Informazioni importanti per il Training Camp. Programma. Foto. Gruppi. Ogni club riceverà i suoi body e magliette al momento del check-in. Chiediamo che le ginnaste e gli allenatori indossino questo abbigliamento il SABATO per la foto di gruppo.

Programma

Ordine degli eventi:
Volta, Trampoline, Parallele , Trave, Abilità fisiche/mobilità, Coreografia, Tumbling

Venerdì 28 agosto.

16:00 Arrivo
16:15 introduzione

16:15-16:45 introduzione e warm up

16:45-17:30 Evento 1

17:30-18:15 Evento 2

18:15- 19:00 Evento 3

19:00-19:45 Evento 4

19:45-20:00 Stretch

20:15 Pizza Party.

Inizierai ogni giorno sull’evento che hai terminato il giorno precedente.

Sabato 29 agosto. Indossa il tuo body da campo e la maglietta in QUESTO GIORNO

08:30-08:45 warm up

08:45-9:30 Evento 1

09:30-10:15 Evento 2

10:15-10:30 SNACK/ acqua

10:30-11:15 Evento 3

11:15-11;30 FOTO.

11:30-13:15 PRANZO

13:15-14:00 Evento 4

14:00-14:45 Evento 5

14:45-15:30 Evento 6

15:30-16:15 Evento 7

16:15-16:30 Stretch con il personal trainer. 16:30 arrivederci.

Domenica 30 agosto

08:30-08:45 warm up

08:45-9:30 Evento 1

09:30-10:15 Evento 2

10:15-10:30 SNACK/ acqua

10:30-11:15 Evento 3

11:15- 12:00 Evento 4

12:00-13:15 PRANZO

13:30-14:15 Evento 5

14:15-15:00 Evento 6

15:00-15:45 Evento 7

15:45-16:30. Formazione aperta.

16:30 arrivederci.

Lunedì 31 Agosto

08:30-08:45 Warm up

08:45-9:30 Evento 5

09:30-10:15 Evento 6

10:15-10:30 SNACK/ acqua

10:30-11:15 Evento 7

11:15- 12:45 Allenamento aperto.

1:00-1:15 Arrivederci.

La nostra fotografa più incredibile sta offrendo le sue foto in vendita. Contattala direttamente.

GROUPI

The post Gym Momentum Camp Italia 2026 Informazioni first appeared on Gym Momentum.

C’è un tipo particolare di rabbia che nasce quando vedi una persona a cui tieni essere attaccata da gente che non la conosce.

Sono stato arrabbiato molte volte. Sono stato arrabbiato per i giudizi affrettati. Sono stato arrabbiato per la politica nella ginnastica. Sono stato arrabbiato per il modo in cui, a volte, gli atleti vengono trattati dallo stesso sport al quale danno così tanto.

Ma la rabbia che provo per i commenti online rivolti a Manila Esposito è diversa.

Forse perché conosco Manila da circa dieci anni.

Ho avuto l’opportunità di lavorare con lei, di vederla crescere e di conoscere la persona che c’è dietro ai punteggi, alle medaglie, agli esercizi e ai titoli dei giornali.

E posso dirlo con certezza:

È una delle persone più umili e più autentiche con cui abbia mai avuto l’opportunità di lavorare.

Il suo talento nella ginnastica è straordinario. Ma ciò che mi ha sempre colpito altrettanto è la sua etica del lavoro. È il tipo di atleta che lavora duramente senza bisogno che tutti sappiano quanto si impegna.

Non c’è arroganza. Non c’è senso di superiorità.

C’è semplicemente una giovane donna che ama la ginnastica e che lavora ogni giorno per diventare migliore.

E poi ci sono i commenti.

Persone sedute dietro una tastiera hanno deciso che Manila non ha l’aspetto che, secondo loro, dovrebbe avere una ginnasta.

