cast handstand with sponge

Putting a sponge between the feet is an ideal way to remind gymnasts to squeeze the legs together.

MLT likes the gymnast to hollow — then pike — to slow the down swing for the next kip. Of course hip flexion and/or shoulder extension would accomplish the same thing. The hollow position is an aesthetic preference.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Women’s Empowerment USA

Artistic Gymnastics is one of the few areas of life not dominated by men.

… aside from the fact that MAG has 6 apparatus, WAG 4.

The Women’s March is set to return to Washington, D.C., on October 2nd.

Similar protests are scheduled around the States.

Portland filmmakers Eleven Films released #AmericanWoman – 2 minutes of pure pump-you-up adrenaline that screams ‘women’s empowerment’. …

… flashes images of powerful women, from Ruth Bader Ginsberg to Oprah to Simone Biles …

Watch it on YouTube.

Simone vs Herself – Sept 28th

Soon after her previous video, another episode was posted on Facebook.

This starts with Simone arriving Tokyo. She was feeling ready at that moment in time.

But qualifications did not go nearly as well as she expected.

The problems with confidence began before the Team Final.

Simone does not do Yurchenko 3/2. Yet was unable to Amanar in the vault warm-up. She did Yurchenko 3/2. Cecile didn’t see it coming.

Coaches — and Simone’s parents — supported her decision to withdraw. It was the right decision.

I feel awful for Simone, however. To train 5 years and have to withdraw. Damn. That’s hard.

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

Jackie Bender – Beam

Every once-in-a-while coaches should show their gymnasts Jackie on Beam.

The 1-arm handstand queen.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Fujitsu “Judging Support System”

Fujitsu will be working Worlds 2021, of course. Analyzing more routines for their database.

A webinar has been posted online:

FIG and Fujitsu to discuss AI “Judging Support System”

Watanabe speaks in English in the video. He’s really improved over the past few years.

He points out that other sports are using video analysis. Tennis and baseball, for example.

But judging support is only one goal of the project.

Steve Butcher details other uses.

Fujitsu expects all 10 Artistic apparatus to be ready for 2024. (Progress seems slow, to me.)

By end of 2022 the “Training Support System” should be ready. I’d love to have a chance to test that in the gym.


The very first use of computer video analysis should have been to display height and distance of a skill relative to the height of the athlete. Vault post flight, for example.

Fujitsu is doing a good job analyzing Ring strength holds, however. The system can do better than most FIG judges.

Personally, I’m disappointed in the graphics rendered by the software. It’s embarrassing that every representation has feet apart, for example.

I WISH Fujitsu could output something 1/10th as good as FB CURVES 3D GYM.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.