Karen Goeller, CSCS (Click for blog posts.)Karen Goeller on Late Night with Johnny P https://youtu.be/kVqM2HJQN5Q
Have you seen this interview yet? It’s always fun to visit Johnny P!!! This was her second interview on this show. She talked about her books, training, acting career, and battle with cancer.
Open Letter to USAG and USOC…
I’d love to be part of the team to help USAG regain public trust and respect as we take care of the athletes. I’m more than happy to relocate to IN or anywhere necessary and am not on any gymnastics club payroll. I have nothing to tie me down and I do not play favorites. I would hate to see USAG lose their position with the USOC.
I am still active in our sport, offering private training and writing articles and books. My background is very unique. I have over 40 years of experience in the sport as a gymnast, coach, club owner, writer, congress presenter, and industry member.
I was in the NYPD (resigned when I bought my gymnastics club.), have the NSCA-CSCS certification, spent 30 years as a business owner, and ten years as a gymnastics club owner. I also have extensive management, advertising, marketing, and computer experience.
I did the SafeSport and Heads Up Concussion certifications as soon as I saw the email for them because I knew the importance of those topics. I have spoken up and acted when I have seen and heard unsafe situations. I fired a coach from my club in the 1990’s because he was doing inappropriate things with the gymnasts such as allowing them to sit on his lap and tickling them. He was never alone with them and I did not allow it to escalate to that. He had two warnings to stop “playing” with the girls and then he was terminated. I also got a restraining order to keep him away from my gym. I have always taken athlete safety very seriously.
I went to law school (after my gym flooded and I lost everything) because I wanted to be a prosecutor. Back in the late 1980’s and 1990’s I was doing background checks on coaches who applied to work for me and I called EVERY previous job on their resumes. I have always looked out for the safety of athletes under my care. I want to help USAG do that too. Our athletes deserve that.
Please contact me to discuss how I can help USAG and USOC. I have references, client testimonials/letters, and a list of completed CEU’s on my resume. I’ll gladly send it via email or postal mail.
Here are some testimonials… https://karengoeller.wordpress.com/testmonials-for-karen-goellers-products-and-services/
Again, let me know how I can help…
Karen Goeller, CSCS 908-278-3756
http://www.KarenGoeller.com (Bio, Blog)
http://www.BestGymnasticsTraining.com (Private Gymnastics Training and Sports Conditioning)
http://www.amazon.com/author/karengoeller (My Fitness, Gymnastics, Sports, Health Books)
#usagymnastics #usoc #gymnastics #gymnast #athletes #usag #nassar #cscs #olympics
Gymnastics Consultant and Strength Coach in NJ…
How many of your clubs/teams have a CSCS to consult with? How many teams have 30% of athletes (3 of every 10) dealing with chronic pain or injuries? (Too many!)
Let me help you reduce the injuries, improve your athlete’s health, speed progress, and improve technique. I have over 30 years competitive coaching experience and I’m a CSCS. Many of you already know me.
I had a CSCS on my staff in the 1990’s and he helped tremendously. I had less than a 10% injury/chronic pain rate on my team. If I did that, you can too. Injury is not necessarily “part of the sport” if you take a pro-active role. I’d like to be part of your team whether it’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly…
I have helped gymnasts and coaches from many gyms in NJ, PA, NY, CT, WV, and other places in recent years. I have given presentations for the NSCA and USAG. My articles have been published in Technique Magazine and Cheer Coach & Advisor.
Please don’t wait for the injuries, frustration, or parental complaints to get worse!!! I am here for the gym owners, coaches, and athletes… Contact me at 908-278-3756
Competition season is around the corner. Strength, speed, power, flexibility can’t be developed overnight. And learning new gymnastics skills takes time.
It’s not like school where you can cram for a test last minute. With sports there is a SAFETY factor. It takes time to become prepared for gymnastics competition each season.
There is a learning and training process that must be completed for safe and enjoyable competition. Many drills, conditioning exercises, and skill repetitions must be performed long before the new gymnastics skill is used in a routine. And once in the gymnastics routine, the new skill or combination will still need to be refined. It will take time for the gymnast to comfortably perform the new gymnastics skill within the routine.
Do not wait until the last minute to call for help! Your gymnast’s safety will be at risk if you expect them to skip steps in the training process. If a gymnast is uncomfortable with a new skill they may lack focus. That lack of focus can easily lead to injuries, small and catastrophic.