A quanto pare, nella loro mente esiste ancora un’immagine idealizzata della “ginnasta minuta”: piccola, delicata, quasi fragile, come se un’atleta dovesse assomigliare a quel modello per essere considerata una vera ginnasta.

Manila non rientra nella loro idea.

E quindi la criticano per il suo corpo.

Pensateci un momento.

Un’atleta che ha dedicato anni della sua vita a padroneggiare uno degli sport più difficili al mondo viene giudicata da sconosciuti per la forma del suo corpo.

Non per il suo lavoro alla trave.

Non per il suo esercizio al corpo libero.

Non per la sua etica del lavoro.

Non per il suo coraggio.

Non per il suo carattere.

Per il suo corpo.

E questo mi fa arrabbiare moltissimo.

Perché io conosco la persona di cui stanno parlando.

Loro no.

Loro conoscono una fotografia.

Conoscono uno schermo televisivo.

Conoscono un post sui social.

Non sanno nulla della giovane donna che per anni ha lavorato, sacrificato tempo, affrontato errori, si è rialzata e ha continuato a provarci.

Loro non conoscono Manila.

Io sì.

E ciò che mi ha colpito maggiormente nel modo in cui ha affrontato tutto questo è la stessa cosa che mi ha sempre colpito nella sua ginnastica.

La grazia.

Ha gestito questi commenti con la stessa grazia con cui affronta la trave.

Questa frase continua a tornarmi in mente.

Perché la trave non perdona.

Hai solo dieci centimetri.

Hai pochi secondi per convincere il corpo e la mente che appartieni a qualcosa di così piccolo, sospeso in alto sopra il pavimento.

E quando qualcosa va storto, tutti lo vedono.

Eppure Manila sale sulla trave e fa il suo lavoro.

Non ha bisogno di essere la persona più rumorosa nella stanza.

Non ha bisogno di dimostrare il suo valore a tutti.

Semplicemente sale sulla trave e si esibisce.

E, a quanto pare, ha trovato il modo di affrontare anche la parte più brutta dei social media nello stesso modo.

Con grazia.

Non so se io sarei capace di farlo.
Davvero, non lo so.

Se qualcuno dicesse quelle cose su di me, sarei arrabbiato.

Se qualcuno le dicesse su una persona a cui tengo, sarei ancora più arrabbiato.

C’è qualcosa nel vedere una persona veramente buona essere attaccata che ti fa venire voglia di reagire.

E forse c’è una lezione anche per me.

Perché difendere qualcuno non significa necessariamente diventare brutti quanto le persone che lo stanno attaccando.

A volte difendere qualcuno significa semplicemente raccontare la verità su chi è quella persona.

Quindi lasciatemi dire chi è Manila, almeno dal punto di vista di qualcuno che ha avuto il privilegio di conoscerla per molto tempo.

È una lavoratrice instancabile.

È talentuosa.

È umile.

È autentica.

È resiliente.

Ed è una ginnasta che si è guadagnata ogni briciolo di rispetto che riceve.

Non deve nulla a nessuno riguardo al suo tipo di corpo.

Non deve spiegazioni a nessuno per il suo aspetto.

Non deve adattarsi all’idea vecchia e superata di qualcun altro su ciò che dovrebbe essere una ginnasta.

Ha già dimostrato cosa significa essere una ginnasta.

Una persona disposta a lavorare.

Una persona disposta a sacrificarsi.

Una persona disposta a rialzarsi.

Una persona disposta a stare sulla trave mentre tutto il mondo guarda.

E una persona abbastanza forte da affrontare chi non ha mai camminato nei suoi panni.

Vorrei che le persone che fanno questi commenti capissero che dall’altra parte dello schermo c’è un essere umano vero.

Vorrei che capissero che le parole hanno delle conseguenze.

E vorrei che capissero che i corpi degli atleti non sono costumi creati per soddisfare il pubblico.

Sono gli strumenti attraverso cui gli atleti compiono cose straordinarie.

