We all want to get the most out of our training! Even if we do all have some off days occasionally. So here is some advice from other gymnasts on how to make your personal training great, BEFORE  you even enter the gym:  

1. Rest - Making sure you are rested before your training by getting a good nights sleep the night before, can really help improve your mental capacity and energy levels for your training session. Sometimes we are running low on energy, and that’s ok! Do your best to calm/rest yourself before you put yourself to work in the gym. 

1. Fuel Food -  Energy levels also go hand in hand with rest, as mentioned in the point above. Another fabulous way to get more out of your training, is to make sure you are fueling yourself for success! Here are some great snack foods you can enjoy before your training: Bananas, energy balls, smoothies, eggs, trail mix, peanut butter and many more. 

1. Goals -  Have you ever noticed when you are set a task or a goal, you naturally tend to work harder to achieve it? Have a go at doing this for each of your training sessions. Write down 1-3 goals you would like to achieve in that session. It could be strength exercises, a skill drill, or even some flexibility goals. Let your coach know you would like to achieve these in that session and watch them support you in trying to achieve them! 

1. Preparation – Save yourself from rushing around and organize the things you will need ahead of time. If you take a gym bag with you, make sure you have everything out and ready to be packed away. Gather your belongings like your grips, water bottle, snacks, towel, change of clothes, and any other equipment you use. If you drive to the gym, make sure you have petrol in your car, or if you ride make sure you have your helmet ready to go! 

1. Pick me ups -  As fantastic as we are as gymnasts, we still are humans. We all have some down days... but knowing how to improve your mood is an important skill to have. Have a favorite song? Listen to it before you train. Do you have a friend you train with? Talk to them before you train and see if your mood will improve. Do you need to treat yourself? Have a little bit of your pick me up food. Entering the gym with a positive mindsight will improve every aspect of your training, from warm up – cool downs!  

Is there something I didn’t mention, or do you have some suggestions on things to try? Let us know in the comments down below! Maybe we could feature them in an upcoming blog post! 
 
Signing out for now, 
Coach Maygan 

Coach Jes here 👋🏻 - Finding confidence and growing character is what we aim to do here at FCGC and over the weekend our Victorian championship gymnasts proved this to everyone! Each of them had many memorable moments but here are my stand outs
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Karina - overcame some fears and mental blocks to confidently perform her round off on beam for the first time in competition 🙌🏻 Karina placed 5th on bars.

Tammy - trusted in her ability as a athlete to listen to her body and make appropriate decisions for her longevity in this sport, even if it meant not performing her hardest skills 👍🏻 Tammy placed 3rd on bars and 6th on vault.

Thomas - after falling twice on the same skill Thomas got back up on the bars and attempted the harder version of the skill (because why not?) and he nailed it!! The perfect example of confidence and character 💪🏻

As a coach I am beyond proud of these three and the amazing role models they are for everyone at our club 💜
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Have any questions about these athletes or the competition? Comment them below and I’ll get back to you soon
Jes

​Celebrating the journey, and exciting checkpoints along the way!
 
As many of you may know, we have introduced a program called BIG at FCGC this year. It stands for Building Independent Gymnasts, and aims to give our gymnasts (many of whom only train once or twice a week) the opportunity to focus on goal skills and areas of their choosing. We have started a tradition of highlighting the achievements of BIG participants each week; personally through little acknowledgment cards, and publicly through our BGotW (BIG Gymnast of the week!).
Through this I have been reminded that amazing things happen in the gym each week.
It’s gymnasts overcoming fears, failing and then trying again to learn a new skill, giving tips to other gymnast to help them achieve a goal, or unlocking another piece of understanding to work toward their own goals. It’s coaches working together to create innovative ways to teach an existing skill, making up crazy drills, or practicing their spotting techniques to help gymnasts safely develop their confidence and ability. It is so amazing to see gymnasts growing in their leadership capacity; to realise they are all role models of our club, and can all be someone’s inspiration, just as they are inspired by other gymnasts.
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I can barely wait to see all the cool skills our gymnasts will be developing through the BIG program, as they dedicate themselves to their own goals, and all work as a team of coaches and gymnasts to help each other achieve them. 
 
Keep training hard BIG gymnasts, keep celebrating the mistakes as well as the failures, as they all contribute to developing you into the amazing people you are!

​Coach Thomas

 1. Fun: We all know how much fun gymnastics can be. It lets kids be kids, by climbing, jumping, swinging, playing and learning.
All the things amazing little people love to do!

