What has surprised you in H1?

Coach Sommer said:

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

It all depends on whether you master a new PE immediately or whether you need to start at the week 1, week 5 or week 9 mark.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

p.s. My personal opinion is if it takes someone 18 months to reach HS/PE7, they might want to consider scheduling an appointment with their doctor - just to make sure they still have a pulse!

So far it has taken me +18 months to get to PE6, but then again I've also had surgery for for a bankart lesion in my left shoulder, and it is quite a bit stiffer than the right one, and easy to irritate. But I did have a pulse last time i checked...

My point was to help Alex Solls understand where the 18-month number came from earlier in this thread. As for myself, I wouldn't be surprised to take longer than 18 months, as I am starting out basically untrained and needing to go very gently. (Weak wrists and healing from a c-section.)

Ravn said:

... So far it has taken me +18 months to get to PE6 ... But I did have a pulse last time i checked...

You might want to get a second opinion!  

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

You might want to get a second opinion!  

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

I would say I have localized zombification. Left shoulder is definitely undead, yet somehow not alive. Still, even the undead can make progress.

I am surprised when I just viewed the SE 14 video that the example shows a guy looking at the floor so there is a slight arch.  Why not teach people to have their head neutral so it's easier to be straight?

Robert Davis said:

I am surprised when I just viewed the SE 14 video that the example shows a guy looking at the floor so there is a slight arch.  Why not teach people to have their head neutral so it's easier to be straight?

Because balance with a neutral head is more difficult for beginners.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

Because balance with a neutral head is more difficult for beginners.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Hi Coach, thanks for explaining that.  I have found that for me handstand pushups are easier to balance freestanding with a neutral head, and it takes some time to adjust your balance after learning to do it looking at the floor (I think it took me a few months).  I haven't purchased the H2 course yet, but do you have people switch at any point?

I'm bringing this up because I competed in college for several years and saw many great gymnasts, but I don't remember seeing any of them hold handstands with neutral heads.  For example I noticed that the Oklahoma club team (I know that's not their A team but I wouldn't call them beginners) held handstands during warmup looking at the floor at the NAIGC nationals last year (I competed on the ASU 'C' team with 5 other alumni, it was a lot of fun).

Did you ever teach your gymnasts to have neutral heads in their handstands?  I've had many coaches over the years and I don't remember any of them telling me to look behind me (thus getting my head neutral) instead of at the floor.  I just tried it a couple years ago after getting several comments about the "how to hold a handstand" video I posted on youtube saying I had a bad arch.  I'm interested to know your thoughts on this subject.

Thanks,

Robert