This book is intended to fill an apparent void in progressive<br >gymnastics training. Too little attention has been paid to the<br >concept of preparation for gymnasts， that is， physical， techni-<br >cal， psychological， tactical， and theoretical preparation.<br >Beyond the very earliest stages of the training and education<br >process， a general lack of knowledge becomes evident in the<br >direction of beginning gymnasts. This stage in the develop-<br >ment of a gymnast is particularly critical. The five types of<br >preparation mentioned above provide an important framework<br >for determining the training process and for recognizing the<br >questions that must be asked and answered for each gymnast<br >who reaches this stage.<br > Physical preparation concerns the general and specific<br >strength， flexibility， muscular endurance， weight， and health<br >of the gymnast. It is important to decide where the gymnast is<br >going and what she would like to be capable of doing in the<br >near future. Then the training and education by which the<br ><br >