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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Last year I handed out copies of Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation, to two of the most important groups in my life: my management team at ATLANTIC GYMNASTICS and my own children, who are teachers. I didn’t do this just to share a “good read.” I did it because we are facing a cognitive emergency that is dismantling human potential in the gym, the office and the classroom alike. I want to believe that my kids and staff are not spending hours doomscrolling, but the reality is that many (most?) of their students do.

While the term “brain rot” began as Gen Z slang for the mental fog of doomscrolling, the science shows it is a legitimate deterioration of our intellectual state. We are currently witnessing a “sociological apocalypse” where short-form digital stimulation is rewiring our brains for the worse.

To My Management Team: Reclaiming Our Professional Depth

In the corporate world, they often talk about “agility,” but we’ve accidentally traded it for attention fragmentation. But even in the GYM WORLD I see the effects of “brain rot” in our staff meetings, our classes, our output every day and even our interaction with parents.

• The Productivity Drain: Research shows that the average worker is interrupted every three minutes. Crucially, it takes 23 minutes to return to a state of deep focus after one of these distractions. If we are constantly checking Slack or scrolling through “ultra-processed” digital content, we aren’t actually working—we are merely rehearsing distraction. I do NOT want my kids, my coaches, my friends working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Everyone needs a break. Work should be done at work. I would rather see my staff interrupted at work with an issue from home than the other way around. BUT, just taking a look at the numbers. As of early 2025, the average person spends approximately 2 hours and 21 minutes (141 minutes) per day on social media. While this figure marks a slight decrease from 2024, it still represents over 30 days per year spent on social platforms. Has any of that time contributed to your life in a positive way?!

• Reward Deficit Disorder: Internal documents from tech companies admit they have turned their apps into “slot machines”. This creates “reward deficit disorder,” where our brains become so binned on instant dopamine hits that we lose the ability to feel satisfied by long-term professional achievements.

• The “CEO” of the Brain: Biologically, constant digital stimulation hyperactivates the amygdala (our threat detector), which increases irritability and stress. Meanwhile, it “downregulates” the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for the strategic thinking and impulse control that I rely on you for as leaders.

To My Children (The Teachers): Protecting the Next Generation

As teachers, you are on the front lines of what Haidt calls the “Great Rewiring of Childhood”. You see students who can’t read a single sentence without getting bored.

• The EdTech Blunder: We made a colossal mistake by putting “multi-function play devices” (laptops and tablets) on every student’s desk. Since 2012, global test scores have been in a steady decline because these devices act as “attention fracking” tools.

• The Sensitive Period: Puberty is a critical “sensitive period” where the brain locks down its permanent wiring. By allowing kids to spend 8 to 10 hours a day on screens, we are preventing them from learning the vital connection between hard work and reward.

• Popcorn Brain: You are teaching a generation with “popcorn brain”—a sensation where the mind is so used to the fast-paced “pop” of digital novelty that the “slow” pace of a classroom feels like torture.

The Common Thread: A Sense of “Horizonlessness”

Whether in the office or the schoolyard, “brain rot” is fueling a mental health crisis. Adults and teens alike are reporting a sense of “horizonlessness”—a feeling that there is nothing to look forward to and no point in working hard because the future feels invisible. We have become our own “night watchmen,” scanning for danger 24/7 through our feeds, which keeps us in a state of chronic hyper-vigilance that prevents true happiness.

Horizonlessness is a psychological state increasingly reported by adults where they feel they have nothing to look forward to, a feeling that directly sabotages human potential by stripping away the motivation to work toward a future. The human brain is evolutionarily wired for progress; when that sense of a future disappears, individuals often fall into a “what’s the point?” mentality regarding hard work, personal development, or professional effort. This state prevents adults from reaching their potential in several ways:

• Dismantling Motivation and Purpose: Reaching one’s capacity requires a meaningful relationship between oneself and their work, where they feel productive and useful to others. When the future feels invisible, adults may feel “useless,” leading to a destruction of human capital and a loss of the sense of meaning required to achieve long-term goals.

