It's no secret that in gymnastics elements come in and out of fashion very quickly.
Gymnastics is improving, simple elements are becoming obsolete, trends are changing, and some elements are on the list of prohibited elements. Gymnastics fans know that the elements they see and love now will likely not be relevant in the future.
Here are 10 elements that we don't see as often as before, but are undoubtedly still fan favorites.
Loop Korbut
The element, named after Olga Korbut, impresses both long-time gymnastics fans and beginners.
To perform this element, you need to stand with your feet on the top pole, facing the bottom one, jump back and do a somersault while bending in the air, then grab the top pole with your hands, and finish the element by falling onto the bottom pole.
Currently, there is a deduction for placing your feet on the pole.
But Korbut performed this element much earlier than the ban, including at the 1972 Olympic Games.
Somersault elements
Now the rules prohibit any elements in which the gymnast adds another half somersault and lands not on her feet, but does a somersault. An example of such elements is the Thomas flip, named after Kurt Thomas.
The Thomas Flip is a 1.5 back somersault with a 540 degree turn and lands in a forward somersault.
He Xuemeq demonstrated the Thomas somersault at the 1992 Olympics, after which many gymnasts and gymnasts began to include such elements in their competitive programs.
Currently, somersault elements performed in a somersault are prohibited by the rules due to the high risk of injury.
How to care for the ball
It is recommended that for beginner athletes with a height of 120 centimeters, you should select a ball with a diameter of sixteen centimeters. They will be able to provide quality training for another couple of years without spending money on new equipment.
However, during this time, items for rhythmic gymnastics must be properly stored to prevent scratches and loss of appearance.
In order to keep the gymnastic ball in perfect condition, you need to remember the following rules:
- constantly pump up with a special, preferably branded, pump;
- in winter, use an insulated cover for transportation;
- if there is no insulated cover, you can transport the ball in a woolen hat;
- Protect from direct sunlight.
So, a gymnastic ball case of the correct size is selected for a specific time of year and is designed to:
- protect from scratches;
- from the negative influence of the sun's rays;
- do not damage the varnish coating;
- maintain volume/pressure at low temperature;
- protect from damage to the surface.
It is important to remember that even branded products have their own warranty period, which, for example, for Sasaki products was two months with a shelf life of one year.
of four elements on a log
A series of four elements on beam performed together was popular in the 1980s and early 90s. Many gymnasts performed a combination of several flakes and bungles, and some even combined a series with a pounce!
Gymnasts stopped performing four-element combinations because the rules changed in 1997 and gymnasts no longer received additional bonuses for four-element combinations.
As a result of these changes, gymnasts today typically perform three elements in a series rather than four.
Types of fitballs
Depending on the needs of customers, there are several types of gymnastic balls:
- With horns or brackets - most suitable for beginners, as well as children. It is much easier to maintain balance on such a ball; children can jump while sitting on the ball and holding on to the horns.
- With massage spikes - used primarily for relaxation, treating spinal problems, and getting rid of cellulite. This type of ball is not suitable for practice, as the spikes prevent it from being easily moved across the floor.
- Smooth is a classic version of a gymnastic ball. Most often used by pregnant women or for activities with infants. An excellent choice for both intense training and relaxation.
- Children's - this fitball differs only in size and decor; it can also be smooth, with spikes, equipped with handles, brackets or horns.
Thanks to the wide range, anyone can choose a gymnastic ball to their taste
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Many elements of vault
Many of the jumps that gymnasts used to perform at high-level competitions are no longer relevant.
The vault has gone through great transformations and difficulties. Some jumps have not disappeared, but are now only performed in low-level competitions due to their simplicity.
Once upon a time, gymnasts performed only simple jumps in competitions, such as “flip”, “Yamashita” and “rondat”, over time the complexity of the jumps increased and turns were added to the simplest jumps in the first and second phases of flight.
In the 80s and 90s, jumps became more and more difficult, gymnasts jumped: “forward flip”, “Tsukaharu”, “Yurchenko” jumps.
Modern jumps are much more difficult, such as “Amanar”, “Cheng”, “Yurchenko - with a double somersault in the second phase of flight” and others.
Mace
Often, when performing swing exercises, a mace is also used. As a rule, it is made of hard wood or rubber. Plastic products have recently faded into the background. Increasingly, high-quality rubber equipment is used for sports. The mace is shaped like a bottle with a ball at the end. Sometimes lightweight projectiles (made of plastics) and weighted ones (with a metal rod inside) are also produced. The mace should be stored in a specially designed case - this way you can protect the instrument from scratches and keep it clean. Any mace can be decorated with your own hands using multi-colored windings. Currently, there is a large assortment of such windings, from which bright patterns are cut out and then glued to the projectile.
