Entries Tagged 'floor tumbling' ↓

Alexandra Raismen – 3/1 twist

Many are speculating whether the young American gymnast might be a future tumbling / vault contender in Senior.

Some even compare her to Alicia Sacramone. (Especially since she uses one of Alicia’s old Floor music pieces.)

Check out Alexandra’s “easy” triple twist. She must do a good quad twist in training.

Click PLAY or watch a Floor routine from Pan-Am Jr’s on YouTube.

12wk gymnastics sprint program

Valentin Uzunov posted an article on The Gym Press:

… a 12 week off-season sprint training program, for preadolescent gymnasts (7-12 years of age), who have not had formal sprint training. A detailed discussion is presented on the theoretical and practical application of the key concepts to effective sprinting for vault: optimized running mechanics, start of run-up and acceleration. The methodology behind this program is based on current track and field coaching methods, scientific literature on sprinting biomechanics and preadolescence speed and strength training principles. …

read the full abstract

It’s available to download for a few dollars. (This is a great way to support Valentin’s work studying the art and science of gymnastics coaching.)

He’s posted a number of videos on TheGymPress channel supporting this article.

One sample is a drill that I use a lot – Partner hamstring curls. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Gymnasts often have a muscular imbalance: their quads are too strong relative to the hamstrings. Partner hamstring curls are ideal for getting close to a maximum contraction safely.

Wow – Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics

Aomori University won the 2009 All Japan Team Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

But don’t expect to see a male version of the Women’s sport.

This is must see video. Great artistry, precision, synchronicity. Difficult tumbling. Sections that could be called Acrobatic Gymnastics.

In fact, this team could go to work for Cirque du Soleil tomorrow. A riveting performance.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Japan has been doing male team performances like this for over 50yrs.

For the first time I found this Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics website. It’s not kept updated, however.

Rhythmic Gymnastics is a competitive sport under the authority of F.I.G. (International Gymnastics Federation). Currently, only the women’s portion of rhythmic gymnastics is recognized by FIG – men’s rhythmic gymnastics is yet to get FIG approval. The possibilities and opportunities men’s rhythmic gymnastics presents are endless. It is up to each and everyone of us to work hard to make the dream a reality.

MenRG.com

Thanks Chris Houston for sending us the link.

young Nastia Liukin in competition

Show this video to your girls.

They need to see that even future Olympic Champions make mistakes. At some meets, many, many mistakes.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Israel – 1st World Gymnastics medal

Alexander Shatilov made history.

The 22-year-old is the first Israeli gymnast to get on the medal podium at World’s. He took bronze on Floor. Congratulations.

He’s listed at 183cm or 6′ 1″. … Impressive!

He immigrated from Uzbekistan to Israel in 2002.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Sweet forward layout 2 1/2 twist. The best I’ve ever seen.

tumbling – testing the Weller springs

It seems inevitable to me that all Floors will one day be constructed with the new springs designed by Scott Weller.

Weller Spring Floor gymnastics tumble test with Olympian Justin Spring

Powerful gymnasts, both male and female, test it at Illinois …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Note that Scott, a former gymnast, couldn’t resist leaving a clip of Horizontal Bar at the end of the video.

For more information, click through to softer Floor – Weller springs.

The springs are available from King Bars Sports, LLC.

highlights – Gymnastics World Championships

The best wrap-up report I’ve seen as yet was posted by Anne on Gymnastike:

Dragalescu did not crash his second vault this competition. He cranked a half-on, Front Layout with 2 1/2 twist. He just might be the greatest vaulter of all time. Him… or Scherbo.

For his first vault, Marian launched his trademark vault, handspring double front with a half twist out, aka the Dragulescu. This vault was competed by nearly all of the vault finalists, but performed the best by Dragulescu who earned 9.550 exectution. His second vault had the highest start value of the competition at a 7.2. There was a lot of hype surrounding Ri Se Gwang of North Korea, but you just never know what he is going to do. Today he threw 2 scary vaults, the first was a piked Dragulescu which he landed on his head. ouch.

Click PLAY or watch 28yr-old Marian Dragalescu win Vault on YouTube.

Regarding Olympics 2012, Marian was quoted as saying: “… But maybe next time, you never know …”

===

… Crowd favorite Beth Tweddle was the first competitor up, and hit her insanely difficult floor set. To the delight of the crowd, her score held throughout the competition. …

Click PLAY or watch Beth Tweddle’s Gold Medal on Floor on YouTube.

At age-24, she’s not committing to 2012.

Click through for the other apparatus. Gymnastike – 2009 World Gymnastics Championships Recap

Dragulescu wins Vault, Floor

LONDON (Reuters) – Marian Dragulescu grabbed gold on the vault to claim his second title at the world gymnastics championships on Sunday. …

As soon as Dragulescu nailed his second vault — an ambitious Yurchenko half-on with 1-1/2 twist 2 1/2 twist — he punched the air in delight and held up his index fingers to the crowd as if to say, “That’s why I’m number one.”

Victory increased the 28-year-old’s haul of world titles to eight.

Reuters

Britain World Gymnastics Championships
ESPN

full results (PDF)

Dragulescu wins Floor?

I dunno. Pretty sloppy.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

He’s not as strong as he once was, but it was still good enough to be World Champion. Congratulations.

Marian Dragulescu may be the greatest Floor / Vault man of all time. Him or Scherbo.

results (PDF)

Sean Golden on Front Twisting

This is not how I teach forward layout, full twist. But it’s very similar to what is taught by Russian Head Coach Andrei Rodionenko.

Something tells me I should listen to Sean Golden. I already know I need to listen to Andrei!

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

Gymnastics Videos on Gymnastike

This is part of the Technique Tuesday series of tutorials. (Workout Wednesday is tomorrow. I can hardly wait.)

arm action – forward layout salto

Tony Retrosi shows a good technique and drills on how to use your arms to accelerate rotation.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Gymnastics Minute is a series of free introductory video tips produced by GymSmarts.

Dragulescu – he’s still got it

The best gymnast on Floor and Vault of the last decade is 28yr-old Marian Dragulescu from Romania.

… world titles on floor (2001, 2002, 2006) and vault (2001, 2005, 2006) …

Andy Thornton:

He’s still got it! Although we’ve seen him do a more difficult first pass (he used to do a punch front 1 ¼ out of that), he looks as controlled and powerful as ever. He made those passes look WAY too easy, and yet every single one of them is extremely difficult. How about that second pass of front full to front full 1 ¾? And he’s still doing a double-double as the SIXTH tumbling pass – unbelievable! He should definitely be in the gold medal mix on floor at worlds next month. …

American Gymnast – A look at the Romanian men’s team…

Click PLAY or watch his Floor from 2009 Romanian Championships on YouTube.

I’m not convinced. Marian has never had good form tumbling. And he does not look close to peak form here.

Recall that he was badly injured on a roll out skill in the past. Yet he’s still relying on those dangerous tricks … as is everyone else in contention for medals.

I wish the Men would ban roll out skills as the Women did long ago.

Marian is the favourite on vault, as Andy explains his blog post.

front tumbling downhill

Good drill from Tony Retrosi:

Being able to accelerate front tumbling make the more difficult skills easier. Here Tony show drills for the handspring front and handspring front layout using an inclined mat.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Gymnastics Minute is a series of free introductory video tips produced by GymSmarts.

The air mat of course from TumblTrak.

How about that old AMF folding crash mat? I haven’t seen one of those in decades.