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!