Forse dobbiamo smettere di chiederci se un’atleta assomiglia a ciò che noi pensiamo debba essere una ginnasta e iniziare a porci una domanda molto più importante:

Che cosa ha realizzato questa persona?

Nel caso di Manila, la risposta è davvero impressionante.

Ma anche questo non coglie completamente il punto.

Perché il suo valore non si misura con le medaglie.

Non si misura con i punteggi.

Non si misura da come appare dentro un body da gara.

Il suo valore deriva da chi è.

E dopo dieci anni in cui l’ho conosciuta, questa è la cosa che non voglio che nessuno dimentichi.

Quindi sì, sono arrabbiato.

Forse più di quanto dovrei.

Ma vedere Manila affrontare tutto questo con dignità mi ha anche fatto fermare e riflettere.

Forse la vera forza non sta nel rispondere colpo su colpo.

Forse sta nel rifiutarsi di permettere alla cattiveria degli altri di cambiare chi sei.

Lei me lo ha dimostrato.

Ha affrontato tutto questo con la stessa grazia con cui affronta la trave.

Io non so se sarei capace di farlo.

Ma di certo la ammiro profondamente per esserci riuscita.

The post La vera misura di una ginnasta: molto più dell’apparenza first appeared on Gym Momentum.

I have been angry before. I have been angry about judging. I have been angry about politics in gymnastics. I have been angry about the way athletes are sometimes treated by the sport they give so much to.

But the anger I feel over the online comments directed at Manila Esposito is different.

Maybe because I have known Manila for about ten years.

I have had the opportunity to work with her, to watch her grow, and to see the person behind the scores, medals, routines, and headlines.

And I can tell you this:

She is one of the most humble and genuine people I have ever had the opportunity to work with.

Her gymnastics talent is extraordinary. But what has always struck me just as much is her work ethic. She is the kind of athlete who puts in the work without needing everyone to know that she is putting in the work.

There is no entitlement. No arrogance.

Just a young woman who loves gymnastics and works incredibly hard at being better at it.

And then there are the comments.

People sitting behind keyboards have decided that Manilla doesn’t look the way they think a gymnast is supposed to look.

Apparently, in their minds, there is still some idealized version of the “pixie gymnast”—small, tiny, almost impossibly delicate—that an athlete is supposed to resemble in order to be accepted as a gymnast.

Manila doesn’t fit their picture. So they body shame her.

Think about that for a moment.

An athlete who has dedicated years of her life to mastering one of the most demanding sports in the world is being judged by strangers for the shape of her body.

Not her beam work.

Not her floor routine.

Not her work ethic.

Not her courage.

Not her character.

Her body.

And that makes me furious.

Because I know the person they are talking about.

They don’t.

They know a photograph.

They know a television screen.

They know a social media post.

They know nothing about the young woman who has spent years working, sacrificing, failing, getting back up, and trying again.

They don’t know Manilla.

I do.

And what has struck me most about the way she has handled all of this is the same thing that has struck me about her gymnastics for years.

Grace.

She handled these comments with the same grace she handles beam.

That sentence keeps coming back to me.

Because beam is unforgiving. You get four inches.

You get a few seconds to convince your body and your mind that you belong on something that small, high above the floor.

And when something goes wrong, everybody sees it.

Yet Manila gets up there and does her job.

She doesn’t need to be the loudest person in the room.

She doesn’t need to prove herself to everybody.

She just gets on the beam and performs.

And apparently she has found a way to approach the ugliness of social media the same way.

With grace.

I don’t know if I can do that.  I honestly don’t.

If someone said those things about me, I would be angry.

If someone said them about someone I care about, I would be even angrier.

There is something about watching a genuinely good person get attacked that makes you want to fight back.

And maybe there is a lesson in that for me.

Because defending someone doesn’t necessarily mean becoming as ugly as the people attacking them.

Sometimes defending someone means telling the truth about who they are.

