Product Description
The official student companion to the U.S.G.F.'s "Sequential II" program, thesafest and most effective way to learn the basic gymnastic skills. A must forevery beginning gymnast. Photos, charts and drawings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good for Beginners
This is the prequel to the "I Can Do Gymnastics: Essential Skills for Intermediate Gymnasts". It has easier moves then that one, with diagrams and instructions to explain each move. This book also has a chapter about landing safely and includes procedures to practice. It has instructions for most of the apparatus, and it includes the difficulty levels which are A for the easiest, B for medium, and C for hardest. The book is clear and easily understood by beginers. It can also be used by gymnasts who are on the competitive level to improve their basic skills.

I'ts Okay!
This book was pretty good and showed me a lot of gymnastics moves, but I knew a lot of them from my gymanstics classes and all it had was a simple diagram showing you how to do a move with some instructions. In a way, it was kind of dumb. I liked it okay, but definitly do NOT read it if you are a gymnast higher then Level 3!

Very Basic
Very basic book nothing that the reader might learn, Pages like those posters on the Gym wall small diagrams with two words under that!

Good instructional book with pictures; good for parents too!
Excellent instructional book for children and interested parents. Book contains numerous sequenced pictures and are easily undestoon, ... Read more

Product Description
Gymnastics Fun and Games features ready-to-use games and activities to help elementary and middle school physical educators introduce noncompetitive gymnastics into the curriculum safely and effectively. This well-organized reference includes nearly 50 illustrations to guide physical educators in accurately recreating the activity with their students. It also features safety guidelines from the USA Gymnastics Safety Handbook.

Special features include:

• 13 warm-up and stretching games and activities that are also useful as cool-down exercises

• 26 skill-development activities that focus on jumping and landing, balances and poses, body awareness, and movement

• 12 conditioning and endurance activities for children in upper grades that improve strength, balance, and flexibility

• A handy Game Finder for quick reference to games and activities by name, number, location in the book, activity type, skill development, or suggested grade level and complexity

Gymnastics Fun and Games not only allows K-8 physical educators to take a developmentally appropriate approach to teaching noncompetitive gymnastics, but it also makes a great reference for gymnastics instructors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Lots of great games!
I thought this book was very helpful in finding ways to liven up my classes with my younger students.Everyone knows it's not easy to come up with something new and fun to do and this is a great book that helps with just that.It's got games for kids in kindergarten up to grade school and has helpful hints on safety for your kids.It's also got a chart that helps with finding the best games for different levels of experience for each youngster.I'd say that it is a fun book and a great find.I think it is well worth the price I bought it for. ... Read more

Product Description
Gymnastics drills and conditioning for the Walkover, Limber, and Back Handspring. These drills were used to produce several successful gymnasts. The drills included in this book break down the skills into easy to understand body positions and movements. There are some drills that should help those gymnasts not yet confident enough to reach back to a bridge from standing, while other drills train the muscles necessary to perform these movements with ease. Many of the drills and exercises can be used for flexibility training with more advanced gymnasts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I am a coach
Her books have a lot of the same things in them....so if I wouldve known that I couldve saved myself some money...but they are helpful books but kind of not what I was looking for..it will be great for other coaches..now this book was great I bought all her books and so instead of writing on each one something different I just chose to use the same info just change if i like this book or not.. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I regret purchasing this book
David Porter's "Winning Gymnastics for Girls" promises a lot in its title, however it is short of delivering real value.

After reading the book I had the impression that the author, other than a lot of enthusiasm for the sport, had rather limited direct experience with gymnastics. I found the book too detailed for more advanced gymnasts (also well short on more advances techniques) and not detailed enough for beginners. I also had the impression that he tries to cover all areas however remained short on explanation/advise in almost all areas (too thin). In some parts the book resembles more a brain storm session (by quickly, inadequately describing a technique, that is not even needed) than a coaching aid or advise for young gymnasts.

The book had only a few tips and ideas that I found useful.

I therefore suggest - if you are an athlete, coach or parent - to pick one of the other books on gymnastics as this is unlikely to deliver what you are really looking for.

The difficulty in general is that purchasing books on the internet gives you in general, insufficient information on what to really expect, and misleading titles, as well as one single review (or sometimes none) may move you to make the wrong choice.

Fabulous new gymnastics book!
Lately, there haven't been many instructional guides published about gymnastics, so when I saw this at the bookstore, I got really excited and bought myself a copy right away. And I've got to say that it's money well spent! This is a great book for gymnastics, especially beginning ones, and will definitely help spark a love and dedication to gymnastics.

