Soviet v. Western Coaching

Here’s an interesting research article that I came across while conducting a literature review. This article is from 1991 and compares Soviet training practices to that of Western (in this case, the UK) training practices in the acquisition of gymnastics skills.

Here’s the reference:

Golby, J. and P. Hope. Effects of “Soviet” and Western coaching methodologies on the acquisition of gymnastics skills. Perceptual & Motor Skills 72 (1): 348-350, 1991.

Abstract:

18 young female gymnasts were randomly allocated to three treatment conditions. One group was exposed to a training regimen typical of that used by Soviet coaches, a second group was trained using a method characteristically encountered in the UK and a control group attended recreational gymnastics classes. Performance on the “core” skills of handstand, round-off, basic-swing, and chin-circle was recorded after 5 and 10 wk. Results demonstrated the overwhelming pre-eminence of the “Soviet” approach.

(I will try to track down this article and post it.)

Progressions for Giants

Here are some good progressions for giants as shown by Enrique Trabanino from Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy. He is the narrator. Here’s a link to his website: www.etgymcoaching.com. On his site, you can find a list of skill progression and conditioning DVD’s that he has made for his lectures that are available for purchase.

Kip Tutorials

Here are a few kip training tutorials that I found on YouTube. Good stuff – so check these out.