• Chronic Stress and Cognitive Drain: Horizonlessness is often exacerbated by a digital diet of “poly-crisis” information—constant real-time updates on global disasters—that keeps the brain in a state of chronic hyper-vigilance. This state triggers the amygdala (the brain’s threat detector), which in turn “downregulates” or quiets the prefrontal cortex.

• Impairment of Executive Function: Because the prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive functions like planning, strategic thinking, organization, and impulse control, its suppression makes it physically and mentally difficult for an adult to execute the steps necessary to fulfill their potential.

• Stifling Creativity and Reflection: Reaching one’s potential often requires “brain breaks” and boredom to activate the default mode network, which handles self-reflection and the generation of new ideas. Horizonlessness, combined with the “primal urge to scroll” to manage the resulting stress, prevents this network from working, meaning true ideas never have the “soil” they need to bloom.

Ultimately, horizonlessness traps adults in a defensive, short-term posture that prioritizes immediate dopamine hits over the sustained attention and effort required for mastery and success.

Reclaiming the “Quiet” Where Greatness is Born

This struggle is about more than just productivity; it is about being fully engaged in your life and the real world. Consider why we often have our best ideas in the shower: it is one of the few remaining places where we are not scrolling. As a society, we used to build and do great things, but human potential is now being diverted into a world where people merely try to “influence” others with curated photos.

We must rediscover that there is beauty in a bored brain. Boredom is not an empty space to be filled with “digital slop”; it is the “soil” in which resilience grows. When we allow ourselves to be bored, the “default mode network” in our brain kicks in, fostering the self-reflection and creative thinking where true ideas bloom.

How We Reclaim Our Humanity

The brain is elastic, but recovery requires intentional “digital hygiene”. I’m asking the managers at my gyms and my family and friends to join me in these changes:

1. Delete the “Slot Machines”: Remove addictive apps like TikTok, Instagram and Reels from your phone to break the dopamine loop.

2. Establish Geographical Boundaries: “Where you put your phone at night may be the most important decision you make”. Keep devices out of the bedroom to stop “revenge bedtime procrastination”—the habit of stealing your own sleep to scroll, which ruins your health and clarity the next day.

3. Grayscale Your Device: Turning your phone to black-and-white removes the “technicolor” appeal that triggers compulsive checking.

4. The Rule of Two: Your brain can only handle a couple of changes at a time. Pick two of these habits, stick with them for eight weeks to allow for neural rewiring, and then add more.

Attention is not something you have; it is something you train. Every scroll is a vote for the brain you are becoming—it’s time to start voting for the one that can think, create, and contribute to the real world.

The post The Dangers of Digital Distraction: Protecting Our Future Generations first appeared on Gym Momentum.

Gymnasts from ALL Countries and ALL optional Levels are welcome.

North American Levels 6-elite and NCAA. Italian Gymnasts SILVER L. C. and above.

Unsure where your gymnasts fit? e-mail me at tretrosi@gymmomentum.com

Coaches will be bilingual or have a translator. Current Staff Includes:

• Camilla Ugolini, Italian Olympic Coach.
• Marco Massara, Italian Olympic Coach.
• Tony Retrosi (ME!) Italian National Team Coach, Former Swiss National Team Head Coach. International Clinician.
• Jeremy Mosier, Canadian National Team Coach
• Wendy Bruce, USA National Staff Member, USA Olympian. Former Swiss National Team Head Coach.
• Gerson Ramirez. Victory Gymnastics Consulting.
• John LaVallee, Gymnastics at Brentwood. Former Head Coach University of California Davis. Tony’s Personal Driver.
• Shira Lewis. Dr of Physical Therapy. Choreographer. International Consultant

COST per GYMNAST $325 USD. (€260) Includes all training. Pizza on Friday, T-shirt and Leotard.

COST per COACH 125 USD (€100). Includes Pizza on Friday, T-shirt. Question and Answer Session with Staff.

SCHEDULE:

Friday 28 August

• 4:00PM Arrival
• 4:30-8:00 Training
• 8:00 Pizza Party.

