Chapter 35 #2
After another hour of working on vault, I was feeling the effects of Madeline's coaching.
My shoulders ached from arching back and popping off the table, and my stomach was tighter than a fishing knot.
I had done so many practice vaults I'd lost count, but strange enough, I wasn't ready to go home. I was more pumped than ever.
Madeline was strict and tough, but with a feminine touch.
She knew how to push without breaking down a gymnast. Many coaches trained with an iron fist. I had no issue with that mentality.
I got it, and I understood why they did it, it worked in my advantage.
It took a strong mind to ignore the harsh comments and push past them.
But some days it was a nice change to have someone like Madeline coach you.
Most of the time I welcomed the change with Madeline, but I preferred Kova's training any day.
Not because of what occurred between us, it had absolutely nothing to do with that.
Kova could crush me in seconds, but he pushed me harder than anyone else ever had.
And I loved it more than words could ever express.
A hard practice produced confidence.
Confidence could move mountains.
Adrianna Rossi. An emotional sadist at its finest.
"Come. I have some drills I think will benefit you I want to work on before you leave." Madeline’s voice broke into my thoughts.
I followed her to the tumble tramp, climbed up, and stood feet together in the middle. There was a landing mat at the end with a massively tall rectangular blue mat made up of vinyl and nylon mesh fabric.
I loved this trampoline for the simple fact that I could practice tumbling passes until I was blue in the face without putting stress on my body. It reduced injury from multiple repetitions. At the elite level, that's all we did—repetitions.
"Let's do some handstand hops. I want you to be aware of your wrist extensions so when you push through, you don't put all the weight on your shoulders. You need to extend your wrist as much as possible when you pop up."
I nodded and moved into position. I'd never done this drill on a trampoline, only on floor, so I knew exactly what she meant.
My palms touched the black spring mesh bound together by bungee cords on each side.
I popped off my hands into another handstand without touching the floor, and came loose.
My hips dropped to the right and my knees bent, pulling into my stomach. I caught myself and stood up.
Madeline looked up at me. "You weren't tight, but you got the power.
Keep your chest in." She hollowed her chest to form a curve with her upper body and tapped it.
"I don't want to see your ass, roll them hips under and open, girl.
Hip flexors flat, so you're constantly working on keeping them flat and open.
Closed hips show you're a frightened amateur, opened hips show you're in control and fearless. "
My coach was one hundred percent correct. This time when I did the handstand hop, I did it correctly.
"Good. Now let's do a few passes of those up and down, say about"—she squinted her eyes like she was thinking about it—"thirty?"
Thirty was not a few passes, but I wasn't going to argue with her. If I could do them on the floor, then sixty rows total up and down thirty feet of narrow trampoline would be a piece of cake.
By the time I finished, my wrists were a bit tender. They cracked a few times mid-hop that produced a wince from me, but overall, I felt great.
Standing at the edge, Madeline reached up and handed me a blue square. I knew where she was going with this before she said anything. I did similar drills on bars with these foam squares.
"Put the block between your knees and squeeze. Back handsprings up and down the track. This will give you cleaner and tighter back handsprings. Use those inner thighs."
Not only would this drill really benefit four events, but it would also rectify legs separating when moving from low bar to high bar.
Any time I saw legs split just even a hair open during a Shaposh, I would grimace.
It annoyed me to no end and all I could see was sloppiness from there on out.
That being said, it was a lot harder to keep them closed than together. I completely understood the issue.
"Now back tucks," Madeline ordered before I reached the end of the track.
Once I'd gotten a little more than halfway down the mat, she yelled, "Look how when your legs are tightly squeezed together how your hips rotate faster.
It's beautiful and clean. This is what I want all the time, Adrianna.
Great job!" Just when I thought I was going to get a second to catch my breath and not jump, Madeline added, "Now full twists with the foam. "
Shit. My stomach was a flaming ball of heat from squeezing my abs. At least this was a little easier in a way. All I had to do was complete four back handsprings and a full-twist, not pull up my knees and punch out tucks every time.
On my last pass, my arms buckled. Bent at the elbow, my back gave out and yet somehow I dug deep and still managed to keep the square between my legs.
I gasped quietly, catching myself so it appeared I'd just finished the pass and nothing more.
Landing, my heart pounded so loud I could hear it thumping in my ears, and my skin tingled with little pricks from the tightening of my muscles.
"Great, now move to the floor and grab a folded panel mat. Set it down at your feet." Madeline stood off to the side and called out instructions. My joints cried out from the inside but I kept my face neutral.
"Once again, handstand hops. This time up to the mat and remember to extend your wrists.
Start with one knee bent so it's facing forward.
" I brought my toes toward the opposite knee.
"Right. This is going to make it so you have to wind up and kick with the bent leg.
Handstand snap down from the mat and rebound.
Remember to keep your hips flat and press the hip flexors open. Go."
I wasn't sure how many I had to complete, I guessed I'd go until she said stop, or until I couldn't take anymore.
I wasn't sure which was worse.
Only a handful in and Madeline said, "We want a quicker rebound. Push it, Adrianna." She clapped her hands loud, rushing for me to speed up. "Chest in, hips under! You need to use your lower back and stomach so you don't pike down."
I grew more exhausted each time I punched the floor with my feet and snapped my hips down. My entire body was ready to cave in. And the truth was, I couldn't tell if it was because I was physically or mentally worn out.
"Head and arms stand parallel, I don't want to see your ears. Your head and shoulders are not to come out first. When you bend your body down, your arms and head go at the same pace and direction. Do not pop that head up like a turtle."
I grimaced. Coach Madeline was starting to sound like Kova.
I didn't give up though. Not once. I fought through the tiredness and pain. If I didn't sacrifice myself in those moments and push, then what I wanted would become the sacrifice. I was too close to the victory tape to give up now.