So let me tell you who Manila is, at least from the perspective of someone who has had the privilege of knowing her for a long time.

She is a hard worker.

She is talented.

She is humble.

She is genuine.

She is resilient.

And she is a gymnast who has earned every bit of respect she receives.

She doesn’t owe anyone a particular body type.

She doesn’t owe anyone an explanation for how she looks.

She doesn’t have to fit somebody else’s outdated idea of what a gymnast is supposed to be.

She has already shown us what a gymnast is supposed to be.

Someone willing to work.

Someone willing to sacrifice.

Someone willing to get back up.

Someone willing to stand on the beam with the entire world watching.

And someone strong enough to deal with people who have never walked in her shoes.

I wish the people making these comments understood that there is a real human being on the other side of their screen.

I wish they understood that words have consequences.

And I wish they understood that athletic bodies are not costumes designed to satisfy spectators.

They are the instruments through which athletes do extraordinary things.

Maybe we need to stop asking whether an athlete looks like what we think a gymnast should look like and start asking a much better question:

**What has this person accomplished?**

In Manila’s case, the answer is pretty damn impressive.

But even that misses the point.

Because her value isn’t measured in medals.

It isn’t measured by scores.

It isn’t measured by how she looks in a leotard.

Her value comes from who she is.

And after ten years of knowing her, that is the part I don’t want anyone to forget.

So yes, I’m angry. More angry than I probably should be.

But watching Manila respond to all of this with dignity has also made me stop and think.

Maybe the real strength isn’t in firing back. Maybe it is in refusing to let other people’s ugliness change who you are.

She has shown me that.

She handled it with the same grace she handles beam.

**I don’t know if I can do that.**

But I sure as hell admire her for it.

The post The True Measure of a Gymnast: More Than Looks first appeared on Gym Momentum.

A week from now I turn 60.

That number feels strange to even type. When I was younger, 60 seemed old. Not “getting older.” Old. The age of retirement parties, early dinners, and conversations about blood pressure medication. Now? It just feels like…now. Another mile marker on a road that somehow went by both incredibly fast and painfully slow at the same time.

My wife surprised me with a trip out to Colorado to see our children and their partners. Sitting here looking at the mountains, realizing that the little kids who once ran through our house are now building lives of their own, I understand something I probably should have realized years ago: I am incredibly lucky.

Not “successful.” Not “important.” Lucky.

I have my health—mostly. Thanks to a pretty solid workout regimen, I am still in pretty good shape. A little more worn down than I was at 25, obviously. A few more scars and surgeries than the average person too. But every scar has a story attached to it. I once read a quote that said, “Scars are just tattoos with better stories.” That feels about right.

And there are a lot of stories.

After college and a brief time teaching school, I knew pretty quickly that my life was not going to follow the traditional path. I wanted to coach gymnastics. Not casually. Not as a side job. I wanted it to be my life.

One thing led to another, and Stephanie and I opened a gym, Atlantic Gymnastics Training Center, in Portsmouth NH. Then another location in Dover, NH. Somewhere along the way, this crazy dream became a business, a community, and honestly, part of our identity. Today we employ around 50 people and have roughly 1,500 students a week come through our doors. Sometimes I walk into one of the gyms and still cannot believe it exists.

What is funny is that I do not actually coach in my own gym anymore.

When my youngest son was in middle school, I made a conscious decision to step back from daily coaching and spend more time at home. I concentrated on the business side of things because I knew those years with my kids were limited. I do not regret that decision for one second.

Then, when he went away to college, life opened another door.

I had time again. So I started consulting. Coaching overseas. Working in different gyms, with different systems, different philosophies, different cultures. I would like to believe I was already a good coach, but traveling made me a far better one. The beautiful thing about teaching is that if you are paying attention, you are also learning.

Switzerland. Italy. Central America. Canada. Different programs. Different methods. Different ways of communicating. Different ways of thinking about athletes and performance and fear and pressure and success.

And somewhere along the way, I grew.