The book starts off with a brief introduction and a history of gymnastics. Then, there's a chapter on starting gymnastics with helpful hints on what to look for in a gymnastics club, choosing the right club, what to wear, the type of equipment in a typical club, and much more. An advantage is that this book also offers a chapter on safety, with tips on spotting, landing, and falling, along with helping to prevent yourself from injury.

The instructional portion of this book covers a very nice chapter on conditioning, along with basic skills on tumbling, floor excercise, balance beam, vault, and uneven bars. Black and white instructional photographs are included for most skills, but I wish that they were a bit more detailed and that there was more of them.

Plus, the book also has sections on competing in gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, cheerleading, parent and tot programs, a glossary, gymnastics resources, and further reading. It would be a very helpful book for beginners who want to get far and have fun in gymnastics, along with intermediate and advanced gymnastics too. ... Read more

Product Description
• Identify the qualities that are essential for a safe and appropriate sport, gymnastics, or dance program.

• Assess teachers and coaches to identify qualified instructors.

• Evaluate program guidelines to determine what constitutes a safe and comprehensive program.

Millions of young people participate in school- and community-based physical activity and sport programs. Most parents support their children’s involvement in these programs because the programs promote physical fitness, development of motor skills, self-confidence, social skills, and a physically active lifestyle. In fact, parents are increasingly supporting their children’s participation in these activities at younger and younger ages.

But children are not small adults; they have special needs for safe progression and participation. This publication can guide parents in their search for safe and appropriate activity or sport programs and assist coaches and leaders who want to offer developmentally appropriate activities.

Team Sports, Gymnastics, and Dance in Community Settings: A Guide for Teachers, Coaches, and Parents is the guidebook that every parent, coach, teacher, and administrator needs to read to select or assess a program in which their child is enrolled.

For parents seeking a dance, gymnastics, or team sport program, the guide describes appropriate practices and content for teaching preschoolers through high school students. The guide examines key factors for selecting a program as well as criteria for assessing teachers and coaches. The book provides valuable information and tips so that you can make informed decisions about choosing the program that is right for your child. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Team Sports, Gymnastics, and Dance in Community Settings: A Guide for Teachers, Coaches, and Parents
Being a head coach for the last 5 years, I thought this book may give some insight on any matters that I may have missed.This book is definately a good one if you are just starting out. ... Read more

Product Description
A must-read for every gymnast coach parent or fan this book offers solutions to the mental and physical challenges gymnasts face in training in competing and in integrating the sport into their lifestyles. Included are tips from champions strategies for approaching the apparatus and exercises for self-assessment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Sport Psychology Library: Gymnastics
This is a great book for gymnasts and parents of gymnasts, whether they have just started in the sport or have been competing for a long time. I got it especially for the chapter on dealing with the coaches. I am a seasoned parent with two teenage daughters competing as level 9s. Gymnastics is a great sport filled with many advantages but it is also a very demanding sport and as a parent I struggle with the long practice hours, risk involved (one of my daughters is having surgery this week for a gymnatics related injury) and the tactics of the coaches. This book helped me prepare a letter I wrote to the coach. It also has chapters that are helpful to the athletes regarding the psychology of the sport. I definitely recommend it!

sports psychology library --- gymnastics
It was very helpful to me because it gave me tips on how to improve with mental skills.It gives tips on how to prepare yourself before a competition and be mentally strong.
Very good book -- I would recommend it to other gymnast.

Useful Information
This book is short and easy to locate the needed information.However, I was using the material for a younger child (under 12) and some of the suggested activities were too difficult to implement for a younger child.Because of the organization of the book it made it easy to locate exactly what information was needed.Many simple steps and explanations on various methods in overcoming mental blocks.These methods could be used not only for sports issues, but for issues individuals deal with on a daily basis.Apropriate for older children or adults and well worth the inexpensive cost.

I'll give this book a 10 for being so imformative and useful
Whether you're a competitive gymnast on the club level or a collegiate gymnast, or even just a beginner, you will benifit from this marvelous book. It was written by two former gymnasts, Peter Vidmar and Karen Cogan, who also happens to be a sport psychologist. It will help you improve on your performance by learning how to play the mental game of gymnastics and gives you many strategies to practice and to use to make yourself an even better gymnast that you were before.

