The Stunt Gym!

Welcome back! Be sure to leave a comment after you read a post.

Will gymnastics schools be considered day care centers?

Texas Legislation

A few weeks ago  (March 26, 2009)  I was notified by email about a bill being passed in the Texas legislature.  The notification came from a Karate instructor who tried to alert a variety of after school athletic programs who would be affected by this bill.   The information he provided was also published on the Texas USA Gymnastics websites, that also provided PDF copies of the bill along with their report.  Even the USAG national office is aware of these bills.

In a nutshell, several bills in the Texas Senate and House of Representatives are being drafted that would subject gymnastics schools, karate schools, cheerleading schools, and a host of other after school athletic team programs to day care regulations, in an attempt to redefine athletic training of 10 hours or more a week as day care facilities.   The email regarding Texas Senate Bill 68  from Texas USA Gymnastics stated:

If you have children who train 10 hours or more a week in your facility – you will be required to be child care licensed by the state of Texas. This licensing will require your facility to meet all the minimum standards set by child care licensing (most gyms will not be able to meet these requirements which will include bathroom sink/toilet ratios in compliance with child care standards, out door playground, Child Care certification of workers and director, sprinkler systems that not only meet building code but also meet child care standards and climbing structures with safety fall zones). Uneven bars would be considered a climbing structure and would not pass child care regulations. This bill passed the Senate Sub Committee unanimously yesterday.

The legislation is spread out in several bills. They are:  Senate Bill 68, House Bills, 601, 773, 188, 1123 and 1393.

Many people have contacted the legislators to protest these bills which is trying to corral  a multitude of industries – sports, religious, arts and academic – that train children under the child care umbrella.    In one letter  (30 Mar 2009)  from Senate Bill 68 author Texas Senator Jane Nelson she states:

Please be assured that I will not pass this bill unless it provides a clear exemption for gymnastics.

The Texas USA Gymnastics is continuing to post updates on the legislation.  In the April 11th update they posted two new drafts of the bills that include a long list of exemptions,  which shows that many people from other child centered industries are expressing concern, too.

Exemptions Are Red Herrings

Frankly, I am not encouraged by these exemptions.  The government always regegs on their exemptions  through technical loopholes.  When Social Security first started it was only for government employees.  When the income tax started it was only for corporate profit.  When driver’s licenses were first issued it was only for chauffeurs  and professional drivers.   When marriage licenses were first issued they were only for inter-racial marriages.  And the list goes on and on.

When the government camel sticks its nose under the tent, rest assured that the rest of the camel will be in the tent after wards.  If this bill were truly to protect children in day care centers, the language would be precise and specific regarding these facilities.   A list of exemptions is a negative assurance.

Furthermore,  it is a part of political history in the USA for agendas with national intentions to begin in a single state to set precedence, or to force federal legislation to address the issue at a later time.  This problem is currently a Texas problem that could cause expensive requirements in after school programs that could make such businesses cost prohibitive.   But other states should be on the alert for similar legislation to be introduced in the near future, too.

We should not let our guard down on this matter. This is trouble for our industries growing in the near future.

The tempo, or dynamic skills as they are now called, are the flight skills of partnering stunts. Tosses and catches, tosses as mounts, and tosses as dismounts, are done in pairs, trios and groups. The examples below are given in pairs for convenience.

Foot Pitch to Stand

The foot pitch, or foos in German, is a toss from the hands holding one foot. It can be learned sitting down first. The illustration shows the base standing up. The hands of the base lay on top of each other, and not by clasping of the fingers. The base’s knees should close together so the hands rest on the legs before the toss. The ball of the top’s foot should go into the hands. The base may use index fingers to hold the heal. The top needs to lean over the base and stand up quickly locking the leg. The second leg should come alongside the first leg, but not step in the hand.

Boost or Waist Throw Timers

The boost or waist throw can be thrown from the front or back. It also is performed by groups.  It can be done from a stand or from movement by the top.   Most throws go over the head.  When performed from a stand, both partners bend their knees for the toss.  The base needs to get under the top as soon as possible. So when bending the knees he should get his chest as low as the top waist.  When tossing the base stands up with the top who is jumping.  The lift should begin with the legs, while the top is held at the base’s chest as the base stands.  When the base reaches top of his stand, then he follows through with the arms continuing the throw.  His back should remain straight during the knee bend and toss.

Cradles or Forearm Tosses

Cradles, or forearm tosses are done in pairs and groups.  The main hold should be the hands, not the forearms.  The hands should feel the control of the body for directing the toss.  When saltos are first taught in the catch, it is easier to catch in the forearms than in the hands of a basket. All tosses should have straight backs in the base. In this jump to cradle, the base should reach for the top to catch her as soon as possible.