Not just as a coach, but as a person.

I had the opportunity to work with Olympic athletes and world champions. Experiences that a kid from New York who simply loved gymnastics could never have imagined. And now, somehow, I spend a great deal of my life coaching in Italy—to the point where Stephanie and I bought a home there.

There is something about the lifestyle in Italy that fits me. The pace. The emphasis on relationships. The understanding that life is supposed to be lived, not simply survived.

At almost 60, I still feel like I am learning who I am.

These days, much of my time is spent working with coaches. Helping them grow. Helping them communicate better. Helping them understand that coaching is really teaching. It is education. It is leadership. It is human connection.

Maybe that is the strange gift of getting older.

When you are young, you spend so much time trying to prove yourself. When you get older, you begin to understand that what really matters is what you leave behind in other people. The athletes you helped believe in themselves. The coaches you helped become better educators. The people whose lives became just a little bit better because you crossed paths with them.
Lately, much of my energy outside the gym has been going into writing. I am pouring my heart into a book called Coaches as Educators. In many ways, it is the culmination of everything I have learned over decades in gymnastics—not just about training athletes, but about teaching human beings.

I genuinely believe coaching is education. A coach is not simply someone who teaches a skill or prepares an athlete for competition. A coach helps shape confidence, resilience, communication, discipline, and self-worth. We are often with young athletes during some of the most important and vulnerable years of their lives. That responsibility should mean something.

The book is my attempt to move the needle, even slightly, within the coaching community. To challenge coaches to think deeper about how we teach, how we communicate, and how we lead. I want younger coaches to understand that the technical side of gymnastics matters greatly, but the human side matters even more. Athletes may forget scores and medals over time, but they rarely forget how a coach made them feel.

And maybe the funniest thing about being almost 60 is that instead of slowing down, my mind keeps racing toward the next project.

When Coaches as Educators is finished, I already have plans for a second book: From Practice to the Podium. That one will be far more technical—a practical training manual built from decades of coaching, observing, learning, failing, adjusting, and growing. A book designed to help coaches and athletes better understand the long journey from developmental training to elite performance.

I still feel like I have something to contribute. Maybe that feeling never goes away if you truly love what you do.

If that is my legacy, I am more than okay with it.

The post Turning 60: Reflections on Luck and Life Lessons first appeared on Gym Momentum.

GYM MOMENTUM CAMP – ITALIA!!

Quest’anno portiamo il GYM MOMENTUM CAMP in giro per il mondo! Organizzeremo un camp a Civitavecchia, ITALIA! 

Le ginnaste e i ginnasti di TUTTI i Paesi e di TUTTI i livelli opzionali sono i benvenuti.

Livelli Nord America: dal livello 6 fino all’élite e NCAA
Ginnasti italiani: SILVER L.C. e superiori

Non sei sicuro che il livello sia giusto? Scrivimi: tretrosi@gymmomentum.com

Gli allenatori saranno bilingue o supportati da un traduttore.

Staff attuale:
• Camilla Ugolini, Allenatrice Olimpica Italiana
• Marco Massara, Allenatore Olimpico Italiano
• Tony Retrosi (IO!), Allenatore della Nazionale Italiana, ex Head Coach della Nazionale Svizzera, docente internazionale
• Jeremy Mosier, Allenatore della Nazionale Canadese
• Wendy Bruce, membro dello staff USA, ex ginnasta olimpionica, ex Head Coach della Nazionale Svizzera
• Gerson Ramirez, Victory Gymnastics Consulting
• John LaVallee, Gymnastics at Brentwood, ex Head Coach University of California Davis
• Shira Lewis, Dottoressa in fisioterapia, coreografa, consulente internazionale

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COSTI

Costo per GINNASTA:
€260
Include: allenamenti, pizza del venerdì, t-shirt e body

Costo per ALLENATORE:
€100
Include: pizza del venerdì, t-shirt, sessione di domande e risposte con lo staff