This book gives you an instruction of the mental side of gymnastics, and then goes on to give tips about relaxation and energization strategies, positive thinking, mental imagery, developing focus and concentration, and goal setting to get where you want to be. The book then goes on to give individual chapters to each apparatus, highlighting the type of skills needed, mental skills that will help you on that apparatus, and other useful tips. But that's not all- you'll also get information on overcoming mental blocks and fear, dealing with fans, pressure, and fame, keeping the fun in gymnastics, body image and eating disorders, parents and coaches, and much more. This book is a much-needed look at how you can use mental skills to become the best gymnast that you can possibly be.

Sport Psychology Library: Gymnastics
A terrific book for any gymnast that has fears, anxiety, or any thing like that. Peter Vidmar and Karen Cogan have done a beautiful job writing this book. I have visited Karen Cogan 4 times for my own fears in Gymnastics and she recommended this book. It was great! It really helped me in my gymnastics, and now, I finally have a series on beam! I highly recommend this book to all gymnasts and coaches! ... Read more

Product Description
Jenny had it all.She was cute.She was smart.She was one of the top gymnasts in Europe.Life should have been perfect.But it wasn't.The kids at school teased her and her best friend started hanging out with the class witch.On top of it all, her mom seemed just a bit too involved in her life. When tragedy strikes, Jenny has a choice - let her world destroy her or learn to stand on her own.Reading Level: 3.5Ages: 8-12 ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first book that explains why assisting is valuable, how spotting can be developed methodically and what children spotting is supposed to look like. Spotting and securing are two essential safety constituents when it comes to teaching and training gymnastics. "Teaching Children's Gymnastics" takes a close look at what spotting and securing really means and how they must be done. It is a new, revolutionary teaching idea which gets even the youngest children to learn how to spot each other safely. Containing step-by-step instructions for teaching children to spot each other, as well as hundreds of examples and suggestions for interactive and spotting gymnastic exercises, "Teaching Children's Gymnastics" is an invaluable resource for all teachers, coaches, adventure playground leaders and others who work with children. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not a good coaching tool
The title of this book is somewhat misleading. I ordered this book hoping to find lots of new ideas and methods - unfortunately I found very few. The majority of the book is filled with ways for kids to spot other kids. Ninety-nine percent of the material in the book would not fly in the USA! While kids CAN learn to spot each other, we cannot, as adults, trust that they are going to be as careful or capable as an adult 100% of the time. Not only is there the potential for injury (which is awful, no matter how it happens), but if a child was injured while ANOTHER CHILD was spotting them (not a coach), it would cause great problems with insurance and possibly in court.

Not only that, but the book is rather outdated, using equipment no longer present in today's gyms (or that you would even want in your gym - like wooden boxes!) Contributing to that, I believe,is that this book was originally published in Germany. I imagine that shortly after the cold war (around the time it was published), gymnastics institutes may not have been receiving the funding needed to keep their equipment up to date.

The few exercises I did find in this book I use only on occasion, as trust-building exercises. I would not recommend this book, especially if you are a young or new coach wanting to learn more about coaching.

Excellent illustrations and step-by-step guidelines!
This book is very thorough and has excellent diagrams and photos to help in following the step-by-step instructions.Even young children can get involved and learn how to spot each other if the suggestions given in this book are followed.Gymnastics needs to be a safe activity for children, but it also has to be fun -- this book is helpful for any teacher or coach in achieving both those goals.A very practical and helpful manual. Recommended.

Not for new coaches
I was very disappointed.This book is very confusing, and not a good guide for beginning coaches. ... Read more

Product Description
"Gymnastics Drills and Conditioning for the Handstand" should be extremely helpful for beginner gymnasts just learning the handstand. It should also be useful for the more advanced gymnasts in need of a friendly reminder on how to remain tight while performing skills involving or passing through the handstand. These drills are a necessity for all gymnasts because the handstand is the most important skill in gymnastics! Topics: Specific Conditioning, Body Tightness, Handstand Shape, Keeping the Handstand Shape in Motion, and Planche Work. ... Read more

Product Description
A young gymnast demonstrates basic tumbling skills which she combines into routines to perform in competition. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduces the basics of girls' gymnastics, including step-by-step instructions in the vault, floor exercise, uneven parallel bars, and the balance beam; tips on training and conditioning; and information about meets and competition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great book
this is a great book! the first time i read this book i was really happy because they give excellent diagrams and tips on how to do the trick well but safely.they even have a part about rhythmic gymnastics.so when i went to my gymnastics classes, i could already do the tricks that we were supposed to learn that day. i recommend this book to gymnasts level 3 and under. ... Read more

Product Description

The true story of the 1986 U.S. National Gymnastics champion whose lifelong dream was to compete in the Olympics, until anorexia, injuries, and coaching abuses nearly destroyed her

Customer Reviews (44)

Don't waste a penny on this drivel
This is a story of a spoiled brat who got everything she wanted, yet she wanted to blame everyone around her for her problems.This may be her story, but it is laced with perceptions and feelings that did not necessarily happen.She was obsessed with her weight when she was around 7 years old.Everything that she blames those around her in her life for doing, she did to herself.

