Two weeks ago I started this post, and people have really seemed to enjoy it. If you missed Part 1 (find it here) I covered some basics about breathing, some concepts related to core stability, and the influence of breathing on movement. In Part 2 (find it here) I talked about how breathing patterns can give a valuable look into […]
I’m always trying to wrap my head around ways to integrate current literature and science about injury prevention into gymnastics training. One of the areas I have spent a lot of time thinking on is growth and development tracking, and how it relates to injury risk in maturing young gymnasts. I think if we combine tracking growth […]
I’ve hinted at breathing in a lot of my previous posts, but it definitely deserves its own feature. People may not think breathing is a big deal, but I can assure you it is. Most athletes are unaware of their breathing patterns, except for maybe after a floor routine when they’re gasping for air. Periods of fatigue shouldn’t be the […]
A lot of people have asked me how concepts like pain science, motor control, and working with the naturally hypermobile athlete all tie together in terms of injury. Through the last few years I have dramatically changed my approach to both coaching and patient treatment based off of all these realms mixing together. I figured a […]
A few months ago I posted an article related to general hypermobility/instability causing shoulder pain in one of my level 9 gymnasts. I brought up some concepts that I think are very important related to flexibility training, dynamic stability, motor control, and the importance of technique in training. I’m happy to say that she is pain free for her shoulder […]
I had a great response from the post I put up a few weeks ago related to improving split mobility through one variation of the “Hip Performance Complex” I have been playing around with. I think this approach to changing movement and building it into skill performance can be really beneficial. I wanted to offer another […]
One of the biggest things I see is problematic in terms of performance and injury in gymnastics is when we focus so much on mobility, but then neglect the steps that should come after to change movement. These include drills to add dynamic control to the new range, and drills to re-patterning the skill that the mobility […]
A few months back, an article came out in Technique magazine about the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and it’s concepts. I think it was a great introduction, but I have been meaning to pitch in my two cents on why I feel using the FMS is important for gymnastics. In short, the FMS is a screening tool designed to quickly look […]
I’ve been touching on this concept a lot in the last year, and I think it’s very important for the people involved in gymnastics to consider. Gymnastics is well known as a sport that requires an excessive amount of mobility and flexibility (I used flexibility in the title as the gymnastics world recognizes this, but flexibility and mobility […]
I’ve been working on this piece for a while, trying to put together the different thoughts that have been buzzing in my brain for the last few years. Although I’m optimistic we can make a big dent in gymnastics injuries, unfortunately it is likely an inevitable part of gymnastics. Following the healing of an injury and […]
