Did you know that bones are constantly changing their calcium? That some joints never move? That you'll never be able to control some muscles? That just because you can "move it" doesn't mean it "ain't broke"? No? Well, read on. This chapter will give you the basic skinny about bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, plus the other stuff that keeps you vaulting. We'll talk about general types of injuries and conclude with some basic first aid you should know.
Really, this section should be titled the musculo-skeleto-ligameato- tendeno-cartilagenoidal system, because it takes more than a skeleton and some muscles to make things work. We'll start with bones.
Bones
We all know about bones, right? We see them in our chicken dinner, in museum dinosaur displays and in comic strips about dogs. The human body has 206 of them, and believe it or not, they are alive, living and breathing (in their own way) - not some dead chunks of calcium. They are just as much living tissue as muscle and skin, with blood vessels, nerves (yes, bones can hurt), and an active mineral life.
About 30 percent of every bone is made up of a protein called collagen, the same type of protein that forms your fingernails and hair. Of course, this collagen isn't stiff enough on its own. It does, however, provide the framework that supports the complicated calcium and phosphorus compounds that make bones hard and strong.
Throughout your life, calcium and phosphorus are constantly being removed and replaced in this protein framework under the control of a very complex metabolic system. You'll never have the "same old bones" because they are changing calcium like people change underwear.
The constant replacement and renewal of calcium in bones makes it possible for bones to grow and to repair themselves. It's a unique process, and nothing else in the body quite matches it.
Bone Jobs
Bones have two basic jobs, one of which should be obvious to you - to let you move. Nearly every life form requires something like a skeleton to enable motion: Those creatures that do without a skeleton live an unenviable slug-like existence. Even insects have skeletons, although in their case it is the crusty outside case ("exoskeleton") instead of teeny bones inside. (That's why bugs squish when you step on them and break the exoskeleton.)
The second job bones do is protect vital organs. That's why your brain is inside your skull, your spinal cord is inside your spine, and your heart and lungs are surrounded by ribs. We could talk about bugs here, too, but perhaps enough is enough.
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[I wrote the following section based on my own thoughts, ideas and philosophy of life.]
Epilogue
It's been fun, but here's the end. You've learned something about your body, something about using it in gymnastics, and something about how to keep it healthy for the long life in front of you.
We hope you feel proud to be the owner of a genuine human body. It's an honor reserved for very few living creatures. You are in charge of an original one-and-only: your own special version of this world's most intricate and wondrous creation. Treasure it.
But what about winning? We titled this book "A Healthy 10" - we've talked about "healthy," but what about the "10?"
People write whole books about winning psychology, but we think it all comes down to three key principles:
Set the right goals.
Contrary to what you might think, winning a gold medal at the Olympics is not the right goal. Why? Two reasons. First, your chances are slim. Think of all the athletes crowding the stadium in Barcelona recently. Only a few came away with gold. And how many never made it to Barcelona? Do you want to spend years honing your gymnastic skills only to end up saying, "Well, I guess that's been ten years down the drain?"
Second, the goal of winning a medal limits your possibilities. How many people are able to repeat their performance at the Olympics? Carl Lewis and Mark Spitz are the exceptions. Nearly everyone who peaks with a gold medal limits their future accomplishments. Having achieved the "ultimate goal," they are unable to do it again.
Winning football teams play right on through the goal posts, as if the field went on forever. The quarterback passes deep into the end zone, not to the one-yard line. Losers stall out, over-awed by the nearness of those white posts.
So what is the right goal? Simple. To be as much yourself as you can be. To do what you can do, as well as you can do it. To express yourself as fully as possible, every minute. Don't dwell on the mistakes of the past. Don't worry about the future.
To be a real winner, your goal should be to live - and enjoy - every moment to its fullest. From the simplest training to the most demanding meet.
Rehearse mentally.
Gymnastics is as much in your mind as your body. Close your eyes and visualize some difficult maneuver. . .Do you have a vision of every move you make? Can you actually feel your body making the move? Do you know where you are in the air, what every part of your body is doing? Make a movie in your mind, play it over in slow motion and refine it until it's perfect. Then speed up the projector.. .You'll be amazed how much this adds to your skill. Studies show that athletes can often gain as much or more benefit from mental rehearsal as they do from physical practice.
Make this technique a habit of training. Use mental gymnastics to fall asleep at night - if you dream the perfect move, you won't believe how much that dream will carry over!
And use this technique at meets. Before you start, see yourself doing the routine. See everything happening perfectly and naturally from beginning to end. Then give yourself and your body to this vision.
This means living in the "now-ness" of what you are doing - in training and at meets. It means participating fully, without distraction, in every second that you move through.
Focus means that you don't stand mentally to one side, judging your performance. It means that you don't remember that only a few seconds ago you fell off the beam. It means that you don't worry about what the point standings are, or whether the judges are biased. It means that you live fully, now. It means living with love for the sport and joy in your skill. It has very little to do with "performing" for some transitory honor.
Enjoy!
The Creator has given each of us unique gifts - perhaps even a real talent for gymnastics. When we use our gifts with love and joy, we celebrate what we have received and we glorify life itself. That's the real "10."
Think about the people you admire most. Remember Mary Lou Retton's smile? She had that "joy of life" and it showed. (The judges saw it too.)
When you enjoy yourself, you literally "lighten up." You fly higher, run faster, and balance more beautifully than you ever thought possible - because it's no longer so terribly important to be perfect.
It's too late to worry about technique when you get to a meet. You know it or you don't. Your body has memorized the moves or not. Worrying poisons your energy, short-circuits your wiring, and sabotages your talent.
A paradox: We achieve perfection when we least seek it.
Work hard, practice your skills, develop your body and take care of it. When the time comes, give your body the freedom to create the beauty it knows, while your mind rejoices in the amazement of this creation. Let go, live in the present and let the numbers take care of themselves! It's a daring technique, and it works. Better than that, it becomes a way of life.
Your journey in this world can be rich with "10" experiences, regardless of what the judges think. Isn't this what really counts?
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