"Strikes on the bars"
“Kicks” or “bar hits”, belly hits are when the gymnast, from a handstand position on a high pole, comes off and slams her hips onto the low rail (fold position).
In order to perform this element correctly and safely, the parallel bars are set individually for each gymnast.
But when the bars were widened and it became a standard, extremely popular width, the tendency to perform this element disappeared.
Today, widely spaced poles allow gymnasts to perform a large number of elements with a flight phase, but even today, gymnastics on the uneven bars does not lose the smooth, connected rhythm that it had in the past.
At 23 seconds into this video, Nadia Comaneci gives a great example of this element from the past.
Equipment for rhythmic gymnastics
It is worth mentioning special equipment for rhythmic gymnastics, a women’s sport that involves performing special exercises with elements of dance. Gymnastic equipment used in this sport are a ribbon, a rope, a ball, a hoop and others. A gymnastic stick is used to perform exercises that involve weights. It is usually made of plastic or wood. The length of the stick for children is 750 mm, for adults – 1100. The diameter of this gymnastic apparatus, as a rule, ranges from 21 to 30 mm.
Leap onto the log Silivash
The Silivas vault, named after the Romanian gymnast Daniela Silivas, is performed by jumping onto the balance beam into a shoulder stand and then performing a 180-degree turn so that the gymnast ends up in a chest stand (the two positions alternate).
Although this element is largely ignored today, it helped Daniela win the gold medal on balance beam at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
Today, many gymnasts rarely perform original lunges because they do not want to risk falling right away, because the cost of a mistake is quite high. A striking example: Alicia Sacramone fell on her lunge at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and Team America lost the gold medal to the Chinese.
Many teams think it's safer to start the combination on beam, without the risk of falling, so Silivash and other tricky dives have fallen out of fashion.
Jump rope
One of the most versatile equipment that is suitable for both warm-up and basic exercises. One of the main characteristics of a jump rope is its thickness. It should be 0.8-0.9 cm. As a rule, jump ropes are made of nylon. Sometimes you can find models made from other materials - for example, hemp. However, due to their characteristics, they are now practically out of use. The standard length of this apparatus is 3 m, but it is advisable to choose a rope taking into account the athlete’s height.
Comaneci bars dismount
This dismount begins with placing your toes on the pole, then performs a 180-degree arc and a tucked backflip.
Many elements that were at their peak in difficulty in the 1970s are no longer performed due to falling costs, and the Comaneci dismount is no exception. Named after Nadia Comaneci and demonstrated at the 1976 Olympics, this dismount was one of the most difficult at the time, but gymnasts competing today perform more difficult uneven bars dismounts, so Comaneci is no longer relevant.
https://youtu.be/qm2NqmKDIa4
Adjacent acrobatic tracks
Adjacent tumbling is any acrobatics that allows the gymnast to move from one corner of the mat to another and then return to the starting corner again without stopping.
Once upon a time, many gymnasts, for example, Daniela Silivash, Oksana Omelyanchik and Dominika Dawes, performed such acrobatic combinations in competitions, but today, alas, other priorities.
Today the focus is on difficult elements that require more energy and concentration to complete. In addition, more attention is paid to complex acrobatic combinations and landings after diagonals.
Gymnastic bridge
Used when performing acrobatic vaults.
Mounted on a flat surface in closed premises. It consists of a rigidly connected base and a curved jumping platform. A spring is located between these elements. The gymnastic bridge platform is made of 15 mm thick plywood and has a multi-layer structure. The outer covering of the projectile is made of elastic padding, which prevents slipping when performing jumps.
Log jump Tsukahara
Once upon a time, a popular dismount fell out of fashion when the cost of the element fell far below the actual difficulty of performing it. Unlike other items on this list, Tsukahara has the ability to return.
Despite the fact that for some time it was not included in the table of gymnastic elements, in 2013-2017 it was added as an element of group “C”. But in the last Olympic cycle, gymnasts could not compete with a group “C” dismount, since according to the competition rules, the dismount had to be no lower than group “D”.
In the current Olympic cycle, the requirement to perform a group “D” dismount has been removed. Even though we don't see the Tsukahara dismount as often as we used to, it was performed at the 2020 Chicago Style meet-up, giving Tsukahara fans hope for a comeback.
Original article: https://www.flogymnastics.com/articles/6277153-10-gymnastics-skills-from-the-past-that-arent-performed-anymore
