A book review by site editor Rick McCharles
Excellent.
Pommel Horse Exercises
Methods, Ideas, Curiosities, History (1998)
by Istvan Karacsony and Ivan Cuk
Forward by Hardy Fink.
The history section is fascinating, dating back to Alexander the Great. Of course the “horse” was used for military training.
Jahn was the first to document the difference between a “swinging” horse and a “vaulting” horse.
Emil Hafner (Switzerland) is given credit for the first “circle” (1868). Yu-Lienfeng (CHN) get credit for the first circle on one pommel (1954).
I learned of Julius Stockli (SUI) circa 1886.
Author Karacsony is from Hungary, a nation famous for Zoltan Magyar, Berki and many others. It may be that the Hungarians were first to train the “pig” twice a day.
Canadian Phillippe Delasalle gets credit for the “Flair” (1975). In Russia the skill was long called “Delasalle”.
Kurt Thomas is praised for the “Thomas Flair” (Flair Czech Flair – 1976). We are reminded that in 1980 he may well have been the best all-around gymnast in the world, … but the USA led a boycott of the Moscow Olympics.
A sad omission, though, are the true inventors of the Flair: Ted Marcy and his teammates from Hinsdale Central High school in Chicago.
Magyar‘s wonderful story is there. He was undefeated for 8yrs in any competition, twice Olympic champion.
Click PLAY or watch his 1976 Olympic Gold routine on YouTube.
9.9 … No deduction back then for “lack of extension”, obviously.
Here’s one Magyar story you’ve not heard. When I was a young man he came to Calgary, Canada to compete in an international invitational. Equipment was supplied (as I recall) by Mike Jacki, AAI.
Magyar warmed up his full routine with Spindle and Travel. No problem. Then the other gymnasts complained that the horse was “wrong”. The holes had been drilled incorrectly so that the horse was not close to symmetrical. Magyar hadn’t even noticed!
Jacki stayed up all night (as I recall) “fixing” that horse.
Bill Roetzheim (USA) was not the best judge in history. But he gets fair credit for the invention of the “flop rule”, greatly simplifying judging.
Another judge getting a shout out is Ron Smith (GBR) who simplified pommel scripting.
About Istvan Karacsony
Ivan Cuk is editor of Science of Gymnastics Journal
These authors, both University educators, have 4 apparatus books for Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (FX, PH, R, V) and are working on the other two.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get your hands on them as there’s no world wide distribution, as yet. Ivan tells me they plan to sell them online in the near future.
Disclosure: mine is a review copy given me by the authors.
related post – gymmedia – History of Pommel horse
Gymnastics Coaching.com 