Artistry of Women's Olympic Gymnastics (Part B) - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

(From the book “Olympic Gymnastics for Men and Women”, written by Bryce Taylor, Boris Bajin, and Tom Zivic, 1972)

Tumbling (in the Free Exercise):

The basic attributes of a good tumbler in gymnastics include endurance, speed, flexibility, agility, coordination, and an awareness of body orientation in space.  As free exercises are reaching a much higher level of excellence, it is imperative that the tumbling portion be of as high a quality and degree of difficulty as possible.  The free exercise and tumbling should be well-integrated to achieve a fluid, continuously moving routine.  To achieve this goal, it is strongly recommended that gymnasts of both genders take part in a rhythmic activity such as ballet.

Women’s free exercise is accompanied by music to allow maximum expression.  For some unknown reason, music tends to push the gymnast to exert a maximum effort so that during the training session the gymnast works very hard on the free exercise routine. 

Proper equipment along with good warm-up exercises will minimize the possibility of injury, when the gymnast performs difficult movements.  The length and width of the landing mats should be greater than that required for the completed movement.

With more advanced movements (such as a double back salto or double twisting back layout), a spotting belt is sometimes used.  The advantage of using a spotting belt is its safety factor and the fact that it gives the gymnast confidence when performing the movement for the first time (or first few times).  When learning the more difficult movements, it is suggested that a gymnast wear a heavier slipper and support the ankles and wrists by using a tensor wrap.

The following is a list of moves that gymnasts do as part of their tumbling in their free exercise routines.  Each move can be done in different ways, but all such moves are accompanied by the following (in the book):  a) Typical faults, b) Method of teaching, and c) Spotting technique.

1)      Backward Rolls (including backward rolls from a squat stand, from a straddle position and with extension)

2)      Forward Rolls (including forward rolls from a squat position, from straddle stand to straddle stand, and with straight legs)

3)      Headstand

4)      Handstands (including press to handstand, squat position-press to handstand, press to handstand from straddle scale, and press to handstand with straight legs)

5)      Cartwheels (including sideward cartwheel, forward cartwheel, one arm cartwheels—sideward cartwheel on arm closest to takeoff leg, sideward cartwheel on arm farthest from takeoff leg)

6)      Round-off – a lead-up movement to all backward tumbling movements

7)      Headsprings and Necksprings (including Headspring and Neckspring: one-foot landing, using different positions of the legs in the air, and using different flight and landing positions)

8a)Forward Handsprings (including front handspring: one-foot take off, two hand push off, and  front handspring: one-foot take off, one-hand push off, and front handspring: one-foot take off, two hand push off, one-foot landing)

8b)Front Walkovers (including front walkover: limber over, front walkover: one-foot landing, tinsica, and tinsica: dive approach)

9)      Front Saltos (Front Somersaults) (including front salto: tuck position, and front salto: one-foot landing)

10)  Aerial Walkover – ground phase, and air or flight phase

11)  Aerial Cartwheel

12)  Back Handspring

13)  Round-off Back Handspring

14)  Limber: Back Walkover (as a method of teaching the back handspring)

15)  Back Saltos (Back Somersaults) (including back salto: stand position, and round-off back salto)

16)  Scales (including the front scale, side scale and key scale)

17)  Splits (including straddle splits and stride splits)

NOTE:  As stated above, ideally, in any free exercise routine, the free exercise and tumbling should be well-integrated to achieve a fluid, continuously moving routine.  In addition, the tumbling should be of a high quality and as difficult as possible in order to maximize the gymnast’s score.

Balance Beam:

Balance, whether static or dynamic, is an important factor in everyday life since it is a basic component of all movement.  It has been found that through practice, individuals can improve their balance.  There are numerous exercises for improving balance; all are based on the following principles:  a) decreasing the area of support, b) decreasing the stability of support, and c) changing the height of support.  The balance beam utilizes the decrease in area and increase in elevation principles. 

