Before attempting fast front hip circles down in preparation for the whole front hip circle back to support, the gymnast must master a slow front hip circle down. Shrugging the shoulders down a little brings the hips and center of mass lower so the skill can be performed without the body falling down as fast as when the hips and center of mass are higher up. A good goal for gymnasts is to try to lower down to hanging "L" position before bringing the feet down to the floor.
One of the main differences between spotting a front hip circle down and a whole front hip circle to support is that for the complete skill the spotter places himself on the same side of the bar that the gymnast starts the skill. Notice how after the back pull over the coach switched sides to spot the front hip circle to support when the gymnast begins to speed around. The coach standing on the left side spots the hamstring area with his left hand and his right hand spots the gymnast's back. If he is just spotting a front hip down he switches to the other bar side again.
In order to spot a front hip circle, the coach stands on the same side of the rail as the gymnast does when in front support. As the athlete falls forward, the coach moves his arms under the bar. He places one hand behind the knees or lower hamstring and the other on the middle of the back. The spotter keeps his hands behind the knees to keep the gymnast from moving away from the bar during the circle and uses the other hand to help the gymnast come back to a front support when she is finished.
Though this is not a perfect front hip circle example, notice how the gymnast raises her center of mass forward to begin falling down without changing her body position. Then, when gravity starts to accelerate her fall, she pikes slightly to add some extra circular momentum while keeping pressure on the legs to allow them from moving away from the bar even at the moment that she briefly lets go of the bar to shift her grip around to prepare the hands arrival to a full support.
Once the gymnasts can make their front hip circles to the support by themselves, two important goals are to minimize bending of the arms when coming back to the support and to begin connecting their font hips circles to a nice cast.
This used to be an old common way to begin the front hip circle. Starting with an arched position before falling down to a pike in order to speed up the skill. Although some gymnasts still use this initial approach, the pike to speed up the circle can be initiated as well from a body falling down in a hollow position which is the more accepted present approach.
Success! Chellsie Memmel Beam 2011 Circle of Stars Invitational Visit gymnastike.org for more Videos Chellsie Memmel Vault 2011 Circle of Stars Invitational Visit gymnastike.org for more Videos Thanks to Gymnastike [...]
Tatiana Zharganova Uneven Bars 2003 Worlds Qualifications Completely random, I know, but what a cool routine! I think I’ve only seen that double pirouette done one another time, and it [...]
While one comeback will be buried a while longer, another one rises to the surface. Paul Hamm’s withdrawal from the upcoming Winter Cup is certainly a big disappointment, but at [...]
The following gymnast is training to master further arabian double progressive steps like the arabian double pike to a soft mat on the floor area. He does a good job landing on his feet, but he could have created better rotation with a closer pike.
Maximizing the gymnast's power through the appropriate physical preparation and applying this power to build tumbling speed and quick rebounds helps to create upper level tumbling skills. Observe this demonstrator's quick round-off to handspring rebound.
The arabian double requires a strong thrust of the knees and hips up to the ceiling during the setup to create a fast rotating motion. Before attempting this powerful skill on the floor besides knowing the regular arabian tuck the gymnast must be familiar with double front progressions on the pit using spring board or minitramps. Bringing the knees up but failing to do the same with the hips produces a slower rotation.
Save 10% or more on EVERY Order + FREE Shipping on Grips, Wrist Supports & Grip Accessories!