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. …
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.
The young trampolinist from the U.K. some were calling the next Jason Burnette had to withdraw from World Championships.
What a shame.
His training was going superbly … then 5-days before departure to St. Petersburg he reportedly dislocated his knee cap and broke bones in his lower leg.
He’s in hospital for some time having a series of operations. As an elite athlete the doctors will be very cautious in trying to bring him back to 100%.
Former World floor champion Daiane dos Santos of Brazil has tested positive for a banned weight loss drug, according to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
In an imaginatively titled article called “Furosemide strikes again!”, the FIG reports that dos Santos tested positive after being given an out of competition drug test in July. …
… Dos Santos, who is recovering from knee surgery, did not compete at the 2009 World Championships earlier this month. The FIG admitted that dos Santos might have been given the drug by mistake because of the surgery, according to the Associated Press.
Furosemide is a diuretic, meaning it causes urination and thereby drains the body of water, which can cause weight loss. It can also be used as a masking agent for other banned substances.
At the 2008 Olympics, Do Thi Ngan Thuong of Vietnam also tested positive for furosemide and was expelled from the Games, then given a one-year suspension. …
The good news … his injury looks minor and should heal rapidly.
Following his foot injury in podium training, Germany’s Fabian Hambüchen said that he is reconsidering his competitive schedule for next year. “I didn’t have a break from competition this year at all. I tried to please everybody. I’ve realised that sometimes you have to be a bit more selfish and look after your own interests. …
A new online journal dedicated to research in gymnastics. The editorial board includes several high profile gymnastics sport scientists (e.g. Hardy Fink, Bill Sands, Istvan Karascony, etc.).
The first issue (PDF) has just been published. Clicking on that link should open it as a document on your computer.
Ivan Cuk is Editor-in-Chief
English is the main language but they are accepting articles in other languages.
I’m super excited about this great new initiative. How many times has Dr. Jeni McNeal told me that gymnastics research is “dying”? (Jeni might be dying herself this weekend, competing in the U.S. Adventure Race National Championship in Pilot Point, TX)
Pass this link along to anyone you know who might be interested.
Most coaches DON’T for fear of (later) being blamed for contributing to disordered eating.
The do at University of Georgia. Four times a year.
photo credit – Kelly Lambert
… Amber Trani, who competed in the 2008 Olympic Trials just before beginning her freshman year at Georgia, came from a gym where coaches kept a close tab on their athletes.
“Back home, my gym was very strict,” she said. “We’d have weigh-ins, and they’d expect you to maintain your weight. You weren’t supposed to go up. It was restricted in that we weren’t supposed to eat breads and pastas. It was elite though. It’s supposed to be strict. You have to stay in the best shape to stay on top if you want to go anywhere.”
Once Trani got to college, she had more freedom to eat what she wanted. She said it was harder to eat healthy meals without a watchful eye. She’s realized that she had to make healthier choices, but she doesn’t have to restrict herself as much as she did when she was an elite-level gymnast. …
There are not any food restrictions placed on the Georgia gymnasts. …
The Gym Dogs also have a snack bar available to them in the practice facility where they can refuel if needed.
“It’s just really nice and convenient when you’re going from class to class,” Tolnay said. “Even if you’re here late studying, it’s just nice knowing that you can get some nutrition in you.”
The snack bar is stocked with Balance bars, protein and nutrition shakes and Powerade. …
“Our girls work with the food and nutrition lab and research lab here on campus,” Yoculan said. “They do their body compositions four times a year with the emphasis on increasing lean muscle mass and decreasing body fat. In addition to that measurement, it also looks at bone density and bone mineral content.”
Yoculan said the coaching staff has found that the gymnasts are at their optimum strength and perform more consistently when they have a 10 percent to 14 percent body composition.
“We don’t like them to go lower than 10 because that can cause a lot of problems for female athletes in general,” said associate head coach Jay Clark.
If the gymnasts’ body composition is too low, they are required to go to counseling. …
The Weller spring claims to reduce the impact force.
In Stride – Sports Medicine
By Jordana Bieze Foster
When three gymnasts from three different countries suffered torn Achilles tendons while practicing or competing in floor exercise at the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim, CA, gymnastics experts had to wonder whether the floor itself had contributed to the injuries.
As the International Gymnastics Federation’s scoring code has evolved to reward gymnasts for difficult aerial maneuvers, so has the surface on which floor exercises are performed become less stiff, incorporating spring coils to afford gymnasts more air time in which to twist and turn. But the injuries to American Courtney Kupets, Belarusian Dmitri Kasparovich, and Russian Evgeni Krylov on the world stage in 2003, followed by another Achilles tear suffered by Tabitha Yim at the U.S. Olympic team selection camp the following year, suggest that there is a biomechanical price to be paid for that competitive advantage.
…
“Sadly, we believe that the floor and vault board are major contributors to Achilles tendon and other injuries,” said William A. Sands, PhD, head of sport biomechanics and engineering for the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs, CO. “In my view, there is a problem with apparatus design that has its genesis in a lack of understanding of the nature of impact, vibration, and energy return of the apparatus.”
… Sands and his colleagues are working to create a more detailed picture of the athlete/apparatus interaction, using EMG, high-speed video, accelerometers, and Tekscan and Polhemus systems.
“There are a number of subtle nuances that haven’t been addressed and should be,” Sands said. “These include gymnasts’ age, weight, strength, experience, periodization of training, and bone, ligament, and tendon health. This is a very complex problem with a lot of tentacles going in different directions.”
AAI and USAG are hesitating to allow the (fully interchangeable) Weller springs. They feel there’s not enough research yet to be certain they will reduce injury.