Going from a new gymnastics skill to a competition-ready routine should be an enjoyable journey, not a season filled with fear, stress, and risk of injury.
Let me know how I can help your gymnast.
www.bestgymnasticstraining.com
www.bestsportsconditioning.com
#gymnastics #sports #training #gymnast #strength #usag #usaigc #ncaa #joga #highschool #newjersey
“If we all do something small, the impact will be big.” Karen Goeller
I figured the best way for me to help those in the path of the awful Texas hurricane is to offer part of my profits to a no kill animal shelter and other groups. It’s all done through ebay, so the charities get the percentage of profits promised on the product descriptions.
25% of profits going to Houston SPCA
Gymnastics Drills and Conditioning Book
http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/322699559814?roken=cUgayN&soutkn=auoDpn
25% of profits going to Greyhound Friends of NJ
Lymphedema: Sentenced to Life in Bed Book
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lymphedema-Sentenced-to-Life-in-Bed-Book-/322699519660?roken=cUgayN&soutkn=HqWZ4b
25% going to Greyhound Pets of America in Houston, Texas.
Legs Plus Workouts Book
http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/322694179461?roken=cUgayN&soutkn=uprmAK
25% of profits going to Friends for Life, no-kill animal shelter in Texas
Sports Lessons Learned Book
http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/322694204530?roken=cUgayN&soutkn=Vq1DHS
30% of Profits going to Red Cross to help with Texas.
Gymnastics Lessons Learned Book
http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/322694158842?roken=cUgayN&soutkn=ds3F57 …
My reaction to this situation… http://www.ketv.com/article/local-cheer-gyms-react-to-colorado-cheerleading-video/12092617
So sad… Many gymnastics and cheerleading coaches need more education on flexibility and conditioning…
I’ve seen a horrible gymnastics coach do this too. She was fired from one gym, but she is coaching gymnastics again in another gym. It IS ABUSE. If your child’s coach is manually stretching them to the point of tears remove them from that team immediately. There are plenty of good coaches to train with in this country. Your child does not need this physical damage or emotional trauma in their lives!
There IS a way to increase flexibility drastically without all of that pain and trauma. It is not always the muscle group that is tight. It is often the neurological system that will not allow more range of motion. It is literally locking up.
There are safe, effective ways to manually stretch to increase flexibility. I have done it countless times while keeping my athletes happy and healthy. If your daughter or her teammates need more flexibility I am happy to help them become more flexible without torturing them.
The gymnastics and cheer worlds need more people with the CSCS certification involved for conditioning. (Search online for NSCA CSCS to see what it is.) I am the ONLY CSCS in NJ with 30+ years of high level/competitive gymnastics experience. Yes, there are MANY wonderful coaches in NJ that I greatly admire and respect, but none with the sports science background. Let me know how I can help your daughter and her teammates, www.bestgymnasticstraining.com.
And if your team needs help, https://karengoeller.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/gymnastics-consultant-and-strength-coach-in-nj
#gymnastics #cheerleading #flexibility #stretching #sports #nj #training
Nice gifts for gymnasts and gymnastics coaches… Gymnastics Books.
Gymnastics Journal: My Goals, My Scores, My Dreams… http://a.co/bw2jaWm
The gymnast will write all about their gymnastics events, competitions, and goals in this amazing journal and save the memories forever. This is the only gymnastics journal your gymnast will need the entire gymnastic season. There are spaces for gymnastics competition scores, event goals, future goals, and much more. The gymnast will be encouraged to set goals for the near and distant future. Many gymnasts do not set goals until a coach or parent asks about goals. Gymnasts often need a simplified way of setting goals with a clear pattern of goal setting, goal achieving, exceeding the goals, and setting new ones. The gymnast using this gymnastics journal will see that many goals can be set and achieved in each gymnastics season. Every gymnast is capable of reaching success and every gymnast defines success differently. In this gymnastics journal the gymnast will be able to track their progress and goals from month to month and year to year. Keeping a gymnastics journal is a great way to set goals and preserve memories.