Dismounts

Dismounts do not have to have flight, but when they do they are dynamic elements.  Beginners start low with jumps from the knee.  It actually is a little harder than from the shoulders or thighs, but being low to the ground reduces impact when falling.  The base should turn her foot outward to brace her knee.  She needs to tighten her muscles to keep the leg still.  The top should push down directly into the bones of the base leg and jump straight up. The base should direct her flight away from her.  If the top jumps backwards, then she will knock over the base.

In building pair balances there are basic families of stunts from which to build upon. The possibilities are multiplied with the number of people participating in the stunt. Thus variations have no end. To keep it simple, then, the basic stunts are presented in pairs.

Stand on Hands and Knees

The simplest balance is for the base to get on hands and knees while the top stands upon the hips.  In all balances the bones of all partners should line up vertically.  In this stunt the top can stand on the hips so that the top’s bones line up with the hips and thighs, or upon the shoulders for the arm’s of the base and the body of the top line up.  Standing on the spine is dangerous since there is no support under the back bone.  The top can face either way or do headstands or handstands on the base. If the base reversed herself with her stomach up, then she would be in a table position, thus changing the nature of the balance.

Pony Stand

When learning stunts, many skills can be done low to the ground. Here the top stands upon the hip while the base stands with back leaning forward, braced by hands on knees. Often the base will bend her knees for better control of the balance. When learning the stunt, a pony sit is usually taught first followed by a climb to a stand. But experienced athletes can mount in a variety of ways. As with the other stunts the top can face either way, stand sideways, lunge forward, do headstands, handstands or straddle levers followed by a press to handstand, and so on.   A third can be added for bracing, or a matching pair for a symmetrical pyramid.

Foot Bird

Birds, or swans, refer to the top position. Birds can face the base, face away in reverse, can be on the back or on the stomach. Legs can vary, back can arch to bird’s nest, and arms can be placed many ways. The base can use the feet as in this illustration to support the top, or the hands. The base can lay on her back for either feet or hands support, or kneel, lunge, or stand straight up.

Hand Knee Shoulder

Similar to learning a headstand, the hand-knee shoulder balance is one of the first inverted skills for the top to experience.  The base, laying on her back, should brace her legs so the knees don’t wobble for the support.  There are several ways to mount.   An easy mount for the top is for her to straddle the base’s stomach. place her shoulders in the bases hands, reach between her legs to put her hands on the bases knees, then climb up with one foot on a knee followed by the second.  From the tuck she slowly opens her legs to the shoulder stand.  The base controls the balance in all balances. The top should tighten her body.

Reverse Thigh Stand

Thigh stands are intermediate skills.   It can be taught with the base seated on her knees.  Then the base can sit on a box.  After they understand the skill they can climb up without props.  The top can face the partner, face away, or perform elbow stands or handstands on the thighs.  The base can also lunge for a stand on one leg or a 2:1 (two hands on one support point).  As with all balances, a third partner can be added or more to create a vast variety of pyramid combinations.

Shoulder Stand

As the height of the skills progress, the skill should be taught low to the floor first.  The base can sit on her knees while the top practices stepping on the thigh then to the shoulder.  Then the base can either stand in second position or lunge sideways for the climb. Top should keep weight of her body over the top while climbing. Top should raise arms as she climbs to giver her a handrail when on the shoulders.  Release one hand at a time to hold the back of the calf high up in the knee pit.  Pull gently downward and brace head against the shins.  Dismount in the front.

Hand to Hand

Hand to hands are the beginning of advanced stunts.  This illustration is a bent arm hand to hand.  The top can face the base,  face away (reverse) and can vary the legs, or arch the back.  The base can hold the top at her chest or high over head. The base can move by sitting down or standing up or sliding to splits.

The top can mount the hand to hand in a variety of ways.  From a side climb to shoulders or calf mount,  or from an inlocate lift, or even from a toss from a dynamic or tempo throw.

Stunting  can be done with 2 or a multitude of people. Balances are called pyramids when 3 or more participate.  Tossing and catching partners is called dynamics or tempo in competition.

There are two broad categories of pyramids.   Symmetrical and Asymmetrical.

A symmetrical pyramid is shaped like a mirror with one half exactly like the other half.  Symmetrical pyramids tend to have a large base which narrows at the top such as the pyramids of Egypt.  Symmetrical pyramids tend to be boring to behold and are best as background pyramids.