The balance beam, as its name implies, requires that gymnasts (to be good competitors) develop their balance to a very high degree.  Although individual differences will influence the length of time it takes to develop balance, it must be realized that it is an ongoing process and the instructor or coach must be prepared to devote a great deal of training time to this apparatus.

The optional routine on the balance beam should be in harmony with the guide that is sent out by the International Gymnastic Federation.  It is, therefore, essential for the coach and gymnast to fully understand the rules so that a complete routine can be made up.  The routine must also be planned with the age and category of competitor in mind.  To receive a high score, the routine should be aesthetically beautiful without any loss of balance during its execution.  It must contain a certain number of superior movements (elements) with all parts organized into a logical sequence.  The routine should also take into consideration the individual characteristics and abilities of the particular gymnast.  Only in this way will the competitor be able to perform to her fullest potential.

After the mount is performed and just prior to the dismount, it is important that the gymnast not be in a static position or hesitate too much; that is, the gymnast should work out of the mount and into a dismount without hesitation.  The routine should be composed of as many movements as possible – stands, squats, poses, handstands and cartwheels, for example.  The rhythm of the routine should vary during its performance.  This will increase the value of the routine, as well as, give it a better overall aesthetic effect. 

In the optional routine, the complete beam must be used and the routine must be composed of forward, backward and sideward movements, as well as, aesthetic poses.  The poses should not be held for a long duration; they should be very short (no longer than 3 seconds) with the gymnast moving in and out of them smoothly.  The poses used by the gymnast should take into account the gymnast’s body build and temperament.  They should also fit in with the other movements that the gymnast has performed in the routine.  If performed properly and at the correct time, the poses can be the most effective part of a gymnast’s routine.

The balance beam has developed tremendously in the past few years.  With many gymnasts now able to perform difficult tumbling movements on this narrow apparatus, it is not uncommon to see forward and backward handsprings and saltos.

With these advanced movements, the balance beam has become a dangerous and risky event at the top international level.  This is a sign for the coaches (particularly those of national teams) to do more careful spotting, as well as, improved methods of teaching to prevent the risk of accidents.

There are many different classifications for movements that can be done on the balance beam, however, most movements can be divided into the following groups:  1) mounts, 2) walking and running, 3) static positions, 4) jumps, 5) turns, 6) tumbling movements, and 7) dismounts.

The following is a list of the different groups of movements that can be done on the balance beam, accompanied by the following (in the book) for coaches and teachers:  a) Typical faults, b) Method of teaching (for most movements), and b) Spotting technique:

1)      Mounts (including scissor mount, squat mount, straddle mount, mount to single leg squat from oblique run, mount to straddle support, forward roll mount, single leg mount / step on mount)

2)      Walking and running (including types of walking and running technique)

3)      Static positions (including various scales, splits and handstands and in combination with other movements – back roll extension to handstand, back walkover to handstand, aesthetic poses that are held momentarily before some form of tumbling movement)

4)      Jumps (including stationary jumps, tuck jump, scissor jump, stag jump)

5)      Turns (including starting positions of turns and support positions during turns – stressing the importance of turns and the difficulty in performing them properly)

6)      Tumbling movements (including rolls – forward and backward, handsprings – forward and backward, bridges, cartwheels, and somersaults / saltos)

7)      Dismounts (including forward dismount, backward dismount, dismount with a turn, straddle dismount, sideward dismount, dismount from knee scale, handstand dismount: half turn, handstand dismount: three-quarter turn, cartwheel from end of beam, handspring from end of beam)

NOTE:  As stated at the start, to receive a high score, the balance beam routine should be aesthetically beautiful without any loss of balance during its execution.  It must contain a certain number of superior movements (elements) with all parts organized into a logical sequence.  The routine should be composed of as many movements as possible – stands, squats, poses, handstands and cartwheels, for example, and must cover the entire beam.  The rhythm of the routine should vary during its performance.  This will increase the value of the routine, as well as, give it a better overall aesthetic effect.

This, then, concludes my discussion of tumbling (in the free exercise) and the balance beam.  In Part C, I will discuss the uneven parallel bars in women's gymnastics.

copyright 2014, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.