2. Team Work: Although you may not consider gymnastics a team sport, for a pre-schooler, their class is their team. They need to
interact and play in a positive manner, enabling everyone to have a good time while sharing equipment and the coaches’ time.

3. Asking for Help: If children feel confident asking for the help of adults at a young age, they are more likely to be able to use that skill later in life. Gymnastics will at times be challenging, creating the perfect opportunity for gymnasts to ask for help, not only from their grown ups but also from other adult figures such as coaches, and even their peers.

4. Persistence: The first time a gymnast walks into class they are not going to be able to do every activity asked of them, but through
repetition and encouragement gymnasts will begin to understand that, by repeating a skill over and over they will see progression and achievement.

5. Conflict Resolution: How does a gymnast feel when they miss out on sitting on a green carpet square? Or when someone makes it to the rings before they do, requiring them to wait their turn? Gymnastics classes are the perfect opportunity for grown ups to help children understand how to deal with these situations and how to control their emotions in a positive way.

6. Following Instruction: Following instructions is a skill that has to be learned, just like walking. We help our children learn to walk by supporting them physically and creating a safe environment where they can trial and error the skill. This is what a gymnastics class does for instructions. (If gymnasts are not able to follow a set instruction, they will be able to explore what is important to them at the time and then be brought back to the activity. This is done through adult guidance or through recognition, by seeing another gymnasts
participating).

7. Appropriate Interaction: Learning to have good manners and speak in a way that is respectful is an important skill for pre-schoolers to learn. Gymnastics class helps a child learn to treat the teacher with respect, and helps then understand how to navigate social
dynamics with their pre-school peers.

8. Brain Development: Gymnastics is the best sport for helping children develop brain skills such as cross patterning, vestibular
awareness, problem solving, kinaesthetic development and visual tracking. Each week our classes are programmed to specially involve activities that build on these skills.

9. Confidence: How could gymnasts not become more confident when working and developing physically, mentally and socially?
With the support of their grown up and team mates, children are able to increase self-esteem from an early age.
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10. Creating a life long love of Physical Activity and Movement: In a world that is becoming more and more sedentary, developing a love and enjoyment of physical activity and body confidence at a young age is crucial. This will assist in leading a long, happy and healthy lifestyle.

Thank you.
I might have known you for six years, I may have known you for ten minutes. But if you are standing here in my class, thank you for giving me the opportunity to teach you. Thank you for trusting me to guide you through your development, for telling me the skills that you are afraid of, for asking for help when you need it, for listening to me and for letting me help you to learn. Thank you for bringing your unique set of experiences to my classes, for telling me your stories, for allowing me to get to you know during our time together. Sometimes, thank you for challenging me. I may not always have all the answers, but when I don’t, you push me to look for new ways of doing things and push me to be a better coach.
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry for the times that gymnastics is hard and you’re not achieving the skills that you would like to. I’m sorry when you’re frustrated with your progress, when you don’t feel like you’re learning things as fast as you should be. I’m sorry that sometimes I explain things in a way you don’t understand or when I don’t take the time to listen. I may be your coach but I’m also human and I make mistakes. But mistakes help us learn and ultimately make us both better coaches and better humans. So, forgive me for any mistakes I make and let me learn from them.
I’m proud of you.
No matter what your level of ability, so long as you’re trying, I’m proud of you. For that first time you walked across the beam on your own, I’m proud of you. For that first handstand, first chin-up, first pullover, first rope climb, I’m proud of you. For those times you let me spot you through a skill you were afraid of, I’m proud of you. For those moments when you’re tired and you don’t want to train but you do your best to work hard anyway, I’m proud of you. More importantly, I want you to be proud of yourself. Please take the time to be proud of yourself. Gymnastics may well be fun, but some of the things that we ask you to do are hard, and you might not learn them straight away. So take the time to acknowledge your achievements, both big and small. Holding that handstand for a second longer. Standing up on the high beam by yourself for the first time. Achieving your back flip. Coming back after an injury. Be proud of yourself for your achievements and be proud of yourself for the effort you put into them.
You are unique – and that’s a good thing!
You will not always be the strongest or the fastest, you will not always get new skills first, but you will always be you. Try not to compare yourself to the gymnasts around you. Gymnastics is a unique sport and there are so many different aspects to it, and different people will be good at different things. You will find skills and parts of the sport that are special to you. And if you don’t, that’s okay too – gymnastics can help you prepare for practically any other sport you might like to try! Remember, I am here to guide you and teach you, so if you don’t feel like you’re learning, that’s ok – tell me so we can make a positive change. If you do feel like you’re learning, fantastic – tell me so we can keep going down the same path.


Believe in yourself, because I believe in you.