Category: falling & landing

Sandeep Kumar Pal is paralyzed

“C4-5 fracture-dislocation with quadriplegia,” is how the doctors first described his injury.  …

… A month after he had won his medal at the Khelo India games, he had joined the national camp in New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Stadium. …

“I must have done it over a thousand times in my life. Even on the day I got injured, I performed it (Double Back on FX)  three times cleanly,” he recalls. The fourth time though, he lost control. “My mind went blank at the top of the jump. …

How one fall turned gymnast Sandeep Kumar Pal’s life upside down

After months of rehab, he’s still regaining movement.

(via Rocker Gymnastics)

Concussion first responders

“50% of concussions go unreported.”

What to do if you suspect a concussion

In all suspected cases of concussion, the person should stop the activity right away. Continuing increases their risk of more severe, longer-lasting concussion symptoms, as well as increases their risk of other injury.

Anyone with a suspected concussion should be checked out by a medical doctor.

Red flags

  • Neck pain or tenderness
  • Double vision
  • Weakness or tingling in arms or legs
  • Severe or increasing headache
  • Seizure or convulsion
  • Loss of consciousness (knocked out)
  • Deteriorating conscious state
  • Vomiting more than once
  • Increasingly restless, agitated or combative
  • Growing confusion

If any red flag symptoms are present, call an ambulance right away. These may be signs of a more serious injury.

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Gymneo – Dive Roll

For me Dive Roll is a critical SAFETY basic. When something goes wrong, gymnasts need to absorb impact force over time and surface area by rolling out.

The classic example is going over the handle bars when cycling: rolling out is safest, prone fall more dangerous. 

Male gymnasts all do enough dive rolls.

But it’s a neglected basic for some WAG coaches. If you see a competitive gymnast  with too much pike on her Handspring Vault, there’s a good chance she hasn’t perfected Dive Roll.

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DON’T try this … on the dock

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hard landing mats in the pit

We see it EVERY competition …

Gymnasts competing skills on to hard mats that they’ve obviously rarely done on to competition mats.

It’s dangerous.

Coaches should do a better job of simulating the competition landing in training.

coach Warren Long at Taiso Saskatoon

The best I’ve ever seen was T&T coach Tammy Stephenson. She trained landings on to very high, very soft surfaces for most of the year. Prior to a competition she alternated layers of matting stiffened with sheets of plywood.