photos - young gymnasts

Rifs blog has a good photo tutorial on how to do a fast, basic tape job for rips. This has proven to be a most effective method of taping hands as a preventative to tears or after one has already torn. I used it for years a gymnast and a gymnastics coach … Rifs Blog: How to tape your hands. (via Scott Bird’s excellent Straight to the Bar blog.) Share This ... more

Is there any sport that takes more time, money and effort than gymnastics? We’ve been at it for two days preparing for the Canadian Gymnastics Championships . Gym looks good. Our biggest problem was laying out the Rhythmic floors. They need a flat, smooth base below the carpet. But not concrete. We tried a number of different base layers before deciding on an interlocking plastic grid material. Keith Russell had a brilliant idea. Instead of using concrete blocks for anchor we... more

I know this sounds like heresy — but are minor injuries part of the learning process of children? If we keep kids completely cocooned in protective bubbles, will they appreciate greater potential risk? Do we need to shut down playgrounds? Consider the athletes you know. Some have had “dumb injuries”. Some have never had a major injury. Why? What are the least injured athletes doing right? Leave a comment if you have an opinion on this. Share This ... more

I especially like how they use a car as a gymnastics apparatus. Many of the free running / Parkour videos you see are dangerous. YouTube is the “Olympics” for reckless kids. But check this video featuring some of the best acrobats in the world including Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle . These guys are as physically prepared and technically trained as any gymnast. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube . Share This ... more