Coaching Corner: Where Do You Find Inspiration

I love being a gymnastics coach. Coaching a JO optional team constantly provides me opportunities to be creative, new challenges to solve, and new opportunities to learn from a wide variety of professionals, my own children and their coaches in their respective sports.

I have been reminded of the importance of giving every athlete a voice while watching my daughter’s soccer practice. One of her incredible coaches who constantly praised both the failures “great try!” as well as the successes, was always asking the team, “What did you learn today? What are you going to improve upon for next time?” The girls quickly learned to take responsibility for their training and to speak up when they had an idea that would help the team get better. I also learned the power of my own voice as a coach: What I say, and the tone of voice that I use, can be a powerful tool for building confidence. (Or the opposite: One day my daughter told me through tears that her dance instructor reprimanded her group, saying that the other groups all learned the dance really quickly.) As a coach of high level athletes, I expect that everyone is giving their best effort, and need to remember that each athlete learns at her own pace. Sometimes skills come naturally, and other times things take longer to master.

When my son was in kindergarten, I listened to his (quite gifted) basketball coach talk to the team about the power of a positive attitude and the power of a team. In addition to adopting his positive attitude speech (and inviting him to come work with our gymnastics team) I realized that even though we may compete individually, gymnastics is also a team sport. No gymnast gets to where she wants to be solely on her own: It takes a team! Our Level 10s have a team of supportive teammates, coaches, physical therapists, doctors, nutritionists, mental performance coaches and choreographers all working towards a common goal.

I like to invite various professionals to do clinics with us over the summer. Not only do I pick up new drills and tricks, but the team always works a little bit harder for a clinician and has a lot of fun! Summer is also a great opportunity for us to get outside of our comfort zone, whether it be spending an afternoon learning (and then performing) hip hop with a professional dancer, working with a PT on exercises to protect our backs and knees, or practicing mental tips for staying on the beam with a former collegiate gymnast.

It’s also been helpful to steal those great Pilates and yoga moves from my own practice and take them back into the gym. I know they are effective when the feedback I get from super strong gymnasts is, “Wow, that is really hard!” My own instructors have taught me several things that gymnasts are not so good at (breathing correctly and landing softly being two of them) and I’ve been able to sneak in some exercises with the team to help with those rather critical actions.

I am so grateful for the community of professionals and athletes I have gotten to know through coaching. Together we can all improve and evolve with the sport of gymnastics.

By Courtney Angle Rodgers

Optional Team Coach, Gold Star Gymnastics - Sunnyvale, CA

Thoughts from the Chalk Bucket

In the past year, my life as a gymnast has showed me the importance of confidence. At the beginning of 2018, I was just recovering from a broken hand. When I found out about the fracture right before the start of my competitive season, I was devastated. The thing that worried me was the thought that the level 8 season I had just prepared for would not happen after all. However, I worked harder than I ever had and eventually, I earned most of my skills back. I started out competing just beam and floor, but I was soon able to compete all four events. I made it to the Regional Championships; though in my mind, my season did not meet up to my own expectations.

 After the competitive season, I vowed to try and regain all the skills I lost after my injury, along with more new skills for the the upcoming season. I felt that by achieving this goal, I would be guaranteed an outstanding season. While this may be true, the true key to an outstanding season is being confident in yourself and trusting that you are capable.

 In the end, while my summer training was successful and I am now able to compete level 9 in 2019, my prior hand injury left me with a lack of confidence. The words, “Can I really do it?” and “What if...” crept into my head more often than I wanted. I found myself questioning my every move and my abilities as a gymnast. As I conquered the battles of doubting how capable I am of doing certain skills, I have learned that this type of mentality will prevent you from reaching your full potential.

 Even though my bones have healed, my fears have not. I strive to overcome them in 2019 through positive self talk. When I walk through the doors of my gym, I want to tell myself positive phrases. Before I do a skill that I am particularly nervous about, I want to tell myself positive phrases. These phrases, like “you can do it” or “believe in yourself”, will put my mind into a optimistic and confident mindset.

