Monday, January 7, 2013

The ABC's of the Gym

A is for Athlete. Gymnastics is the root of all sports. The strength and muscle memory you build can be carried over into every other sporting event.

B is for Balance. Gymnasts have a way of making even the smallest of movements look easy. The truth is it takes years to master the balance needed to prefect those tiny skills.

C is for Cartwheel. Of of the most basic skills. Seems so simple, but there's 4 things going on at once. That's why kids have to practice them A LOT!



D is for Dismount. It's the last thing the judges see and it's important to nail it. Our littlest gymnasts know it better as TA-DA.

E is for Elite. When you dedicate yourself to long hours in the gym you stand apart from everyone else.

F is for Flip. The ultimate show off skill to all your friends.



G is for Grace. Knowing how to hold yourself, present yourself, and even knowing how to correctly fall. It's not natural, it's a learned skill.

H is for Hurdle. This is the skill right before a round off. It's the power behind the skill.

I is for Iron Cross. It's the ultimate skill for men on the rings.



J is for Jump. Believe it or not, but there is a correct way to jump! Seems like a no brainer, but there are different types of jumps that use different muscles.

K is for Kip. The kip is an important skill that is used as both a mount and an element or connecting skill in a bar routine.

L is for Leotard. It's important to be properly dressed.



M is for Meet. Whether your at a sanctioned meet or a fun meet performing in front of judges can cause a case of the jitters.

N is for Never give up. There's no such thing as I can't.

O is for Obstacles. There will always be obstacles in life. How you overcome them is what makes you strong.

P is for Practice. Practice make permanent so practice like you are performing.

Q is for Quick. When doing all those skills you have to make sure you quickly spot where your gonna land.

R is for Run. Essential for building power.

S is for Stick it. Here's that dismount skill again. It's a difficult thing to stop all your movement in one small moment.



T is for Tumble. The very first tumbling skill is the forward roll. It's the building block of skills to come.

U is for Uneven Bars. The women's apparatus in which the bars are different levels of height.

V is for Vault. To run full speed at a stationary object and skillfully vault over without crashing into it!



W is for Warm up. It's important to properly warm up before doing any sport to prevent injury.

X is for X marks the spot. The dismount skill is so important it's made the list for a third time.

Y is for Yes. The exclamation you make when you stick it.

Z is for Zone. An athlete's focus.