Crucial Coaching Secrets from Miss Val and Nick Ruddock
If you follow the world of gymnastics, you know that Valorie Kondos Field and Nick Ruddock are absolute icons in our sport. 'Miss Val', as she is more commonly known, is the head coach of UCLA Gymnastics and recently won the NCAA Championship…
Why I Wrote My New Book, Achilles Tears and Tips to Change Gymnastics Culture – New Interview With the Routine Podcast
Hey everyone! Last month I was very thankful for the opportunity to be interviewed on The Routine Podcast with their hosts, Dianna and Chelcie. Originally, this podcast was going to center around the high rate of Achilles tears in collegiate/elite…
Is It Possible to Produce High Level Gymnasts Without Sacrificing Health?
I'm going to flat out say it, that this is the question of the year for gymnastics. Every single person in the sport of gymnastics is grappling with this. Coaches, medical providers, gymnasts, parents, and outside spectators. In the last year…
The Exact Drills I Use to Increase Overhead Shoulder Flexibility
Just like many readers, I work with a lot of gymnasts both on our team and at Champion who struggle with limited overhead flexibility. It can be frustrating for the gymnast due to a lack of progress in skills, and I often see it as a factor…
An Essential Hip Strength Exercise All Gymnasts Need – Weighted Single Leg Hip Lifts
During the months of June and July, most gyms are going pretty hard on new strength programs to build strength and power needed for new skills. I'm in the same boat, doing quite a bit of progressive strength work in the gym and also with all…
Watch How I Perform Gymnastics Movement Screens : Video and Download Sheet
One of the most crucial things to do following the competitive gymnastics season (after the appropriate rest/recovery takes place) is in-depth screening. This includes a lot of different components, but most importantly injury screening, movement…
New Podcast with Nick Ruddock on Gymnastics Culture
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of welcoming my good buddy Nick Ruddock to come spend a few days in Boston with me. While in town, he hung out for a day at Champion PT to watch some of our gymnastics rehab programs. He also spent some time…
Changing Gymnastics Culture : It’s Time to Have Some Really Hard Conversations
Before I dive into the background and why I wrote this book, if you are just looking for the download form you can find it here. As I will explain, it is 100% free and I am only asking for email/name verification in an effort to maintain website…
The 5 Biggest Mistakes People Make Returning to Training After a Shoulder Injury
I hope everyone is having a great week! Yesterday, my good friend and mentor Mike Reinold published a guest post that myself and another good friend of mine, Dan Pope, wrote for his website. In this article, we cover 5 of the biggest mistakes…
Band “U” with Overhead Press for Upper Back Strength
I know the last few weeks on the blog have been pretty dense, and more on the advice side than actual training tips. To bring things back, today I wanted to share a very short post on one of my favorite upper back strength exercises, the "U"…