As the mother of a serious gymnast (level 9) we learned early how important it is to hold your shape. We moved multiple times (once overseas which led to a 3 year hiatus from gymnastics) and were exposed to different levels of coaching. For the most part we had excellent coaching but realized that many gyms do not have the level of coaching needed for the sport of gymnastics. Keeping your shape is the base of the pyramid on which everything is built and we saw first hand gymnasts with talent who were not successful because they lacked the basics. I personally know parents and gymnasts that could have used these booklets. We would have benefited from using them to reinforce what was taught and as reference at home. They are presented in such a user friendly manner that you feel like the physical therapist is right there with you.

Date of Posting: 29 April 2010
Posted By: Jeanette Herter

I recommend these two booklets to all coaches as a source of invaluable education. I wish there had I been a similar booklet available to my coaches when I was a young athlete. Coaches need to know how to encourage athletes to move and train correctly. Coaches also need to know when it is time to direct a young athlete to cross train, or to just stop. There is a need for similar booklets for many other sports. Fun to read, easy to understand-these booklets will help the athlete, coach, parent, and physical therapist attain their dreams of success.

Date of Posting: 29 April 2010
Posted By: Heidi Brouwer

Wow, I saw a copy of hold your shape, gymnastics with the parent and coach manual and learned a lot about myself. I am a counselor, working with children and their parents. These books are written in a professional, yet very understandable way. I can almost hear Kathy’s voice taking me through the steps as I read them. I am following the booklet for my own fitness, now that I know what to watch for and what is really important. I now know what could cause injury and what could help me to build a stronger foundation for my fitness. You don’t need to be a gymnast, coach, or a parent to take advantage of these books.

Date of Posting: 29 April 2010
Posted By: Kelly Bradley Zadow, MEd, CSAC
Clinical Supervisor Individual, Family and Group Counselor

Kathy has made great contributions to the health and body development of the Flipstar Gymnastics Team! She has helped us in many ways… She has watched the girls to observe skills they are struggling with and then developed strengthening strategies to help them with these skills. The local cheerleaders came in clueless on conditioning and flexibility. I had them use Kathy’s warm up. When they struggled with correct form in a skill I would remind them which warm-up shape they needed to use. They were amazed that the program really worked. When they used the correct muscles and shape, they could perform the skill.

Date of Posting: 29 April 2010
Posted By: Sheryl DeWeerd
Owner and coach of Flipstar Gymnastics National level NAWGJ-USAG official, Ludington, MI