Category: horizontal bar

Tap Swing conditioning

Short bodies with short limbs are not mechanically suited to do good Tap Swings. I find coaches spend too much time on this basic when it’s in a compulsory.

Easier is to have them condition. And introduce long swing on Rings. WAIT for them to grow before expecting a good Tap Swing.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Zoltan Rezacs – Gienger + 2/1 twist (1988)

Decades ahead of his time.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. You could call it Def + 1/1 twist.

The 2nd ever caught — so far as I know — was Leo Lehtinen in 2024.

Leo competes for Finland.

Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.

Pirouette drill – downhill

Brilliant.

Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.

training pirouettes to handstand

Two great ideas in this short video:

  • angles marked prominently on the wall
  • spotting with a soft mat so the gymnast knows where handstand is — but is not being manipulated into the position by a coach

Shilese Jones training Tkachev

Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.

Flyaway to Flat Back

BEFORE we let kids flip, it’s essential that they understand well how to move the centre of gravity AWAY from the Bar at the point of release.

Some call it “pitching out” the centre of gravity.

Flyaway not Flyclose.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

overview of Men’s Gymnastics

An excellent summing up of the sport — including some of the all time greats.

Click through for details.

What are the 6 apparatuses in Men’s Gymnastics?

Gaylord from Weiler?

Update: I’d previously linked to this video calling it a Pegan from Weiler. Oops.

Thanks to Terry for correcting that.

Carl Meader