The USA Men’s team for the upcoming Japan Cup, which will be held July 2-3 in Tokyo, includes:

 

Jonathan Horton

Danell Leyva

Steven Legendre

Alex Naddour

John Orozco

 

Here are some training videos from this week from 2010 USA Nationall All-Around silver medalist and two-time world team member Danell Leyva:

 

Danell Leyva Parallel Bars June 16, 2011

 

Danell Leyva High Bar June 16, 2011

 

 

Danell Leyva Pommel Horse June 16, 1022

 

 

Danell Leyva Rings June 16, 2011

 

 

Thanks to yinastic for posting these videos!

He continues to blow me away on p-bars in particular.  The quality of that routine has just improved tremendously over the last several months.  It’s one of the most difficult routines in the world but also one of the most beautiful to watch.  High bar continues to be spectacular with some really wild skills and cool combinations, though with some slight form breaks here and there.  He looks like he’s gotten even a little more aggressive on this event.  The jam hop to immediate endo full to elgrip is one of the most unique combinations out there.  I can’t say I really like the laid out Tcatchev to Rybalko as it looks a bit sloppy and rushed, but it does give him some valuable connection points.  His swing and form on pommel horse continue to improve, and this is a huge asset for the USA team, as I expect we’ll likely be using him in the team finals on pommel horse this year.  Rings will likely never be a strength of his, and it’s unfortunate that some of the other swinging skills can’t be upgraded again – the Guzoghies for example – and combination points perhaps awarded.  This would prevent taller gymnasts like Leyva from being at such a huge disadvantage on this event, and would help bring a lot more variety to the event.  This routine is very clean, though.

 

With more worlds experience behind him, including an all-around finals appearance last year, along with improved form on pommel horse and p-bars, Leyva could be a much more serious all-around contender at the world level this year.  One of the key events for him will be floor, where he has some big skills but has never really been able to put together a 15-scoring routine because of small form and landing errors.  The upcoming Japan Cup will be a great test to see where Danell might fit in with some of the world’s top all-around gymnasts this year.