Gymnastics Coaching.com

China won eight of 10 possible titles Thursday in the finals of the World Cup in Tianjin, China.

… Cheng Fei won vault, balance beam and floor exercise.

I was thinking Cheng Fei might not be at her best in Beijing, being the “elder” of a fantastic team. She’s certainly proving me wrong.

… Top uneven bars qualifier He Kexin withdrew from finals, citing exhaustion after two World Cup victories this season and the Chinese National Championships over the weekend. Teammate Yang Yilin, second in qualification, stepped up to win the title by a healthy 1.6-point margin of victory.

Canada’s Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs won the silver, her fourth World Cup medal this year. Russia’s Ksenia Afanasyeva, second to Cheng on vault, won the bronze (Shaposhnikova-half).

Cheng won beam over Russia’s Kristina Goryunova, the bronze medalist on vault, and 2006 world champion Irina Krasnyanskaya (Ukraine).

commentary and Men’s highlights – International Gymnast

Finals results – Women
Finals results – Men

The favourite in the Olympic All-Around Yang Wei withdrew because of a minor shoulder injury, a preventative measure we’re told.

Next World Cup meet is in Moscow, May 29-30.

The U.S. women drew the second of four subdivisions and will begin on floor exercise. “There are better starting positions,” said U.S. national team coordinator Marta Karolyi, when IG informed her of the draw. “But pretty much, if you prepare, you have to handle any kind of start. So that’s the approach that I really like to take. Certainly, we will start training based on this information.”

Karolyi said she prefers starting on vault, and that balance beam is the hardest event because of its inherent pressure. “We started in Stuttgart (at the 2007 World Championships) on beam, and we made the special preparation and it really worked,” she said.

While most teams favor the final sessions, the U.S. can take comfort that its main challengers, China and Romania, drew the short straws this time. In Subdivision I, Romania will begin on vault, China the balance beam. Asked if she was glad the U.S. didn’t get China’s draw, Karolyi laughed and said, “I don’t know, because it worked for us in Stuttgart.” …

Dwight Normile – International Gymnast – Olympic draw not ideal for U.S., but not bad, either

I feel the draw is much less important for women than it is for men — because the men’s competition is much more fiercely competitive. By that I mean the ability level of men from top to bottom is more equal. There will be a HUGE range of competitors in the women’s competition from lowest A-score to highest.

Lu Shanzhen, coach of the Chinese gymnastics women’s team, …

“It is the worst draw!” Lu expressed his disappointment after the draw. “We are in the first qualification and will start with balance beam.” …

People’s Daily

On Gymnast.com …

Men’s judging was terrible at the 2004 Olympics. Quite good at the 2000 Olympics.

No doubt FIG and IOC are putting pressure on the Men to NOT SCREW UP in Beijing.

Bad judges sometimes tend to let scores escalate over the day. If that happens, Germany, Korea and Romania would benefit, being in the third flight. (Romania already gets far too often the benefit of the doubt, in my opinion.)

With the new code, it’s much more difficult to over score the undeserving. Escalation of scores should be much less a problem this time than it’s been in the past.

The biggest worry for a team like the USA (first flight) is that apparatus finalists are chosen on the first day.

more details on Gymnast.com

I’m at the 2008 USAIGC / NACGC College Bound Invitational sponsored by Alpha Factor at the Silver Spurs Arena, Kissimmee, Orlando, Florida

For a $150 entry fee you get no judges. No awards. Gymnasts first also register as an USAIGC Athlete (personal insurance).

Girls are here to be evaluated by all the College coaches in the country.

Freshman & Sophomores (Grade 9 & 10 in 2008) cannot enter this meet. You must be in the last 2 years of High School.

If you end up getting a spot on a College Team, the money spent is a good investment.

It’s a great idea this competition. I recommend it.