She was never a very good gymnast and was lucky that the Nationals in 1986 was underattended.Also, she was lucky that many of the 1988 Olympians were juniors at the time she won this Nationals.

If you want to read about her taking laxatives and her messing her pants, this book is for you.But she should not be rewarded by someone paying for this ridiculous diatribe.

I'm still reading... Two years later, lol!
I don't think this is the worst book ever, but the fact that I've not finished it in almost TWO years says a lot about the book!

Passion, Skill, Brains and Balls
Thank you Jennifer Sey for finally saying what all of us knew but wouldn't say. The book doesn't lie. I was an Elite gymnast in the 80's and I know this book is true. I lived with my coach away from home and trained with some of the top Elites and Olympians in the country. I experienced the abuse (the word I would use for it) depicted in the book on a regular basis and witnessed many other girls experiencing the same. I did know that coaches threw things - mine did. I did know that coaches were verbally and physically abusive - mine was. I did know that some men who had never participated in the sport took up coaching to prey on young girls, trying to gain a sense of purpose and power - mine did. I did know that girls were told to lose weight by any means possible - and did. I also knew that nobody in my circle was aware enough, brave enough or cared enough to say it needed to stop. If the system was questioned, it was done in whispers, so as not to upset any possibility of reaching the ultimate goal...winning.

When I read the book description, I thought it might be an interesting read. What it ended up being was a no-holds-barred, cathartic journey, providing me with insight that no therapist could ever match. Sey's unabashedly raw and honest writing ripped open old wounds and gave a picture of what it looks like to heal. It takes truth to heal. Because she allows herself to be vulnerable yet still maintain the strength to write the actuality of what happened, we get a complete picture of her journey. I started crying in empathy when I read about the pain and anguish, and I ended weeping with the beauty of it all: the beauty of her life, her husband, her two boys, her career, her mended relationship with her parents. Those things only came about through the process of truth.

I was ready for this book. I am forty-four years old. While reading Chalked Up, I reached back into the depths of what drove me as a child and compared that to what drives me now as a woman, thirty years later. I am glad Jennifer Sey was that great a gymnast and did work that insanely hard because it gives her the extra clout needed to tell this story. Clearly, it takes the kind of passion, skill, brains and balls that got her ahead in gymnastics to write books like this one. Please keep them coming. I will be looking for them.

Awesome book!
This was a fantastic book, very well written and very honest. Loved every bit of it, could not put it down.

Sad, but true.
Loved it. Sadly, it speaks true of the sport even today...not all coaches treat their gymnasts this way, of course. Coaches want it even more than the girls do sometimes...the better their gymnasts are=more $$$$$$ for them and their programs. It was very sad to read about all of Jennifers injuries, most of which could have been prevented if given proper time to heal from her previous ones...being forced into competition while severely injured ruined her Olympic dream. ... Read more

Product Description
A revised edition of the ex-Olympic gymnast's book on women's gymnastics. It explains basic skills to be learned by young gymnasts under the safe guidance of their teacher or coach. It also details acrobatic and linking movements for floor routines, beamwork and essential vaulting techniques. ... Read more

Product Description
This illustrated study is a volume in the "World of Sport" series which aims to look at all aspects of the world's major sports, offering useful coaching and training tips and recommending the correct clothing and equipment to use. This book discusses gymnastics, looking at its history and explaining how two schools of thought were combined to form the modern Olympic and artistic gymnastics. It covers the apparatus, explaining the moves performed on each piece and what skills the judges are looking for in competitive gymnastics. The study also covers two relatively new forms of gymnastics - sports acrobatics and rhythmic gymnastics and offers tips to aspiring young gymnasts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

INFO...
Educational gymnastics forms an important part of the physical education programm in schools, encouraging children to develop skills and confidence according to their individual abilities. This carefully revised edition of themes for educational gymnastics provides material which teachers can use either as detailed lesson plans or a series of starting points from which to expand their own ideas. Examples of themes explored include transference of weight, flight, twisting and turning, changes of speed and partner work. There is a special section of themes for primary schools. ... Read more

