The SHIFT Show

Today on the podcast we are continuing with our exciting NCAA interviews with Brett Nelligan from the University of Maryland Gymnastics.   Brett is about to enter his fourteenth season as head coach of the Terrapins, he is the fourth head coach of the Maryland gymnastics team taking over the role from his father, Bob Nelligan.   The Maryland coaching team of Brett, Aaron, and JJ are doing a fantastic job with some record-breaking seasons in the last few years and are on an awesome upward trajectory.    After spending some time with Brett and the team at Maryland, I wanted to have him on the podcast to pick his brain on what is important to him to make progress from a performance objective scoring point of view, but also from a health, happiness, and longevity point of view.   It's challenging to have multiple kinds of success and upward momentum year after year, so to see someone who can do that really well, and is a great human I had to have him on to share his knowledge.     We discuss:   What is the recipe for success for a successful season?   How to build a College structure at club.    Advice for those who don’t have access to a strength coach.    Do your athlete have the freedom to make mistakes and feel supported no matter what?   Fear is a motivator, but only short term.   Culture is the 5th event.   Brett's secrets tips for improving bars.   And…   The number thing the most successful elite and college programs are doing to be the best of the best.We appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Today on the podcast, is part two of the epic two-hour discussion I had with Yohai and Jamie both ex-elite tumblers, on their podcast Omni Gymnastics.   Their goal is to provide valuable knowledge and perspectives to coaches and gymnasts in the Trampoline, Double-mini Trampoline, and Tumbling world.    If you haven’t listened to part 1; where I have one of the most open and vulnerable conversations about how I feel gymnastics has changed and what still needs to change in terms of culture, weight training, flexibility, and being happier as a coach - you can listen to it here:   https://shiftmovementscience.com/omnipart1/   In part two we deep dive into the big cultural things that are still going on within our sport that I feel, need to change.   From flexibility to strength and conditioning, to training hours of young gymnasts, or coaching behaviors and cultural issues that need fixing to make sure athletes are in positive, safe, and healthy environments.    We discuss:   Is it possible to have an elite athlete win a gold medal in the Olympics with no major injuries?    Why the best gymnasts actually train less hours as they get older.   Athlete performance is influenced by what happens outside the gym.   How to coach in a more conscious, effective way.    The number one way to get better is to make mistakes.    Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.    How do deadlifts and squats in a neutral spine translate to gymnastics movement?   Is it better or worse to have a hollow or neutral core when tumbling?   And…   How to make our high-impact sport better for the athlete's health and longevity.We appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Today on the podcast, I have one of the most open and vulnerable conversations about how I feel gymnastics has changed and what still needs to change in terms of culture, weight training, flexibility, and being happier as a coach.   I was asked to come on the Omni Gymnastics podcast with Yohai and Jamie both ex-elite tumblers now coaches whose goal is to provide valuable knowledge and perspectives to coaches and gymnasts in the Trampoline, Double-mini Trampoline, and Tumbling world.    Our conversation evolved into an epic two-hour discussion, so the podcast will be broken up into two parts.   Part one I talk honestly about myself as a younger coach, I was egotistical and had the wrong mentality which ended up making me miserable.   This slowly crept into our gym and is something that I’m not proud of.   A lot of it came from insecurity and fear of judgment.   I hope this episode can help others feeling burnt out and unhappy with their job and give some practical advice.     We discuss:   My background in gymnastics.    Coaching is a joint partnership towards a common goal.    How to find true fulfillment in your personal life.    Making a positive impact on someone's life through coaching.   What separates gymnastics from so many other sports?    What gymnastics teaches us about fear.   And…   Athletes shouldn’t train for more hours than their age.We appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Today on the podcast, we are continuing with our NCAA coaching interviews.   This week I am joined by Melissa Kutcher Reinhart from Denver gymnastics, another fantastic program that has been crushing it for multiple years in a row now.   A former gymnast herself, she competed at the University of Florida and then had the opportunity to coach as an assistant at the University of Michigan.    In 2023 Melissa will enter her 25th season as head coach of the University of Denver gymnastics program.   Since arriving in 1999 she has led Denver to 23 consecutive appearances at NCAA Regionals and five NCAA Nationals team berths.    I wanted to have Melissa on to discuss what it really takes to have a successful and continuously thriving program year after year.   So I picked her brain on what things are working. What things would she go back and change from her younger career?    And how did she evolve in her role, where she's doing such a fantastic job with Denver.      We discuss:   The driving catalyst behind the exploding popularity of women’s college gymnastics.    Character, teamwork, and excellence are the pillars of Denver’s culture.    The importance of leadership in the program.    The difference between pursuing excellence and demanding perfection.    What makes a world-class coach?   Why it’s so important to have open channels of communication.    How club coaches can take advantage of the resources available at the college level.    And…   The one thing Melissa Kutcher wishes she’d learned from her younger self.We appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Today on the podcast I'm very fortunate and excited to have on Jordyn Wieber, head coach of Arkansas gymnastics to chat about her transition from her own gymnastics career to becoming a head coach of a successful College Team.   A phenomenal personal career including Olympic Gold as part of the Fierce Five in London 2012 and multiple World medals.   Jordyn went on to College at UCLA where she ended up becoming the volunteer assistant coach for three years.   This inspired and ignited a new passion for coaching and in April 2019 she became the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks gymnastics team.   But how easy was this transition?      We Discuss:   Why you need to be able to read the room and understand what athletes need.    Jordyn Wieber’s advice on how to improve a club's culture.   How to be super productive, have expectations, and still have enjoyable training sessions.   