Details on the USAIGC website

On about.com Gymnastics …

Athletes with great form seem to be a dying breed in gymnastics. Why? Because the current scoring system doesn’t penalize bad form severely enough to make it worth worrying about. …

Sadly, I think this is true. Even the Chinese gymnasts have worse form than just a couple of years ago.

read the post and take a poll by clicking Who Has the Best Form? on about.com Gymnastics

more photo examples of good form and bad form – about.com Gymnastics

Another pretty good online instructional:

… The take-off of a back flip is called the “set” or “lift.” To successfully complete a back tuck, you’ll need to learn how to set the right way. This set drill can be used with a spotter (as shown) or onto a stack of high mats …

photo Paula Tribble – Giants Gymnastics

Learn a Back Flip – posted by Amy Van Deusen – About.com Gymnastics

Gymnicestics Seriously

… Bars superstar He Kexin hit a new international record, with a 17.300 on uneven bars. Teammate Yang Yilin scored 17.100. …

World Cup Begins in Tianjin – International Gymnast

related post: He Kexin – Olympic Champion on Bars

Gymnastics China “donated 1 million yuan ($143,000 USD) to the earthquake victims”.

Despite the national tragedy, the World Cup started as scheduled.

Partial scores are up:

Balance Beam
1. Xiao Sha CHN 16.300
2. Cheng Fei CHN 15.800
3. Ksenia Afanasyeva RUS 15.650

Women’s Floor Exercise
1. Cheng Fei CHN 15.750
2. Kristina Vaculik CAN 14.800 … trying to qualify to Olympics
3. Kyoko Oshima JPN 14.600

Men’s Vault
1. Ri Se Gwang PRK 16.500
2. Raphael Wignanitz FRA 16.150
3. Wai Hung Shek HKG 15.900

Parallel Bars
1. Huang Xu CHN 16.400
2. Li Xiaopeng CHN 16.250
3. Kim Jin Hyok PRK 16.200

High Bar
1. Zou Kai CHN 15.800
2. Li Xiaopeng CHN 15.700
3. Kim Jihoon KOR 15.350

read the details from Amanda Turner on International Gymnast

Korean men are scoring well, I see. The men’s Olympic team competition is getting more interesting every day.

I’ve linked a number of times to Gymnast.com — certainly the best possible web address for anyone interested in gymnastics.

In soft launch, editor Steve McCain has been steadily adding content over the past number of weeks.

Unique to this site is their partnership with USA Gymnastics and the American-Gymnast Video on Demand service.

Expect to see video there you can’t get anywhere else.

Events – The highest quality On Demand Gymnastics Videos you’ll find anywhere on the web. Includes coverage of 2008 Men’s Winter Cup, 2008 American Cup, 2008 Pacific Rim, with much more coming soon!

Features – Special coverage section including “Beaming Beijing” – follow the journey of our Olympic Gymnasts as they prepare for and compete in Beijing.

News – Just what you’d expect … Team USA News, International News, Press Releases, and Results

Videos – If you love videos, you’ll love Gymnast.com. See interviews with your favorite gymnasts and coaches, learn recommended Training Tips on gymnastics skills, and more!

Photos – Browse through pictures of the latest meets and see your favorite athletes.

Community – Connect with your teammates and other gymnasts around the world. Upload your own videos and pictures. Invite your friends!

I’ll certainly be a contributor.


Gymnast.com

Most gymnastics coaches report that their understanding of biomechanics is a “weakness”.

Happily, mechanics are far less important than understanding conditioning, progression and how to motivate gymnasts. (Not to mention, how to keep their parents happy.)

But I’ve just put in an order for this new video.

http://www.brightcove.tv/playerswf

Visuals really help when trying to explain mechanical principles.

The Gymnastic Laws of Motion

Almost all gymnastic skills are governed by the laws of physics. In this DVD, Tom Forster explains the major laws of physics and motion that apply to gymnastic movement. $29.95

More video samples are linked from the GymSmarts home page.