PROGRAMMA

Venerdì 28 Agosto
• 16:00 Arrivo
• 16:30–20:00 Allenamento
• 20:00 Pizza Party

Sabato 29 Agosto
• 08:30–11:30 Allenamento
• 11:30–11:40 FOTO
• 11:30–13:00 Pranzo
• 13:00–16:30 Allenamento

Domenica 30 Agosto
• 08:30–11:30 Allenamento
• 11:30–13:00 Pranzo
• 13:00–16:30 Allenamento

Lunedì 31 Agosto
• 08:30–13:00 Allenamento
• 13:00–13:15 Saluti

ALLOGGIO

Le informazioni sugli alloggi saranno disponibili a breve.
C’è un Airbnb a circa 400 metri dalla palestra.

⸻

INFORMAZIONI IMPORTANTI

Il pranzo NON è incluso per i ginnasti.
Ci sono un ristorante e un supermercato proprio di fronte alla palestra.

The post Gym Momentum Italia 2026 first appeared on Gym Momentum.

Are you ready to take your training to an international stage? This August 28–31, Gym Momentum is returning to the beautiful port town of Civitavecchia, Italy, for an elite training experience that brings the world together. Following a successful year that saw gymnasts and coaches travel from Iceland, Canada, USA, Germany, Ireland, UK, and Sweden, this camp has become a premier gymnastics experience for the global gymnastics community.

A World-Class Coaching Staff

This is a unique opportunity to “perfect the impossible” by learning from a bilingual staff of Olympic and National team experts. The current roster includes:

• Camilla Ugolini & Marco Massara: Italian Olympic Coaches.
• Tony Retrosi: Italian National Team Coach and International Clinician.
• Wendy Bruce: USA Olympian and National Staff Member. Former Head Coach Switzerland
• Jeremy Mosier: Canadian National Team Coach.
• Shira Lewis: International Clinician and choreographer. Dr of Physical Therapy.

Who Should Attend?

The camp is designed for a wide range of talent, emphasizing that “one team, one dream” can lead to greatness.

• North American Athletes: Open to Levels 6 through Elite and NCAA.
• Italian Athletes: Open to Silver L.C. and above.
• Other Gymnast: The focus on this camp is for optional Levels. Minimum requirements the Gymnasts should have a Kip and a flyaway on bars and a back tuck on floor.
• Coaches: Professional development is a core focus, offering “precision that builds winners” through direct access to elite techniques. Hands on spotting as well.

Costs and Inclusions

Invest in your “power and passion” with a package that covers all essential training needs:

• Gymnasts ($325 USD / €260): Includes four days of intensive training, a custom leotard, a camp T-shirt, and the Friday night pizza party.
• Coaches ($125 USD / €100): Includes access to all training sessions, a camp T-shirt, the Friday pizza party, and an exclusive Question and Answer Session with the elite staff.

The Civitavecchia Experience

Located just a 45-minute train ride from Rome, Civitavecchia is a historic town featuring a port canal surveyed by Leonardo da Vinci. The gym is conveniently located near local restaurants and grocery stores, and housing information (including nearby AirBnBs) will be provided to ensure a seamless “tumble to triumph” experience.

Ready for your next masterpiece? Don’t let this opportunity to “leap like lightning” pass you by. Secure your spot in this global gymnastics family today!

Contact Tony Retrosi at tretrosi@gymmomentum.com for more information and entry forms.

The post Join the Global Gymnastics Camp in Civitavecchia, Italy first appeared on Gym Momentum.

“If you can’t explain it to a 6-year-old, you probably don’t understand it yourself.”

— Albert Einstein

I’ve always loved that quote. Because gymnastics is not a lecture hall.

It’s a laboratory.

And clarity wins in the lab.

⸻

Coaches Talk Too Much

Let’s be honest. Gymnastics coaches talk too much. Especially when we don’t fully understand the issue.