Asymmetrical pyramids  are off balance pyramids, thus are usually more interesting to behold and are best in the foreground.  Asymmetrical pyramids often have one base supporting two performers in a trio pyramid.  Also, the middle and the tops can move to create a new pyramid.

When pyramids are built it is important that no one talks during the execution oft  the stunt.  If a problem occurs, the partner in trouble needs to say down.  That partner will be heard if no one is talking.

Symmetrical pyramids are built and taken apart in logical order.  The base begins the pyramid.  The middles climb or mount next. The tops  mount last of all.  When dismounting the top comes down first, followed by the middle, then the base comes out.  If someone shouts “down” that does not mean everyone scrambles. As much as possible, the group needs to come down in the logical order.

Pyramids, both symmetrical and asymmetrical,  need the bones to line up and for the center of gravity to run vertically between the partners.  All performers need to tighten their muscles and to properly brace themselves so the pyramid is strong and still.

Gymnastics training in the basics does not mean in forward rolls. The basics refer to the family of movements in gymnastics and to position and form. Every discipline of gymnastics has their family of movements. In tumbling it refers to rolls, handstands, cartwheels, walkovers, handsprings and saltos. On the equipment there are families that are specific to the equipment. In acrobatics there are basic movement families for partners in the dynamic and balance movements.

Position and form refers to the correct shape of the body for the family of stunts, tightness and explosiveness or flexibility needed for the movements. Basics training is ongoing year round training. Basics need to be reviewed

Rolls

Rolls have many variations: tucked, piked, straddled, as stalder presses, from handstands, from dives and from saltos. Rolling shapes and positions have specific needs for each variation.

Cartwheels

Cartwheels should be mastered on both sides, although everyone has a favorite side. The expressions “righties” and “lefties” does not refer to the hand one writes with but which side is the favorite side. It needs to be understood when learning hurdles and stepouts. Sideways cartwheels have no connecting steps when power tumbling. Cartwheels are also performed forwards, that is with the hips square forward and finish backwards. Such cartwheels are used from a run and hurdle, for choreographic purposes, and for side aireals which are no handed cartwheels.

Handsprings

Handsprings are called that because of the after flight created from the spring off the hands for the landing. Round offs are not cartwheels, but are handsprings, having once been called Arabian Handsprings, a name that is still retained in the Arabian front flip, which is a round off half turn to front flip. Whips are actually saltos, since they are back handsprings with no hand contact, but are trained as back handsprings since they are usually connecting stunts and not finishing stunts as the saltos are to a pass.

Saltos

Saltos are the punctuation marks of tumbling. When in the middle of the pass they provide accent and when at the end of the pass they are exclamation marks. The salto is the most exciting part of the pass for it is pure flight. Saltos have to be properly blocked by the tumbler. Blocking refers to the placement of the feet on take off and landing. In take off and landing the feet should be in front of the gymnasts motion to change the motion from horizontal movement to vertical flight and landing so as not to stumble forward or backward after landing.

Training for all gymnastics by a good coach will be the learning of skills by parts.  A good coach will break a skill into several parts and use drills that help the gymnast move correctly in that part.  Gymnastic stunts take only a second to do, yet the gymnast has to make several movements in that stunt in the right order, at the right time and with the right amount of power.  The mind cannot do this.  Fortunately, the body is directed from the brain by the neural network, which gives us our feeling of touch, and is able to function in micro seconds.  Drills are used to train these nerves so that the body will do what it needs to do in a stunt automatically as a reflex.  This frees the gymnasts mind to know what is coming next in a routine.

The standing back handspring needs drill training for it to be performed effectively.  Many mistakes in the trick occur because of a lack of proper drills training.   The stunt can be divided into these 6 parts:

1. The sit and fall
2. The back dive
3. The handstand
4. The block
5. The snap down
6. The rebound.

So here we have six movements in a one second skill that has to be performed correctly in the right order, right time, right power, and the right form.  Let’s look at each phase of the skill.

The Sit and Fall

For a standing back handspring, as well as for the round off, back handspring,  the body must sit and fall backwards off balance in order for the flight of the back dive to travel correctly backwards.

The common mistake for a standing back handspring is for the gymnast to lean forward as he or she sits before the jump.  Doing so causes the flight to go up more than back.  As a result they end up with high back handsprings that land heavy in the handstand.

To train the correct beginning, have the gymnast sit on a box against a wall. The gymnast should sit so that he or she feels the wall with their back. Arms should swing down with the sit, then swing up at the same time the back hits the wall.

The Back Dive

From the sit and arm swing, the gymnast dives backward to a straight body position.  Placing a foam wedge on top of a landing mat will provide a soft landing for the drill as well as to give the sense of the angle for the dive.