Gymnastics Lessons Learned: Life Lessons through Gymnastics… http://a.co/5HBX9q9
Gymnastics Lessons Learned: This is a collection of stories about gymnasts who learned valuable lessons through gymnastics. Most gymnasts here were the author’s own gymnasts. By reading these short gymnastics stories your child will learn new lessons, change their attitude, or possibly redirect their gymnastics career. The stories show the value of gymnastics lessons beyond the fun, gymnastics skills, and competitions. Gymnasts will enjoy reading this book and sharing the stories with their friends. Nice gift for any gymnast, gymnastics parent, or gymnastics coach.
Gymnastics Coloring Book… http://a.co/hE007Vp
This Gymnastics Coloring Book is a beautiful gift for any girl who loves gymnastics and coloring. The designs and quotes are unique and inspiring for the gymnast. The face and leotard have been left blank so that each person coloring can create their own gymnastics art.
Gymnastics Drills and Conditioning Book… www.GymnasticsDrills.com
Gymnastics Training Book: Gymnastics Drills and Conditioning Exercises… The gymnastics drills and conditioning exercises in this book will help speed the learning process. Every gymnast must master the gymnastics skills addressed in this drills and conditioning book. The topics include running, vaulting, dance, uneven bars, and press handstand. In the uneven bars section there are drills for the glide kip, cast handstand, and clear hip among other skills. In the dance section there are drills and conditioning exercises for the split leap, straddle jump, and other dance skills. First ed published in 2000. Simple format with stick figure illustrations. There are over 100 drills and conditioning exercises in this book.
BOOK REVIEWS…
Learning a new gymnastics skill takes time, sometimes ALOT of time.
by Karen Goeller, CSCS
It normally takes at least 6-12 months to get a skill. Unfortunately, some coaches and gymnasts think it should happen in a week. That is often impossible, depending upon the difficulty of the skill. Think about how long it took to learn a cartwheel. Gymnastics skills take coordination, strength, flexibility, speed, power, and the mental ability to think before and during the movement in order to complete it safely.
The science behind learning a new skill is more complicated than many realize. First the neurological system is involved. Literally the nervous system in the body is learning what it must do, learning the movement. That is why gymnastics drills for skills are necessary. And that is why coaches often spot skills and literally shape the gymnasts during movement. The mind and nerves must learn the sequence of movements to perform the skill.
After the neurological system is on board, with practice, the muscular system eventually starts to become conditioned for the movement. More spotting may be needed from the coaches until the gymnast has the strength, speed, power, or flexibility to perform the skill efficiently. Specific conditioning for the sport and drills for the skills are necessary.
Even after the neurological and muscular systems can perform their duties for the skill, the mind must be convinced that it is OK to try it. This psychological stage can be the longest. It is often when coaches and gymnasts become impatient with progress. Mental comfort with the skill is a big part of why repetition is necessary. The mind must be convinced that the gymnast can perform the skill safely. And it is the phase where confidence is built. Without the confidence, there can be lack of focus and injury.
I had a rule in my gym that a skill must be performed one thousand times before it is competed. That was usually enough time to go through all three stages of learning the skill. In my gym it took an average of 6-7 months to perform 1000 repetitions of the skill, 6 days a week, minimum of ten repetitions each day.
And then after the skill is learned, it still must be performed in a routine. That again, changes the mindset and ability to perform the skill efficiently. During routines the gymnast’s muscles and mind become tired and the skill once again becomes difficult. A gymnast must go through the three stages again for the routine. This time, muscle endurance becomes a factor in addition to the individual skill technique.
Sadly, some coaches and gymnasts do not realize the three steps it really takes to be able to perform a skill successfully and they rush to “get” the skill. This can cause unnecessary stress, fears, and often injuries. So be sure to condition specifically for the sport and skills, spend time doing drills, and take the small steps necessary (extra mats, spotting, low beams, etc). Go through the phases, plan for several months of training the skill, and successfully gain that skill. Take your time now, so it is not wasted later.
Let me know how I can help your gymnasts… I can come to your gym and help your gymnasts or you can send them to me for private training.
Karen Goeller, CSCS
Fitness, Sports, Gymnastics, Children’s, Coloring, Health Books by Karen Goeller…
Nice gifts! Print and Kindle versions on Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/author/karengoeller
Gymnastics Drills and Conditioning, Gymnastics Journals, Gymnastics Lessons Learned, Gymnastics Coloring, Handstand, Back Handspring, Fitness journals, Legs Plus, Swing Set Fitness, Lymphedema-Sentenced to Life in bed, and More.
