But it’s a great example of the worst possible landing in acrobatic sports, the ‘scorpion’.
As a coach I do everything I can to prevent this landing. It happens most often when over-rotating forward somersault (missing the feet). … It’s just as deadly when under-rotating a multiple forward somersault, though.
I ask young kids not to do this contortion position for fun, even if they are flexible enough. I don’t want them to have any muscle memory of the ‘scorpion’ shape, just in case.
How can we prevent ‘scorpion’ landings?
First, teach falling and landing skills to gymnasts at a very young age. They need be expert so as to know what to do when something goes wrong unexpectedly.
February 19, 2011 Nica Hults participates in her first international elite qualifier at the 2011 WOGA Classic Meet. She received a score of 14.0 on beam, the highest qualifying score of the meet. …
There’s some interesting commentary posted by Nica’s Mom on Couch Gymnast. This was the first time she has “felt calm during a meet“, despite 2 falls on Bars.
Acrobatic gymnastics (previously called Sport Acrobatics and nicknamed “Acro”) is a competitive partner sport combining the strength, flexibility and technical precision of gymnastics with the grace and musicality of dance as well as the trust and camaraderie of a dedicated partnership. …