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5 Reasons Why Training Proper Breathing Is Key (Part 1)

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…
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Follow Up To Gymnast with Shoulder Instability and Pain During Overshoots, Plus Shoulder Performance Drills

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,…
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Improving Overhead Mobility and Transferring It To Handstands : “Overhead Shoulder Performance Complex” Example

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…
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Improving Split Mobility and Transferring It To Beam: “Performance Complex” Hip Example

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…
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Thoughts on Why To Use The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) In Gymnastics

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…
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How Much Flexibility Is Too Much For A Gymnast?

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…
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3 Reasons Why A Gradual Return To Gymnastics Following Injury Is Key: Pain Science, Tissue Adaptation, and Psychology

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…
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Are Gymnasts Being Limited By Strength & Conditioning That Isn’t Individualized Enough?

If any readers had a similar up bringing in gymnastics to me, strength and conditioning was of course a staple in training. Come strength time you were given an assignment that was the same level of difficulty say 3 sets of 10 pull ups, dips,…
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Are Dips and “Skin The Cat” Type Stretches Dangerous For Female Gymnasts?

I've been brewing on this topic for over a year now, originally sparked one of Eric Cressey's articles on the possible dangers of using dips with baseball players.  Reading that article and some other literature made me start to scratch…
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Screening Overhead Mobility in Gymnasts (Application of The JBJ Approach To Handstands Pt 3)

Last month I started writing about how I apply the Joint by Joint Theory proposed by Gray Cook/Mike Boyle into a basic gymnastics movement, the handstand. In Part I of this article series I went over some background info, and talked about the…