I have a few openings this weekend… www.BestGymnasticsTraining.com
Is your daughter trying to learn a new skill? Does she need more strength or speed? Bring her in and I’ll help her reach her goals.
I train USAG, USAIGC, JOGA, YMCA and other competitive gymnasts. I also offer sports conditioning for cheerleading, swimming, boxing, tennis, golf, track, diving, skating, ballet, and more.
By Karen Goeller, CSCS
Our sport is dynamic, filled with movements that require precision, speed, strength, flexibility, and power. So, why am I seeing so many coaches instruct their gymnasts to hold stretches and strength exercises? In recent months I have heard and/seen coaches instructing their gymnasts to hold splits/over-splits for over 5 minutes, I have seen wall sits for over 5 minutes, and I have seen gymnasts holding medicine balls in a variety of positions that do not mimic the sport at all. Other than the handstand and arabesque on beam, there really are no hold skills in our female gymnast’s routines. (Men do have a few hold skills.) Imagine what you can do with the extra 4 minutes five days a week if you are not spending time holding positions that will not really help with performance. That’s an extra 20 minutes for stretching or conditioning each week, over an hour a month. It all adds up.
It is very important to only include exercises, drills, or skills that will be directly useful to your gymnasts for performance and injury prevention. Make sure you have a good reason for each item in their training program and you will see steady progress. You should be able to tell your gymnasts what each exercise is for in a simple 2-3 word answer. If you cannot tell them what the exercises, drills, or stretches are helping please rethink whether or not they should be in the training program. Make room for something more specific.
For example, rather than a 5 minute split you can use other flexibility exercises (active and passive) that more closely simulate the sport. Supine (lying) kicks will nicely complement your split work. Or if your gymnasts are serious enough about safety you can instruct them on a few partner stretches.
Supine Kicks: Instruct your gymnast to lie on their back. Once on the floor, instruct them to make sure they are straight then place their arms in a side-middle position, even with the shoulders. Once they look like the letter “t” on the floor, instruct your gymnasts to kick one leg toward the ceiling. Have them perform a series of kicks, each one getting a bit closer to their shoulder. Repeat the kicks with the other leg. After front kicks, simulate the side kick. Ask your gymnasts to keep their arms in the side middle position. Instruct them to kick towards their hand for a straddle/side kick. This will help with any straddle or side leaps in addition to any skill that requires that leg motion.
Another idea for increasing split flexibility without holding that position is the walking-in/out wall split. Wall Split: Instruct your gymnast to stand in front of a wall, back facing the wall. Next have them place their hands on the floor in front and then place one leg on the wall as high as possible. Your gymnast’s head will be near her supporting leg with her hands on the floor. Once your gymnast is almost in a split on the wall, instruct her to walk her hands in towards the wall and press into a split on the wall. She can walk in and out a few times, each time pressing closer into the wall.
In the 5 minutes that you were holding one exercise (split or over-split), you can now perform 3 exercises for even greater flexibility and better sport performance.
Let’s address the landing, conditioning. It is more specific than holding a Wall Sit. How do you substitute the never-ending wall sit? You can use general squats and sticking drills. Remember, gymnasts are not required to hold a squat position other than controlling a landing. They must be able to stop the force of landing for dismounts, jump for dance skills, and rebound during tumbling passes, three unique skills or techniques. That would actually require three different types of conditioning.
The Squat: Teach this exercise without weights first for proper technique. Instruct your gymnast to stand in front of a bench or very sturdy mat stack. Their back should be facing the bench or stack. Once in place, instruct your gymnast to safely hold light dumbbells. Next have her place her feet shoulder width apart. Instruct your gymnast to bend at her hips and knees until her thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Make sure her ankles, knees, and hips remain aligned as she lowers and rises from the squat. Do not encourage your gymnast to go lower than the parallel (thighs-floor) because she must be able to stop the force of a dismount between the ¼ and ½ squat positions in order to perform a controlled landing. There is a deduction for squatting too low on a landing among other deductions.
As most of you know, for a landing the force can be 10-13 times your gymnast’s body weight. Your gymnast MUST be able to safely stop that force. Your gymnast can simulate the landing and correct landing technique with simple sticking drills from a spotting block. In the 1970’s-1980’s it was very popular to teach sticking drills to beginner gymnasts on vault. (We should go back to that.)
