CFHTT’s interview with Gareth Green

Crimson Heat Tiger had an epic weekend at Jamfest Europe 2017.

Junior 1 – 1st place, Grand champions and a full bid to the Summit
Senior 2 – 1st place and an at large bid to the Summit
Senior 3 – 1st place
Senior 5 – 1st place and a partial paid bid to WORLDS 🌎

We got speaking to Gareth and he explain to us  Crimson  5 journey to senior 5 division.

” The safe road to Crimson Heat 5 has always been about its foundations, it’s lower levels especially 1 and 2. Remaining top of the game here has allowed us to build a platform for athlete development across levels 3, 4 and now 5. We’ve been consistent at level 4 for two years and so at the beginning of the 2017 season I decided it was time to step up to level 5.

Nothing scares me more than the thought of my kids doing level five and the possibilities of injury through bad technique and accidents. As a result of my anxiety I came to the decision that if we were going to do this we will do this in the safest way possible. In the first year competition was not important, skills were not important. What was important is that everything learnt was done so progressively and safely and at a speed which meant that cleanliness was a priority. With a view to compete in around June so very late in the season I wanted the girls to go out feeling confident that they have the ability to put out a good routine, a safe routine and a routine that would show the industry that it’s okay to go out entry-level to not push the boundaries of the sport but to just enjoy being a safe level five.

Training planning has been absolutely vital and safety has been everything to us and something I pride myself on. Our 5 team had to wear rugby style gum shields every single training session without fail. I even took it to the extreme for pyramid elements that involved flipping stunts that the girls had to wear helmets in order to protect their nose and face. As it became clear that skills were safe we could remove the helmets and overtime started to reduce the amount of time the girls were wearing a gum-shield. During one of our hitch kick double sessions a base got a hands to the face connecting straight with her jaw, luckily she had the gum-shield in and sustained no injury but a bruised lip. Any time is skill looks dangerous in anyway or I felt as if an athlete was at too much risk we were just drop that skill completely and move on to something slightly easier. The same applies to tumble as well, If it’s not safe it’s not in.

The journey to 5 has been a huge learning experience and one that I’m quite proud of. Crimson heat is still very much in its infancy for Level5 and every session is a learning process for both athletes and coaches. For any coaches and programs thinking of making a move to level five I would love to see gum shields in to maximise safety and skills being modest until basics are well picked up and executed.

My best advice is just don’t go 5 until you have mastered and consistently done well at level 4. We look forward to pushing the next level of 5 over the coming months and prepare for worlds 2018 safely ”