 By Nadia Herrera-Set, Level 9 Gymnast, Accel Gymnastics, Burlingame, CA

Thoughts from Dr. Alyssa: Finishing the Season Strong

It’s the end of the winter/optional season and we are all hoping for a glorious ending to a season full of hard work. Gymnastics coaches are putting their heart and soul into building a successful culmination to a year’s worth of planning. But, as a physical therapist, I’m often tasked with helping gymnasts nurse their season-ending wounds after a year’s worth of pounding. 

My hope with this article is that I can share some ideas that will help your gymnasts finish the season strong. If the advice resonates with you, this would be a good article to print and save for years to come.

Now, I understand that every gym environment is unique. Requirements for number of routines per practice vary greatly. Some gyms are set up to accommodate soft landings for every event and some don’t have the luxury of that space and equipment. Although we all know that our athletes should get ample sleep, space and coach availability sometimes force practices to end quite late in the evening. And, while I hope that every gymnastics program takes into consideration the importance of prioritization (in short, a healthy balance between volume and intensity), I know that this is not always the case.   

It would take a huge leap of faith for any coach to read this article and start incorporating changes that alter an entire program, especially at the end of the season. So, my intention is to give advice that could apply to any gym right now at the end of this competition season. 

  1. Stay focused. And, this is more for the gymnast than the coach. It’s easy to lose focus on skills that you’ve been repeating all season long. When you first learn a skill, your mind is on and focused on the skill. Fortunately, with practice, you are able to perform the skill in a more relaxed way. However, you can’t let go too much. Many of these skills are hard and big. They deserve your attention - even when you have the well-deserved confidence of a whole season’s worth of repetition of the skill.

  2. Coaches, if you feel like short landings are cutting your seasons short - try to dedicate time to the reason why your gymnasts are landing short. As you know, the landing is just a result of the positioning of the skill that came before it. So, requiring a gymnast to repeat a poorly landed skill over and over without giving them a chance to fix everything that comes before the landing will almost surely end in foot/ankle pain and not much improvement in the landing. 

  3. Keep your gymnast’s mind and body fresh by replacing some repetitions with mental practice. Studies show that mental practice skills can have an equally positive effect on performance as actual physical practice of skills. So, at the end of season, if you want powerful, energetic, clean performances that don’t increase pain - opt for fewer full out routines over increasing the number of routines. More isn’t always better.

  4. Be careful of overstretching. I realize that many physical therapists don’t understand the flexibility needs of gymnastics and often try to deter gymnasts away from stretching as much as they do. I’m not saying not to stretch, I’m saying to avoid - partner stretching (because poor communication between partners leads to injuries), bouncing and pushing at end range (because this can actually backfire and cause more tightness), hanging out in an end range position for more than a minute (because it doesn’t add to the flexibility and could, in fact, decrease flexibility after the stretch is over). 

  5. Respect fatigue at the end of the practice. So many of the injuries that I see are from that one last turn a gymnast was trying to take. Accept that, some days, the gymnast is off. And, repeating that ‘off’ skill over and over at the end of practice until he/she gets it right may not be the best strategy that day.

I hope this advice can keep your gymnasts strong and healthy until the end of their season! If you have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

Alyssa Herrera-Set

Doctor of Physical Therapy, Board Certified Sports Clinical Specialist

Owner of On the Move Physical Therapy in Belmont, CA

Thoughts from the Chalk Bucket

In the past year, my life as a gymnast has showed me the importance of confidence. At the beginning of 2018, I was just recovering from a broken hand. When I found out about the fracture right before the start of my competitive season, I was devastated. The thing that worried me was the thought that the level 8 season I had just prepared for would not happen after all. However, I worked harder than I ever had and eventually, I earned most of my skills back. I started out competing just beam and floor, but I was soon able to compete all four events. I made it to the Regional Championships; though in my mind, my season did not meet up to my own expectations.

After the competitive season, I vowed to try and regain all the skills I lost after my injury, along with more new skills for the the upcoming season. I felt that by achieving this goal, I would be guaranteed an outstanding season. While this may be true, the true key to an outstanding season is being confident in yourself and trusting that you are capable.