Saturday 29 August

• 08:30- 11:30 Training
• 11:30-11:40 PHOTO.
• 11:30- 1:00 Lunch
• 1:00- 4:30 Training

Sunday 30 August

• 08:30- 11:30 Training
• 11:30- 1:00 Lunch
• 1:00- 4:30 Training

Monday 31 September

• 08:30-1:00 Training
• 1:00-1:15 Goodbye.

AND FOR PARENTS AND SIBLINGS TRAVELING!

• Friday Night Pizza and Prosecco at the gym.
• Saturday BEACH DAY at Tritone Beach Club in Ladispoli. (A private beach club 20 minutes from gym.) Beach chair and umbrella included. They have a restaurant and bar at the club. Picture yourself sipping an Aperol Spritz at the Beach! Transportation included.
• Sunday OLD TOWN CIVITAVECCHIA TOUR.

COST FOR PARENT PROGRAM $150 USD.

HOUSING information will be out soon. There is an Air BnB 2 blocks from the gym.

E-mail me for more information. tretrosi@gymmomentum.com

Other Important Information for our North American Guests.

Civitavecchia is a 45 minute train ride from Rome’s Termini Station. I would plan on arriving a few days early to see the sites in Rome. I am happy to make my recommendations. Then arrive to Civitavecchia on Friday. I am trying to organize housing in a way where you will not need a car.

Lunch for the gymnasts is NOT provided. There is a restaurant and a grocery store across the street from the gym where everyone ate last year. If you would like your daughter to eat at the gymnastics house with the gymnasts who live and train there I can make those arrangements but at this time I am not sure the fee.

Leotard order form

Leotard Size Chart

HOTEL and HOUSING INFORMATION.

Click the link above to see Hotel and B and B in Civitavecchia.

The post GYM MOMENTUM CAMP- ITALY!! first appeared on Gym Momentum.

USING YOUR STRAP BAR

TWISTING, TEACH IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!

FAILURE A PREREQUISITE FOR SUCCESS

IS CHANGE POSSIBLE

EVOLVE AND ELEVATE YOUR PROGRAM

RELEASE MOVES – NOTES

Release Moves

Yurchenko Vaulting. Go Big

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I have had a few messages and e-mails following the training camp asking me how to organize training time in the gym and how long each competitive level should train. Here’s a practical approach based on experience.

Time Allocation: Warm-up, Strength, Skill, Events

• Warm-up and strength: Spend the same amount of time on warm-up and strength as you spend on any event block. For example, if your event training is 30 minutes, allocate 30 minutes to strength. Strength work should always come before skill practice.
• Event training: Think of event time in thirds:
  • 1/3 routines (full run-throughs and routine refinement)
  • 1/3 basics and problem parts (drills addressing weaknesses)
  • 1/3 “move-up” skills (progressions to new skills)
  • This balance may shift through the season; for example, prioritize routine refinement as competitions approach.

Event-Specific Strength Examples Strength should be tailored to each event. Examples:

• Vault: single-leg sprints for speed, stuck-landing drills, handstand shoulder shrugs
• Bars: cast handstands (legs together and straddle)
• Beam: pistol squats, handstand holds, leg kick-and-hold, handstand snap-ups, bounding jumps
• Floor: Handstand snap up. Bounding Jumps.

How Long Should Each Level Train? Training time depends on factors like budget, available gym time, coaching ratios, and individual needs. All else equal, more hours generally produce better results. Use the top end of the sport to work backward:

• Elite / Olympic / World championship: 30+ hours/week 
• National-level (approx. Level 9/10): ~24 hours/week 
• Level 8/9: 16–20 hours/week 
• Level 7/8: 12–16 hours/week 
• Level 6/7: ~12 hours/week 
• Level 5/6: 9–12 hours/week 
• Level 4/5: ~9 hours/week

These are guidelines from experience. Individual gymnasts will vary—some will need more time, others can progress with less. Use these ranges as a starting point, then adjust for each athlete’s goals, recovery needs, and resources.

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