And instead of identifying the root cause, we start narrating everything we know about shoulders, hips, tap swings, block angles, and center of mass.

Meanwhile, the gymnast just wants to know:

“What do I change?”

Most athletes don’t want the dissertation.

They want the direction.

⸻

The Real Skill: Communicating the Correction

What makes a good coach great isn’t the ability to see the correction.

Plenty of coaches can spot errors. Great coaches can communicate the correction efficiently. In a few words.

Clear. Direct. Actionable.

The correction not being complicated does not mean the skill is simple.

Those cues are not complicated. But executing them at speed, upside down, under pressure? That’s extremely difficult.

Coaches often confuse the two.

They think because the correction is hard to execute, it must require a complicated explanation.

It doesn’t.

⸻

Simple Is Not Easy

But the cue often is.

Simple cue.

Difficult execution.

When coaches give complicated answers, it’s often because they haven’t truly identified the primary cause.

Clarity requires confidence.

And confidence comes from understanding.

⸻

This Doesn’t Mean You Talk a Lot

Let me be clear.

Efficiency is not about silence. And it’s not about being cold.

This doesn’t mean you talk a lot. It means that every word you say has weight and meaning.

Great coaches are not quiet.

They are precise. They don’t waste words.

When they speak, the athlete listens—because the words matter.

⸻

The Mechanic Analogy

When I take my car to the shop, I say:

“It’s making a weird noise when I slow down.”

They fix it.

Then they tell me:

“You needed new brake pads.”

That’s it.

Most gymnasts are the same.

They don’t need to understand the molecular structure of the spring floor.

They need to know what to change on the next turn.

⸻

Lessons from Coaching Abroad

This lesson became crystal clear during my years coaching internationally—and it is reinforced right now.

I am currently coaching in Italy.In the gym, I must speak Italian.

My Italian is… basic. (Il mio italiano è… semplice.)

So how can I be effective? How can foreign coaches in the United States be wildly successful when their English is basic?

The answer is simple:

We deliver the necessary information without fluff.

I know how to say:

• “Straighten your arms.”

• “Push here.”

• “A little longer.”

• “Open your chest.”

What I cannot do is launch into a five-minute explanation of scapular engagement and angular momentum.

I don’t have the language capacity. But you know what?

It works.

The girls understand. They adjust. They improve.

And they appreciate it. Because they don’t need complexity. They need clarity.

In fact, the language barrier forces better coaching. It forces you to strip the correction down to its essence.

And when you do that, you realize how much unnecessary talking you used to do.

⸻

Over-Explaining Is Often a Symptom

When coaches over-explain, it usually means one of three things:

1. They don’t fully understand the root cause.

2. They are trying to sound knowledgeable.

3. They are uncomfortable with silence.

But athletes don’t perform better because we sound intelligent.

They perform better because they know what to do.

And in a sport where hesitation can mean injury, overload is dangerous.

Clarity builds confidence.

Overload builds doubt.

⸻

Coaches as Educators

In my upcoming book Coaches as Educators (It’s More Than Just a Cartwheel), this principle is foundational:

Your job is not to showcase knowledge.

Your job is to transfer understanding.

And understanding shows up in action.

If you can’t explain the correction in a few words, you probably haven’t identified the true error.

When you see the real cause, it becomes simple.

Not easy.

But simple.

And when it’s simple, athletes attack it.

⸻

A Practical Challenge

At your next practice, try this:

Limit every correction to five words.

Five.

If you need more than five words, pause.

Ask yourself:

• What is the real issue?

• What is the single biggest fix?

• What do they need to feel or change right now?

Then say it.

And stop talking.

Let the athlete work.

Let the rep teach.

Let the simplicity do its job.

⸻

Because if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it deeply enough.

And in gymnastics—where milliseconds matter and fear lives in small spaces—clarity isn’t just good education.

It’s great coaching.

Looking for a great place to learn along side your gymnasts? Try Gym Momentum Italia 2026.

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