Product Description
How did Kerri Strug go from Olympic hopeful to Olympic champion? How does Dominique Moceanu spend a typical day? This thorough, fun-to-read book answers those questions and many more.You'll learn the ins and outs of the equipment and events, find out how scoring is done, read about the history of the sport, and lots more!Dan Gutman's insider look at gymnastics has been fully updated to include the 1996 Olympics and is sure to enthrall aspiring gymnasts and devoted fans alike.A glossary, a chronology, and an entertaining chapter of gymnastics trivia round out this easily read, timely overview of a popular sport.-- BooklistDan Gutman is the author of many books for children, including Ice Skating, Taking Flight: My Story by Vicky Van Meter, and World Series Classics. He lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

great!
This was the first gymnastics book I owned and I loved it. Great for any new fan to the sport of gymnastics. Informational and educational with interesting stories. especially if you are a fan of '90's gymnastics.

Pretty Good Book
This was an okay book, though it probably could have been better. The book includes a history of the sport, its first superstars, the gymnastics events, judging and scoring, a day in the life of a gymnast, superstars of the 1990s, a chapter about the dangers of the sport, (more on that later) a timeline of important gymnastics dates, and trivia and facts. The book is a little dated and could use some updating, and the chapter that dissapointed me a lot was the chapter about "the price of success". Dan Gutman fails to mention that these things don't happen in every sport. He also fails to point out that he is talking about the ELITE level of gymnastics. Anyone who has read "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes" will see that Gutman's source for the ENTIRE chapter was based upon that book! Dan Gutmnan used the same exact information just with different wording! That chapter clearly does not fit in with the rest of the book, which says nothing of the dark side of these sports. If you want to buy this book, I would say save your money and buy a different book- this one isn't the best.

wow amazing!
wow I thought the book thoughlly explained
this graceful and dynamic sport> I recommend this
book to any fan or gymnast.Some people may not agree
with my comments or rating but hey, thats
there opoinion!I am a competitive gymnast and that is
probably why I enjoyed the book so much!

Gymnastics: The Trials, The Triumphs, The Truth
I thought that the book was excellent! It was very well written and it covered a lot of important and interesting things. I would've rated this book at 5 star, but I heard that in a short story about a girl that died because her head slammed into the vault and her neck snapped, then she went into a coma and died, the author didn't mention that when she was in the hospitol her air tube came out and they couldn't put it back in, and that's what made her go into a coma ( and as a result die) that made me angry because I expect the REAL facts when I read a book.

Not the best book on gymnastics....
Well, when I think about it, this book did have some good points.It mentioned things like which gymnasts were hopefuls for the Atlanta Olympics, and which gymnasts have had moves named after them.But there were also a lot of things that the author left out or got innacturate sources on.By 1994, Shannon Miller and Amy Chow both had moves named after them,(Amy had 2), and there was no mention of it.The gymnasts that were World and National Championsgot the most attention, and the information was either outdated -- something that I read and thought "Everyone knows that", or just slightly off.I was also not impressed with the section that resembled "Little Girls In Pretty Boxes" by Joan Ryan.If the author was going to criticize the sport, I feel that he could have at least found his ownsources and wording todo so.I felt it was unfair to the sport of gymnastics that the author had to devote a whole chapter to the eating disorders and life- threatening injuries of the sport, which made it seem like it happens to everyone in gymnastics.Before writing this book, the author should have considered the fact that a lot of the content could give gymnastics a bad image.... He also could have checked his records to give the reader accurate information, and included facts about the gymnasts that gymnastics fans didn't actually know about before reading the book.Overall, I'd be fair and give this book 2 stars because there was some positively interesting and original information..... but not much. ... Read more

Product Description
The story of the winningest women's college coach in history ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Perfect 10
Loved this book!Suzanne Yoculan is so inspiring, especially to any woman pursuing a dream.It is no wonder her teams were so successful - she is a great motivator and astute business woman.

Perfect 10 is a great read!
This book is a hit with gymnists and parents because of the insightful information about the GymDogs and college gymnastics.It's a must read.

a must read for coaches
I enjoyed this book not because I am a former bulldog but because of the inspiration and ideas it gave me as the coach of high level athletes.My college bound high school gymnasts seemed to be missing something that I just couldn't put my finger on.Suzanne's experience and suggestions of how to train both the body and mind of gymnasts as they enter into adulthood was just the inspiration and insight I was looking for.
Go Dawgs! ... Read more