Olympic gymnast Simone Biles found time in her busy schedule to help other people learn her sport.
Biles will teach the fundamentals of gymnastics for MasterClass, reports NBC Sports. Students will learn skills from a series of pre-filmed videos. The lessons will be based around performing routines on several platforms including vault, floor exercise, uneven bars and balance beam. The classes cost $90 for a single lesson and $180 for an annual plan.
MasterClass recruits celebrities to teach skills from their professions. Other instructors include Timbaland, Serena Williams and Shonda Rhimes.
The 22-year-old athlete hopes amateur gymnasts won’t be deterred by seeing her name attached to the series.
“I want them to know it’s not just for upper-levels. It’s for beginner, intermediate all the way to advanced as to what I’m doing,” Biles told For The Win. “So it breaks down the fundamentals of the skills, the basics of the drills, to the higher-level skills. So I hope they don’t get too nervous to see MasterClass by Simone Biles and say, ‘Oh, we’re not going to be able to do it.’ Everybody can do it because it gets very broken down."
Biles admits she’s a bit nervous since she’s stepping into a different role. Coaching is a new arena.
“I’m not necessarily a coach in that aspect, but I feel like I have really good insight on gymnastics that I can share wisdom with the kids and the athletes and anybody who will take the course,” she confessed. “But I am nervous because I’ve never been on that side before. I’ve always been on the performance side, so we’ll see how that goes.”
The course isn’t restricted to showing technique and stunts. Biles wants her pupils to be mentally prepared before they step onto a mat.
“We cover a lot of things, so hopefully I can help them get ready for competitions,” she said. “We cover the mental part of the training and how to get out of your own head, which is kind of more complex because our sport is very difficult and I think you get in your head a lot.”
It’s easy to get in your head when you’re a six-time national title winner who keeps breaking records. On August 9, Biles was the first gymnast to successfully complete a dismount following a double somersault with two twists. She is also the first female gymnast to finish a double somersault with three twists.
Despite her remarkable achievements, Biles has mixed feelings about being dubbed the GOAT.
“I don’t know,” she told FTW. “I take it with a grain of salt because everyone have different opinions. Most of them are pretty much the same, but I try not to let it get to me and just do my thing.”
The only thing better than a winner is a humble winner.
Biles' course is open for enrollment.