The importance of cultivating events, experiences, and relationships outside of the gym.   Jordyn Wieber’s top tip on how to be a good recruiter.    And…   Why being a good person goes a long way.We appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Today on the podcast I am very excited to bring on Tiz Clive a wonderful gymnastics coach and strength coach from Canada who believes in gymnast longevity and increase performance using weight training.    Tiz is a fantastic example of what can be done when you embrace the hybrid model of lifting and traditional gymnastics strength work.    I invited her on to talk about how she learned about weight training and what she thinks are the most valuable exercises for gymnasts to be doing.   So if you want to start implementing weight training this is a guide on exactly how to do so.   We discuss:   How to find the balance between lifting and traditional gymnastic strength.   What does a typical lifting session look like in the offseason and preseason?   How many sets and reps should you do?   What age should gymnasts be to start lifting?   Will gymnasts get bulky lifting weights?   Three weighted leg exercises that are better than squats.   Core exercises that are for effective than leg lifts.   Accessory and maintenance care work you don’t want to miss out on.   And…   Advice for coaches who want to implement weight training.We appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Today on the podcast we have a super important and must-hear episode about gymnasts and athletes of all sports retiring or transitioning out of gymnastics, or their sport.   This is not commonly talked about but is hugely important because of its devastating impact on athletes, who have a sudden, abrupt end to their sport.    You go from being super regimented, having a plan, training towards a goal, and you have an identity and a community tied to the sport so when it goes away you have a void, feel lost and don’t really know what to do.   I recently saw a tweet from former National Canadian Team Member and Utah Gymnastic alumni Syd Soloski:   “Retired athletes!! Do you feel like your university/college/program/coaches etc prepared you for life after sport? The transition, identity crisis….??”   So I invited her onto the podcast to discuss this issue as she has experienced this tricky transition firsthand.   Exploring a better offramp system for gymnasts and athletes moving on from their sport.     We discuss:   There’s an onramp system for College, but why isn’t there an offramp?   How to find a new purpose in your life after sport.    Coach because you're passionate about it not because you’re trying to fill a void.   The importance of having conversations with your kids about who they are.    How do you shift your training mentality and motivation from being an elite athlete to living a ‘normal’ healthy lifestyle?    How to come to terms with the goals that you didn’t accomplish.   What to do when coaches aren’t supportive of athletes quitting?    How to cope with having to medically retire.    And…   Why therapy is like prehab.We appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Today on the podcast, I had a great chat with former gymnast, coach, and Gymnastics Mental Skills expert Rebecca Smith. Founder and CEO of Complete Performance Coaching, Rebecca helps high achievers thrive under pressure allowing kids to reach peak performance as well as maximum enjoyment. In the last few podcast episodes, we've been dancing around mental blocks, what to do and how to help.  I’ve received countless emails and messages about sons or daughters struggling with back walkovers, back handsprings, and flyaways.  So many parents, gymnasts, and coaches want to know what they can do to help get through freezing up on skills, nerves, anxiety, dwindling confidence, and mental blocks, particularly as season approaches.  Rebecca has worked with 100s of parents, clubs, and athletes on how to help get through mental blocks. We deep dive into her experience helping people, and what works to overcome these challenges that so many gymnasts face. We discuss: Mental blocks are biological. How to overcome the fear response in your athletes.  Why the brain wrestles between logic and emotion. How growing can impact fear.  Communication is critical for success.  The relationship you have with yourself is your biggest asset in overcoming challenges. Parental pressure. Kids learn more from how you behave than what you say. Do you really need to post competition results on Instagram? And… What to do if your gym is not open to change. We want to invite you to a FREE training for gymnastics parents that Rebecca is putting on: http://completeperformancecoaching.com/dave This free class is next Sunday 11/6 @ 9 am PST / 12pm EST, covering exactly how to help with mental blocks and gymnasts struggling with confidence. You’ll learn the entire 3-step Mental Block Breakthrough Method that will teach you how to help your athlete overcome fear without being too controlling or too involved. https://event.webinarjam.com/register/21/249ymfq If you’ve ever wondered “how can I fix this for her?” This is for you. If you’ve seen mental blocks making her miserable, then DO NOT MISS THIS FREE TRAINING. Click here to save your spot: http://completeperformancecoaching.com/dave P.S. Who do yWe appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

This week's mini podcast episode is a sneak peek of our brand new Herolab guest lecture: Instilling Confidence In Your Athletes, which will be released next week. This month's guest lecturer is Ariana Eydenberg, M.S. physiologist and owner of The Mindful Gymnast Ariana was a former Junior U.S Elite but struggled with fear which lead her to pursue her interest in psychology. In this episode Ariana covers: Building Confidence from  the inside out Learn how to embrace failure Fostering an Athletes Grown Mindset Self Talks Role in Confidence Hopefully, you enjoyed this mini-podcast episode, if you would like to hear the rest of the Instilling Confidence In Your Athletes lecture head over to the Herolab.  https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/We appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Today on the podcast is Physical Therapist and former Collegiate gymnast Kaysha Heck, PT, DPT, SCS discussing hip flexibility and injuries.   Kaysha has unfortunately had a lot of hip injuries herself as a result of outdated flexibility methods such as oversplits, using ankle weights and holding splits and stretches for two to three minutes plus.   She is now on the other side of 10 hip surgeries and reflecting back on what can she have changed.      We discuss:   Kaysha’s gymnastics story, 10 hip surgeries.   How does a gymnast atomically get into the splits?   Labrum tears and growth plate related injuries.   Stop using ankle weights.   Is over splits bad for gymnasts?   Why you need to screen athletes who can’t don’t have their splits.   The dangers of 2-minute oversplits.   Is three full over splits realistic and possible for gymnasts?   Is there a magic exercise for getting splits flat?   And…    Should stretching hurt?We appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/