But how many more athletes are going to snap Achilles while we wait to find out?
WOGA in Texas has installed Weller springs in all their Floors. They’re not waiting for the science to prove out.
BEIJING — X-ray bone analysis of 15,000 young Chinese athletes shows about 20 percent have lied about their ages, provincial sports authorities say.
The analysis was conducted by sports officials in southern Guangdong province and reported on the Web site of the Southern Metropolis Daily.
The confirmation of age-faking again puts pressure on Chinese sports officials. Several of China’s gold-medal winning female gymnasts at last year’s Olympics were widely suspected of being underage, although they were later cleared by officials of the sport’s world governing body.
…
The southern city of Guangzhou will host next year’s Asian Games, and provincial officials appear to be cracking down beforehand.
“We won’t allow those who faked their age to get any benefit at all,” said Ye Xiquan, deputy director of the provincial sports bureau.
Likely it’s coincidence, but new FIG Scientific Commission chair Keith Russell comes from University of Saskatchewan, a world leader in bone density research. Professor Russell did a study on wrist x-ray of gymnasts many years ago.
It’s very difficult to determine exact age by any scientific means. But the scrutiny of real assessment, rather than the blanket cover-up we had during the Beijing Olympics, will result in some athletes coming forward and admitting their actual birth date. Baby photos, date stamped, will turn up.
Professor Keith Russell of the University of Saskatchewan, former National Coach of Canada, is one of the most respected minds in our sport. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have in that position.
I worked with Keith for 10yrs in Saskatoon.
Congratulations to Bruno Grandi and FIG on this appointment.
Other top experts around the world have been asked to join Keith on that commission. They are waiting on confirmation from each.
Gymnast Kyle Shewfelt honoured once again, this time at the 36th Canadian Sport Awards at the National Gallery of Canada.
Kyle’s award recognizes and celebrates Canadian heroes who, in the pursuit of sporting excellence, have demonstrated values such as fairness, inclusion, perseverance, sportsmanship, respect for others, and a true love of sport.
That’s Kyle.
He made an amazing comeback from two broken legs and ligament damage at World Championships 2007 to compete at the 2008 Olympics.
The Spieth competition Floor at my gym is too hard, in my opinion.
Kyle Shewfelt, 2004 Olympic Floor champion, only rarely tumbled on it during training. He mostly tumbled on our rod floor.
Now Scott Weller has developed a product he calls the “First Significant Improvement to the Spring Floor in 25 Years.”
(Scott was a former all-around gymnast at the University of Michigan and Arizona State University.)
Meets FIG, USAG, NCAA competition specifications.
WOGA, Aspire Kids Sports, Arizona Sunrays are using it!
Bill Sands has looked at it:
“I’m very pleased you’ve really followed through and appear to have a superior product. I’d like to see the test results and study the athlete/apparatus interactions, but congratulations on a job well done.”
Wm A. Sands, PhD, FACSM, C-ARS, NR/WEMT
Performance Services – Recovery Center Leader
U.S. Olympic Committee – 1 Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909-5760
The pitch:
THIS TECHNOLOGY significantly reduces the peak forces transmitted to the athlete and the post-impact vibration in the floor. Lighter athletes can get more rebound while heavier ones will still have the full force.
THE WELLER spring comes up slower than it compresses (recoil). A slower recoil is almost certainly beneficial as tests have shown that spring floors can cause inadvertant knee bends during backward tumbling known as the “double knee bend”.
THE WELLER spring fits into the same caps in the floor now! So it’s easy to retrofit any spring floor. Just pop out old spring and put in the Weller spring!
UPDATE: The creator Anton explains that the odd skill that looks like Def was an accident. (He originally intended it to be a Geinger, but it did not turn out that way.)
SavaToxa used 3ds Max (formerly 3D Studio MAX) software to create this routine.
One of my former gymnasts, Marta Erlandson, did post-Grad research on gymnastics.
She debunks some of the negative mythology (i.e. “gymnastics makes you short“) that somehow seems to perpetuate itself in the popular media.
… Gymnastics places tremendous strain on wrists and forearms, and ankle joints take a pounding from hard landings. Many studies show the high impact nature of gymnastics stunts growth, presumably by prematurely closing growth plates at the ends of bones.
But Erlandson’s study took a novel approach, accounting for menarche — or the onset of menstruation — of the girls who took part in the study, not just their age.
“There are all kinds of studies that have looked at gymnasts and shown that at nine to 12 years of age, gymnasts are significantly shorter than other athletes,†she says.
“But then you go back and look at their doctor’s measurement from when they were one to three years old and they were also significantly shorter.â€
The study, which compared timing and tempo of maturation in female gymnasts to swimmers and tennis players, showed no significant difference in the pattern of growthand development of the gymnasts with their counterparts.
“Gymnastic training didn’t compromise adult height,†says Erlandson. “It is more likely that gymnasts and other athletes are selected into participating in the sport most suited to their body size, which is related to their maturity.†…
“Gymnastics is actually very good for children’s development,†she says. “For the general population putting children in gymnastics may have beneficial effects for body composition later in life. Children may have decreased obesity, stronger functional strength, better body awareness and increased bone density, which is shown to decrease osteoporosis later in life.â€
The C Score points out that media reports on scientific research like this are often misleading.
.. National Osteoporosis Society … their own study, which shows that girls 8-17 engaged in “high intensity gymnastic training†had bone densities 13-28 percent higher than matched controls. They also didn’t find evidence of stunted growth or that gymnasts were not receiving adequate nutrition. …
FIG Academy expert Keith Russell (CAN) has been named President of the FIG Scientific Commission.
