The high school gymnasts I coach, in a nutshell: No prior experience, hilariously awful at the basics, all ❤️, all determination, fast learners. Tons of fun.
Discussion
I really wish I'd taken gymnastics as a kid. I had a chance too, but shy 10 year old me said no. 10 year old me was kinda stupid. 😂
It's the best. All the most important life lessons that guide me as an adult were learned in gymnastics.
Our guys start as high school freshmen (~14yo) who can barely do a forward roll and then it's a race against time to see how far they can progress in their four-year high school career. The timing works out well for teenage boys. They almost never catch up to the level of fundamentals that the kids who started young attain, but it's an even playing field in terms of them maturing from boy strength to young man strength.
Did many years of it, busted semi-busted the knees, then did judo for years after. Then became lazy 🤣
Gymnastics as a teenager always felt like being superhuman. Going up a rope with just hands upside down was my favorite.
Yes, superhuman indeed! I didn't know you had that background! I wrote my college application essay on how Zen and sublime it feels to do a laid-out backflip.
The kid in the video is one of our senior captains. But he doesn't have a standing back because he's a PB specialist. We were like, "bro, you can't say you're a gymnast and not have a standing back!"
If I try any of that stuff today I will probably break in half 😂
There are a bunch of skills I could probably do **if my life depended on it** (and if I got like 3 tries) but that would be the END of my shoulders or knees or whatever.
But bouncy things from the trampoline into the pit? Wheee!!
I think the ratio of strength:weight:flexibility is gone for way too many years.
Yes, spin to pit will always be possible 😝