Customer Reviews

Gymnastics Pad Drills - Pad Drills No. 1 [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This video does an excellent job demonstrating helpful exercises that will build muscle and increase flexibility. The importantance of a strong and limber body are emphasized as that is a key factor in being a good tumbler. Technical aspects are clearly broken down to ensure that the viewer learns and masters the skills. As the coach of a competitive gymnastics team, I find this video a fantastic way to teach my beginning gymnasts. It can also be easily used at home. Anyone interested in learning gymnastics should consider purchasing this video!

The only other reviewer for this tape (thus far) made two comments regarding this video tape that I HIGHLY disagree with. First (and a coach should know better than this, tsk, tsk), this is NOT a tape that you should use at home as it has a lot of skills that require the gymnast to be in positions that could cause serious injury if the gymnast does not have adequate mats. Unless you are willing to buy your gymnast the same high quality mats found at his/her gymnastics club, don't count on using this video at home. For example, many of the exercises in this EXCELLENT tape require a great deal of strength. This is where I also disagree with the previous user, in that this tape is not appropriate for beginners. SOME of the tape would help beginners with flexibility (such as straight sitting, tuck and rocking, straddle sits, and even bridges), but many of the drills are geared for either incredibly flexible and strong advanced beginners or gymnasts who are either pre-team or already at team level. Examples of these drills include making a bridge and walking your hands to your feet, then vice-versa, doing kangaroo hop hand-stands (where your hands hop off the ground while your legs are going up), Yogi handstands, (seated) inverted L-supports, etc. This tape is more geared toward coaches who want to use these drills with students who have a range in ability. It would also be appropriate if viewed by a gymnast at home so that s/he can SEE how an exercise is to be executed once s/he is back in the gym with a coach. This may better assist the gymnast with technique. Again I stress--do NOT try these techniques at home--leave the coaching to the Coaches.

I am a coach with 5 yrs. experience, a strong believer in teaching basic progressions and creating a solid foundation to work from. This video, while not appropriate for children who cannot hold their heads off the floor in a bridge, IS appropriate for any students who have mastered a bridge. If you are not a serious-minded student it is not for you. It is a great teaching tool and since borrowing it from the library, I have incorporated several of the sequences into ALL of my classes, from preschool to competitive team. It is not meant to substitute for coaching nor is it expected that kids will pick everything up immediately. You'll likely need to practice the basics first and work up to harder skills. That is the safest way to teach/learn gymnastics anyway. The mom who was disappointed probably didn't "get it" that this tape is about conditioning for improving other skills and assumes that basics such as bridges, headstands and handstands are already mastered. My only complaint: They don't demonstrate HOW each set of sequences is used in the gym. I figured out some ways to work with it though, and I am sure most coaches could.