Once the landing technique is correct, ankles, knees, hips in line, bending at hip and knees to evenly distribute the force (front / back of body) you can add weight. You can have your gymnasts perform a sticking drill (drop from a block) with light ankles weights secured on their waist. You may see a big difference in their landing technique with just 2-5lbs added to their body weight. Again, correct the technique.
And be sure you tell them the difference between landing a jump/leap on beam compared to landing from a tumbling pass on floor or from a vault. With jumps on beam and floor the buttocks can be tucked under to land, but when the force is greater, as in a vault or a dismount, the technique must simulate the squat exercise for safety. Tucking the buttocks under on a landing to reduce hip flexion actually adds to the force/stress on the quads, front of the legs which can cause knee pain and damage if done repeatedly. The safest landing is with the hip, knee, and ankle flexed enough to evenly distribute the force between the front and back of the body.
Remember, the sport is not filled with hold positions for female gymnasts. It is a dynamic sport. Be sure to include exercises and drills that will be most useful in sports performance. That will likely also lead to safer training and faster progress. And of course, variety helps reduce overuse injuries.
Let me know how I can help your program, 908-278-3756.
Karen Goeller, CSCS
Gymnastics coach 30+ years, former gymnastics club owner, currently a CSCS.
What’s Behind the Ability to Focus?
Focus is the key to success… But there’s more to it than just thinking about the skill or routine to be performed. What’s behind the ability to focus? Believe it or not, what an athlete does outside the gym is just as important as what they do inside the gym. An athlete’s hydration level, eating habits, sleep quality, and medications greatly effect a gymnast’s training as well as their performance at competitions.
Dehydration… Did you know that by the time you are thirsty you are already dehydrated? Gymnasts may suffer a loss of performance of up to 30% when dehydrated. As little as a 2% loss in fluid will negatively impact your athlete’s body, mind, training, and performance. Mild dehydration can cause confusion, irritability, constipation, drowsiness, fever, thirst. Mild to moderate dehydration symptoms include dry, sticky mouth, muscle weakness, stiff joints, headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, cramping, decreased urine, cool extremities, slow capillary refill, and sunken eyes. With moderate dehydration your gymnast may experience flushing, low endurance, rapid heart rates, elevated body temperatures, and rapid onset of fatigue. Severe dehydration is the loss of 10-15% of body fluids and is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical care. The signs and symptoms of severe dehydration include extreme thirst, irritability and confusion, very dry mouth, dry skin and mucous membranes, lack of sweating, little or no urination, any urine that is produced will be dark yellow, sunken eyes, shriveled and dry skin, rapid heartbeat, fever, coma, and even death.
Dehydration of any kind will not correct itself. It is imperative that your gymnasts drink enough fluid before, during, and after their workout. The good news is that mild to moderate dehydration can usually be reversed by drinking fluids. The bad news is that by the time your gymnast is moderately dehydrated they can lose focus. With a loss of focus your gymnast will be at risk of injury from an accident. The results can be severe to catastrophic. Some accidents and injuries could be avoided simply by drinking plenty of fluids.
Drinking during training is one thing, but if your gymnast has not had enough fluids throughout the day they will walk into the gym dehydrated and already be at risk of severe injury. As coaches, we must encourage our gymnasts to drink enough fluids before, during, and after training. How much fluid should they drink? It is recommended that your gymnast drink the number of ounces in fluid that is equal to half their body weight for each day of normal activities. For example, if your gymnast weighs 100 pounds, their hydration goal would be approximately 50 ounces per day. That is not the same as serious training time. Your gymnast would drink more during intense training. What should your gymnast drink? It is recommended that a sports drink be used for those exercising more than one hour. Athletes NEED the carbohydrates and electrolytes in these drinks to get through training safely. Pro athletes are on Gatorade for a reason, because it works and it is safe. Go to http://www.GSSIWeb.com for more information on hydration research. Don’t want to do Gatorade? Use coconut water!
Nutrition in relation performance. Without enough carbohydrates, your gymnast will not have the energy necessary to safely get through their workout or a competition. When there are not enough carbohydrates in the diet, the energy comes from protein. When your body is forced to use protein for energy, it gets that protein from the muscle. When the body is forced to use energy from muscle on a regular basis it is difficult to gain or maintain strength and muscle mass. The long distance runner is an example of someone whose body uses protein for energy. They have very little muscle mass. It is counterproductive for a gymnast to allow the body to use protein (muscle) for energy on a regular basis. Gymnasts need energy for training and strength to perform skills and routines. Lack of energy and strength will greatly effect the gymnast’s ability to focus. Lack of focus can result in catastrophic injury. There is not enough space here to completely discuss nutrition, but you can go to Dr Fred Bisci or Dr Joe Kasper’s websites to learn about nutrition.
