort and cover their classes. For the gymnasts, I think they enjoy a new coach once in a while as it means a new change to their routinely work-outs. Our coaching team works quite well together; Sure, I'll cover your class if you share what you've learned.



Two had done a F.I.G. Level 1 course in Singapore, another two had taken part of a Trampoline course in Singapore and another two had taken part of an Asian Gymnastics Union MAG Coaching Course held in Singapore that was presented by coaching expert Mr Takashi Kobayashi who happens to be acoach of World Champion and Olympic Champion Uhei Uchimura and was Coaching Director of the Japanese Olympic National Training Centre. In fact, one of the coaches also headed out to Sri Lanka and attended another course Mr Takashi Kobayashi lead! How fortunate is that?!

All together we had 5 staff in the past 3 months attend some sort of training.
I've learned some great insights from my co-workers sessions and I'll be sharing some of the great information that was passed down to me throughout the month of February. I plan to include theory, drills and other useful tips for all of my readers. Some of the topics include:

• psychology

• beginning trampoline

• spotting beginner trampoline

• developing speed 

• POWER!

Here's to a fantastic February!

Benefit from Injury: A Back Handspring Drill for Hand Placement on Balance Beam

Today's gymnastics coaching tip is the lemonade that came from lemons. Recently, two of my WAG Level 5 gymnasts suffered from foot injuries. My heart always goes out to injured gymnasts knowing that they feel left out; I try to find ways to give them special attention to remind them we are a team and they are important as well. With the limitations on training that include no running, jumping, bounding or hard landings, I found myself (not to mention my gymnasts) bored with basic kicks, swings and turn drills during our 1 hour balance beam training.

These training partners have the support of each other while during their recovery and coincidentally, these two gymnasts have been struggling with correct hand placement while learning how to do back handspring on beam. Taking reference from a YouTube video on hand placement, I found some equipment available at our gym.

Gymnastics equipment I used in this set up:

• 1 large barrel (an octagonal tumbler would work as well.)
• 20cm blocks
• Low balance beam

I really like this drill for a couple of key reasons besides the obvious:

• they can do this drill independently
• going crooked adds to the fun and the difficulty of the drill. After all, not every back handspring a gymnast a performs is perfectly straight.
• it's fun

How have you found ways to work on a gymnast's weakness during times of injuries? I would love to hear your stories.