The main point of confusion for a gymnast learning the back handspring is the thought that they must go to a handstand.  As a result they do not jump hard enough to put their body into flight.  The back dive is the back handspring.   The irony of the back handspring is that the lighter the jump the more dangerous the skill becomes.  The harder the jump the safer the skill and less painful the performance will be.  When doing this drill encourage the kids to go for distance on the jump.  Have them try to touch the top of the wedge with their hands.  Obviously, the wedge and mat have to be set a safe distance from the gymnast so that they do not dive past the mat.  If the gymnast is tall try placing a small stack of panel mats in front of the landing mat to increase the distance for the jump.  They should land with their legs straight and tight together with their arms straight and tight to their head.  Their whole bodies should be tight in the landing with their toes pointed.  Emphasize the toe point from the beginning of the jump, not just the landing on the mat.

The Handstand

It is important that the gymnast not rush past the handstand anxiously to get their feet on the ground.  The handstand landing has to be straight and tight.

Before doing this drill from the back handspring, have the gymnast kick to a handstand with the stomach facing the landing mat. Then they are to keep their body straight and tight as they fall on their stomach.   Teaching a back handspring presupposes that a handstand has been taught correctly first.  If the gymnast is relaxed on the landing he or she may injure their backs.  If they are landing correctly from the stand, then have them move about a body length away from the mat, or if your landing mat is large enough, have them stand on the mat for the back handspring.  Stop them in their handstand to straighten their bodies before the handstand flop landing.

The Block

Blocking is a term that has two meanings.  The original meaning was “to get in the way,” specifically with the feet when changing a forward or backward movement to a vertical movement as when flipping in the air.   As applied to the arms, however, blocking means “to push from the shoulders and wrists”.   If the handstand remains straight upon the landing, then the gymnast needs to vigorously block from the shoulders before snapping the legs down.   If the gymnast snaps the legs down first, there is no chance of a correct push of the upper torso for the stand.  If the block was performed at the right time correctly, the body should be in flight before landing on the feet.  If the hands remain on the ground when the feet hit, then there was no block.

There are many drills for working the block with the snap down.  Donkey hops, as see on the left, are blocks and snap downs done consecutively.  These are real gut busters.

The ability to block will hinge on the shoulder and arm strength of the gymnast.  If they haven’t the strength, then don’t expect them to block.  A conditioning program is vital and should begin on day 1 of any program.

The Snap Down

The snap down and block work together, so the separation is artificial.

The goal of the snap down is to bring the legs down forcefully while standing up quickly.  Using a box against the wall for the gymnast to kick to a handstand raises the athlete up, thus facilitating the stand upwards.

The main mistake of most beginners is that they fail to get their arms and upper torso up quickly from the snap down, thus causing their bodies to lean forward on the landing.   The only way another back handspring can be connected to the first, then is to squat deeply to help the body fall back again.  This is wrong and slows down the back handspring series when being learned.  Teach them to get up fast before introducing the series.

The Rebound

It should be a habit for the athletes to rebound after the skill.  In truth, correct tumbling is more rebounding than jumping.  The difference between a jump and a rebound is that in a jump the athlete bends the knees and jumps off the toes, whereas with a rebound the legs remain straight and the bounce comes from the arch of the foot and toe point.

Rebounding is faster than jumping because jumping requires more distance the body must travel with the knee bend and the straightening of the legs just to get off the ground, than the rebound which is very little movement.

The rebound should have pointed toes and feet. The arms should be up behind the ears.  The head should stay inside the arms in the neutral position of looking forward, not down.   The block and snap should have the feet land  far from the hands for the rebound.  When series are introduced the gymnast will have to learn to undercut.

A drill to help learn the rebound is to stiffen the legs and simple have them bounce on two feet all the way across the floor.

The Dream

Learning the back handspring is the dream of every beginner. The back handspring is an intermediate skill, but is considered a basic skill.  It is considered a basic skill because it is foundational to all tumbling.  But being basic does not mean that it is learned quickly and mastered readily.

Kindling the Flame

Learning a back handspring is like starting a campfire.  We all want the large logs to burn for a lasting fire.  However, if you put a match to a log, it will not ignite.  To build the fire you build a stack of wood with the smallest pieces, called kindling, on the bottom, larger pieces, called tender, with the logs on top of the stack. When you light the match the kindling will ignite first, which will build enough of a fire to ignite the tender, which will also grow big enough to ignite the log.  Notice, however, that the logs are already on top of the tender and kindling.  That way, the flame of the match goes to the log through the kindling and tender.