And finally sleep… We all know how difficult it is to function when we are tired, especially if we did not sleep well for more than one night in a row. How can we expect our gymnasts to perform safely when they do not sleep well? We can’t. Imagine a gymnast learning a new skill or performing a full routine when they have not had enough sleep. Would you be comfortable performing a double back when you are chronically tired? It’s difficult for your gymnast to focus when they are tired and it is extremely dangerous. Your gymnast’s ability to focus and react is diminished when they are sleep deprived. Again, lack of focus can lead to an accident, a catastrophic one. It has been proven with driving tests that people who are tired drive as poorly as those who are under the influence of alcohol. They cannot react as well as those who are well rested. Did you know that it was National Driving While Drowsy Prevention Week in November 2010? That’s how much fatigue effects the ability to focus and react. About one in every six fatal auto accidents in the U.S. is due to driving while drowsy, according to a new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. I wonder how many gymnastics accidents are caused because the gymnast was tired due to poor sleeping habits. It is imperative that your gymnast is well rested and able to focus.
Keep in mind that when focus is lost, accidents can and will occur. As coaches we have the responsibility to discuss hydration, nutrition, sleep, and even medication side effects with the parents. It seems that many parents do not realize the direct relation between everyday life and performance during training and/or competition.
So I still say that FOCUS IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS, but more importantly, FOCUS IS THE KEY TO SAFETY. Without proper hydration, nutrition, and sleep our gymnasts will not be able to focus well, putting them at risk. I think we should call these risk factors – hydration, nutrition, and sleep – the SAFETY TRIO. It’s a quick and easy to remember phrase that I just named. The SAFETY TRIO is just as important as all of the drills and conditioning used to prepare our gymnasts for new skills, routines, and competition. Without all of these factors our athletes may be at risk of injury. Best of luck with your training and always keep safety in mind while training.
By Karen Goeller, CSCS
Gymnastics and Fitness Author
http://www.KarenGoeller.com
Click here for info on training with Karen in NJ.
Originally published in 2011 on http://www.GymnasticsStuff.com.
I cannot teach your level 8 daughter a yurchenko vault in an hour to compete at states in three days!
It takes years to develop the strength, flexibility, speed, and technique necessary for that vault. And it takes numerous drills and progressions to learn that vault. Originally only level 10 and elite gymnasts were allowed to perform that vault. When the vault changed to a table that rule was adjusted, but the risk still exists.
A level 8 gymnast AFRAID of the vault should NOT be asked to compete it at a state competition. Why would adults ruin a child’s day and have her literally risk her life for scores, especially at level 8? I learned she is already getting a 36AA score, very respectable. Let her perform the easier vault and enjoy the day!
This is NOT the Olympics. Let her enjoy her day at states rather than worrying, losing focus, being upset, and likely injuring herself. An injury is not a badge of honor, it’s painful, time consuming, stressful, inconvenient, and expensive.
People do not realize the risk in the sport because when they see the Olympics on tv those gymnasts make everything look easy. That’s the art of the sport, to make difficult skills LOOK easy. It takes an average ten years of non-stop, intense, appropriate training to get to level 10 and even more to get to elite.
Parents, you MUST appreciate the risk and stop pushing your kids to do things they are desperately afraid of just for a score or YOUR ego. You could literally kill your child by pushing them like that and I cannot be part of that.
I am available to help train your children and do have great success with my private clients, but will not do last minute teaching for a state meet. It is NOT the same as cramming for a final exam in school, there are real-life consequences to telling a kid they must perform a dangerous skill at a stressful competition. Injuries happen when focus is compromised by fear, lack of sleep, lack of energy, and dehydration.
As a parent you should encourage your kids, but you should NOT try to force them to compete skills that they cannot perform comfortably on their own for several months in advance. Remember, it is YOUR kids SAFETY at risk.
If they are afraid, there is a good reason and they need more time, drills, technique adjustments, and spotting in order to become comfortable with the skill. They also might need more sleep, water, and high quality carbs to stay focused. (Click here for article on focus.)
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