Farewell Open, Hello High Skill Gymnastics

by Camzin Martin

Just like that the first quarter of 2018 is behind us, culminating with five weeks of Open madness. All the dumbells, ALL the double unders, so many personal bests, community triumphs, and a little friendly competition all to the soundtrack of DJed music and served with some of the best food trucks Houston has to offer. The Open, much like the New Year, spurs us to greater aspirations for ourselves. To set new goals and envision what we could achieve this time next year. However, much like the New Year, without a plan in place to achieve these goals, many simply fail to do so.

CFCH is here to help. Quarter two kicks off our focus on high skill gymnastics, which happens to be the most frequently reported goal sticky-noted onto the goal board adorning our wall. So, pull out your notebook and calendar, because here are some tips, tricks, and strategies to move you from where you were to where you want to be.

Resources available to you from CFCH:

• Optional extra programming:

  • We post extra work to be done before or after class on our social media channels (Instagram and Facebook) every day. For Q2 these will feature both strict and dynamic gymnastics work a minimum of twice a week. Check the feeds and come in early or stay late to chip away at that work.

• Coaches:

  • All our coaches LOVE to help our community reach their goals. Chatting with a coach before of after class to get you pointed in the right direction or to evaluate where you are in a given progression is always better than flying blind.

• Clinics:

  • Expect to see some gymnastics workshops coming up for specific skills and drills to really solidify technique.

• Community:

  • Getting together and making a pact with a few friends at CFCH will help you when the work becomes a grind. Keep grinding through together, inertia is the hardest part, but once the progress starts rolling, it’s hard to stop.

How to be successful:

• Set stair-step goals:

  • If your goal is a muscle up, don’t start with that as your goal. Start with the pieces that comprise your goal. Work toward your first strict dip and pull up, then shoot for 5+ unbroken of each, and so on. Speak to a coach to help develop these.

• Begin focused intentional work towards these:

  • If your goal is a strict ring dip, jumping up on the rings sporadically and trying one will result in more frustration than progress. Our coaches can help you come up with a program to work on two to three times a week to address the specific weaknesses precluding you from achieving your goal.

• Be patient and kind with yourself

  • Understand that your big next-Open-goal is one that may take an entire year’s worth of focused work to achieve. So when progress feels slow, keep going, some of the greatest improvements are made when the progress itself is imperceptible.