The comparison intended is that a back handspring has to be taught right away to beginners.  The log compares to the back handspring, but the kindling and tender compares to drills.  Beginners who just jump into the back handspring (the log) without the drills first (kindling and tender) will not have strong back handsprings.

What Are Drills?

So, coaches understand this, and begin all beginners on drills that apply to the back handsprings as well as other skills.  Drills are skills broken down into parts.  Every skill has different parts to the skills that when combined together create the skills.  So while your coach may be working you on other things besides back handsprings, trust him or her, because they are building the back handspring from the parts that they are training.

The Need for Drills in Back Handsprings

In the middle of the handspring you can see the handstand.  Handstand training is the brick of the wall of tumbling.  All tumbling skills pass through the handstand. A handstand should be straight so that the bones of the body all line up.  If the bones are in line, they can hold up to 600 lbs of weight. According to a USAG study, a typical round off back handspring performed by a properly trained gymnast increases the body weight by five times due to velocity and centrifugal force.  That means a 100 lb gymnast has a 500 lb force of impact on her handstand!  But the bones can hold 600 lbs if aligned properly.  Now imagine the bones out of line with the head sticking out and the back in an arch.

Unless the muscles are very strong, the athlete will collapse upon impact.   But even with the bones in a straight line, the muscles still have to hold them in place.  So your coach also needs to train your body in overall tightness and increase your muscle strength so they can hold the bones in place.

Round Offs are easy skills that are actually very hard. As teachers we introduce the round off in the beginning training of tumbling. Here at the Stunt Gym the round off is the last skill learned in the Beginner Level.

However, it takes years to master the round off so that it is an effective stunt connected to a back handspring. A good round off will make the back handspring very easy. Many times kids will learn a round off, back handspring before they learn a standing back handspring. A good round off will throw the body into a fast flight backwards, which will cause a back handspring to turn over quickly. But a standing back handspring requires a powerful jump backwards to turn it over safely.

The reason it is taught as a beginner skill is because it is similar to a cartwheel. And once a cartwheel is mastered, it is a simple step to have the front foot catch up with the back foot kick so that they come together in the handstand. Have you ever seen the difference between a beginner doing a round off and an advanced tumbler? They look quite different.

The truth is: round offs are not a cartwheels, they are handsprings. When a gymnast performs a round off, half turn in the air to a front flip, that skill is actually called an Arabian front flip because of the round off entry. At one time, long ago, round offs were also called Arabian handsprings.

Round offs are complicated skills to master. The reason they are complicated, as the drawing above illustrates, is because the athlete has to turn on two axes. The first axis of rotation is on the short axis that goes sideways through the hips and is used in rolls and flips. The second axis is on the long axis which goes through the head to the toes which is the twisting axis, and is used in jump full turns and layout fulls.

Round offs require a large step forward from the hurdle and a long reach of the hands away from the feet to straighten out the body during the short axis rotation so that it may more easily twist for the cartwheel turn. Remember that it is the body that twists, not just the hands.

Getting this part right takes time in itself, yet that is not enough to get the round off effective for back handspring use. There is still the handspring phase. While the body is straight after the cartwheel turn, a forceful push from the shoulders and wrists is necessary to propel the body into the air before the snap down.

It is a common mistake for kids to bend in the waist to bring their feet down without any push. That part of the round off – the snap down – is the handspring phase of the stunt. If the feet simply come down without a push from the shoulders and wrists, it will not be a snap down. Snap downs are also the second half of the back handspring and is the handspring portion of that trick, too. The first half of the back handspring, of course, is the back dive, which is not the handspring portion of the skill.

Good snap downs require strong shoulders that are also flexible The spring action of the shoulders begins in the hurdle before the round off even is done! When the arms swing up to the ears, the shoulders are stretched. This is why it is important that the arms remain by the ears and not reach down for the ground. If they remain by the head, then when the body goes down for the cartwheel turn, the shoulders will sink back into their girdle. That is the spring action. Once they sink, they can recoil to a stretch again, to spring the upper torso upwards and backwards for the back dive of the back handspring.

Round offs are relatively safe skills to practice on your own. Arms have been broken from bad cartwheels and round offs, as have ankles sprained from bad cartwheels and round offs, but those injuries are rare. If you really want to learn how to tumble well, work on straightening out your round offs at home.

This blog has been set up to open discussion on stunt gymnastics activities. If you have a question, ask me and I will post it on the blog.

Here we will discuss how tricks are done, how long it takes to learn and many other aspects of the sport.

So here is your chance. In the comment section below, write your question. I look forward to answering them.