International Elite Gymnastics

A side of Competitive Edge Training Camp we don’t share often!

Gymnastics is so much more than just learning skills. We take the time to work on the details that make a gymnast truly stand out.

Coach Shannon worked with the girls on artistry; active flexibility, sharp and intentional movements, pointed toes, straight knees, body lines, and learning how to move with purpose.

These details may look small, but they make a BIG difference when it comes to presentation and ex*****on.

We believe in building complete gymnasts, strong, powerful, technically sound, and beautiful to watch.

This is the kind of work that happens behind the scenes at International Elite Gymnastics.

Kip Clinic Part 2: The Fundamentals Matter

Shaping, conditioning, and body positioning are essential pieces of the Kip progression.

One of the biggest reasons gymnasts struggle with their Kips is that they overlook the fundamentals. At our Kip Clinic, we don’t skip the details!

We know everyone wants to jump right in and start attempting the Kip, but repeatedly trying the skill without first building the proper shapes, strength, and body positions won’t produce the progress athletes are looking for.

Strong Kips are built from the basics. That’s why we take the time to break down every piece of the skill and make sure our gymnasts understand not just how to do it, but why it works.

Stay tuned for more from our Kip Clinic!

Before → After

Another Competitive Edge Training Camp highlight! WATCH TO THE END!

This is a before & after you don’t want to miss!

With the help of targeted drills, we took this Level 5’s vault from bent elbows, poor body alignment, and a lack of a solid block… to THIS!

This is what happens when we slow things down, break down the mechanics, and focus on the details that make a great vault.

And this is just the beginning!
Stay tuned, vault clinics are coming!

Competitive Edge Training Camp — Day 3, Week 3!

Look at that handstand hold on the Level 3 beam dismount!

Strong, controlled, and beautiful! Great job!

Part 1: Breaking Down the Glide

Yesterday’s Saturday Skills Clinic was all about Kips!

In Part 1 of our clinic video, we’re breaking down one of the most important pieces of the skill: the glide.

A strong kip doesn’t start with the pull, it starts with understanding how to create the right shape, swing, and body position through the glide. We took the time to slow it down, isolate the movement, and help our gymnasts understand the how AND the why behind it.

Because when you understand the pieces, you can put them together to build a better skill.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

First grips, big milestone!

After a long summer of learning their Level 3 routines, building confidence, and working Level 4 upgrades, our Level 3s are finally ready to start getting acclimated to their Wolf Wear grips !

They did SO well for their first try, and we couldn’t be more proud of them!

Moving forward, we’ll spend the last 10 minutes of every bar practice getting comfortable with their grips and learning how to use them properly. Little by little, they’ll become second nature.

At International Elite Gymnastics, we don’t just train for where our gymnasts are today, we’re always preparing them for where they’re going next.

So proud of this crew!

A back handspring isn’t just something you “throw” until you get it.

At our Back Handspring Clinic last weekend, we focused on something that can be easy to overlook: the how and the why behind the skill.

Instead of spending two hours repeatedly throwing back handsprings, we broke the skill down into its fundamentals, body shapes, arm positions, blocking, heel drive, hand placement, timing, and the mechanics that make a back handspring work.

We know that may not always be what an athlete expects from a back handspring clinic. Sometimes the expectation is that you’ll walk in, throw a bunch of back handsprings, and walk out with a perfect one.

But gymnastics doesn’t work that way.

If an athlete has been training several hours a week for months and is still struggling to perform a back handspring with proper form, two hours of simply repeating the same movement isn’t going to magically fix it.

Understanding the skill is the first step toward mastering the skill.

Our goal isn’t to teach athletes how to get over, it’s to teach them how to do a back handspring correctly, safely, and consistently.

Sometimes the most valuable progress doesn’t look like a new skill at the end of the day. Sometimes it looks like finally understanding why the skill wasn’t working before.

That foundation is what turns a back handspring from something you can occasionally throw into a skill you can truly own.

Thank you to all of the athletes who came ready to learn, work, and challenge themselves!

This 3-in-1 drill targets three key pieces of a successful kip cast to handstand.

Bar Compression – Developing the compression needed for a strong, efficient kip.

Heel Drive – Teaching gymnasts to aggressively drive their heels toward the ceiling. A powerful heel drive is what helps elevate the cast to handstand instead of simply throwing the shoulders.

The Fall – Simulating the feeling of falling over the bar from handstand in a safe, controlled way. The more comfortable athletes become with this sensation, the more confidently they’ll attack their kip cast to handstand.

The best drills don’t just build strength, they build understanding and confidence. When gymnasts trust the movement, they’re far more willing to commit, and that’s when the biggest breakthroughs happen.

Building confidence with our Level 2 gymnasts, one back hip circle at a time.

Confidence comes first. Once they trust themselves and the skill, that’s when we can really focus on cleaning it up, refining the details, and building consistency. Strong basics create strong gymnasts, and we’re excited to watch their progress continue!