In the end, while my summer training was successful and I am now able to compete level 9 in 2019, my prior hand injury left me with a lack of confidence. The words, “Can I really do it?” and “What if...” crept into my head more often than I wanted. I found myself questioning my every move and my abilities as a gymnast. As I conquered the battles of doubting how capable I am of doing certain skills, I have learned that this type of mentality will prevent you from reaching your full potential.

Even though my bones have healed, my fears have not. I strive to overcome them in 2019 through positive self talk. When I walk through the doors of my gym, I want to tell myself positive phrases. Before I do a skill that I am particularly nervous about, I want to tell myself positive phrases. These phrases, like “you can do it” or “believe in yourself”, will put my mind into a optimistic and confident mindset.

By Nadia Herrera-Set, Level 9 Gymnast, Accel Gymnastics, Burlingame, CA


From the Chalk Bucket: The Comeback is Always Stronger than the Setback

During the Summer of 2017, I noticed my left, middle finger had been causing mild pain during bars. But what I had not contemplated was that this could transition into a bigger problem in the near future. In the month of September, the swelling had increased tremendously and I finally visited the doctor. My doctor showed me my x-rays and I had a hairline fracture. I could not participate in physical activity for three weeks.

After my break, I regained most of my skills and was able to compete level 7. Yet my finger bothered me throughout season. I could barely work through a fifteen minute rotation of bars without pain. I pushed through it, competed Regionals, and took another appointment with the doctor. This time around the fracture in my finger was bigger. It took about two months for this small injury to heal and I was frustrated. Since I continued vigorous activity on the broken finger, the healing time was much longer. In retrospect, I realize that my health is more important than competing.

Once I returned to training, I decided that what was important was to regain my confidence and my skills. My coaches thought it was best for me to repeat level 7. At first, I was hesitant because I wanted to move up with my friends and thought it was embarrassing to repeat a level. But, I was persistent, trained hard, and the results showed.

Now, as I look back, I could not have asked for a better second year season. The 2018 season started out inconsistent, but with time and practice, I continued to improve. I upgraded my bar routine two times, which led to me becoming a Bars State Champion. I also achieved my goals of becoming an All-Around State and Regional Champion, and Vault Regional Champion. My setback was truly a blessing in disguise.

By Charvi Datt

Level 8 Gymnast, Pacific West Gymnastics - Union City, CA

Thoughts from Dr. Alyssa: To move, to breathe, to fly, to float...

When you spend your days learning how to powerfully flip, leap, and swing, it's easy to take for granted the importance of something as ordinary as breathing. Well, take in a deep breath, fully exhale, and find out how the simple act of deep breathing can improve your gymnastics - and your health!

Deep, expansive inhales and complete exhales can -

1. Decrease feelings of stress and anxiety by slowing down breath which keeps the brain in a relaxed state of mind

2. Decrease back pain by encouraging spinal mobility with every rib cage moving breath

3. Increase flexibility by improving circulation of oxygen to your muscles and by decreasing muscle tension

4. Ensuring readiness for the next practice by promoting muscle and mental recovery

5. Increase Mental Focus by giving you a chance to reconnect to your body

Tips for Breaths that Rejuvenate, Refresh, and Recover

  • Take full inhales that expand your chest and belly outward and sideways (avoid raising your shoulders)

  • Fully exhale. In fact, exhale longer than you inhale.

  • Try imagining that you are inhaling feelings of positivity and exhaling feelings of negativity

  • Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth

Take a few minutes to do these breathing exercises right before practice, before any challenging task, and while you’re processing your coach’s feedback.

Want to learn more? Send us an email and we'd be happy to elaborate!

To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,

To gain all while you give,

To roam the roads of lands remote,

To travel is to live.

-Hans Christian Anderson

By Alyssa Herrera-Set, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Pilates Teacher, and owner of On the Move Physical Therapy in Belmont, California

Strengthening Obliques and Core

- Lay on your side with fingertips to feet in a straight line

- Place one hand on your side

- Swing the top leg front and back (x10)

- Move the top leg up and down (x10)

- Placing the top foot on your bottom knee, bring the top foot on your bottom knee, bring the top knee up towards the ceiling and down in front of you (x10)

Point: Balancing by engaging all the muscles in the body

You should feel your glutes, outer hamstring, hips, and core muscles working .