The World of Gymnastics

Archive for the ‘GYMNASTICS FLOOR EXERCISE’ Category

One gymnastics skill that every gymnast will have to learn at one point or another is a backwards roll. Many people wouldn’t think of a backwards roll as an important skill but believe me, it is! A backward roll is the foundation of many different skills such as: backward roll to pike, backward roll to pushup, back extension roll, back tuck, double backs, etc. Make sure you learn and practice your backward roll the correct way. Correct technique in a backward roll is very vital because it is the base of so many important and required gymnastics skills. Here is the step by step instructions on doing a correct backwards roll, hope this helps!

1. Squat down with your legs and feet together.
2. Bend your arms and place your hands right next to your ears with your palms facing the ceiling and your fingers facing backwards.
3. Tuck your chin to your chest
4. Round your back like a cat
5. Lean backwards and roll
6. Once your hands meet the ground make your arms straight and push off the floor.
7. Land on your feet in either a pike or a squat (do not land on your knees)

Many times gymnastics coaches use an incline gymnastics mat or wedge mat to teach a backward roll. It gives the gymnasts a little more momentum.

When spotting a gymnast on backward rolls you want to lift their hips so they don’t hurt their neck.

Before you introduce the backward roll to your gymnast you should try starting them out with a gymnastics drill. For this backward roll drill you should start just like normal but once you roll you should squash your hands against the floor and then re-roll forward. This is kinda like a candle stick but with bent knees and arms. Each time your gymnast tries this drill encourage them to push off their hands more and more.

Mistakes in a Backward Roll

The most common mistakes gymnasts make is arching and throwing their head and shoulders backward. When doing a backward roll you must round your back like a cat.

The second most common mistake I see kids make is not pushing off their hands. If they don’t push off their hands they usually hurt their neck and never make it over. Usually they go back and fall over to the side.

Here is a video to help you understand the gymnastics backward roll even more!

I have seen countless number of gymnasts do a near perfect routine and not score as high as they thought they would. Their disappointment and agony shows as tears start rolling down their cheeks. Then they ask that famous little question, “what did I do wrong?”

It is not so much that they did something wrong, they usually are just missing the WOW FACTOR in their floor routine and beam routine.

Keep in mind, a judge may see the same gymnastics routine 100s of times. In all honesty they get a little board and want to see something that stands out. You can’t just hit your routine, you got to leave a mark and a good impression on the judges by giving them the WOW FACTOR they are looking for.

What is a WOW FACTOR? A wow factor is going to be something that wows the judges. A little extra spice in your routine that get the judge’s attention and makes your floor routine and beam routine stand out. This means you cannot just go through the motions of your routine.

Every judge wants to see a tight, clean, flawless routine, but this won’t get a gymnast the high score they are striving for. There is more to a routine than that. Presentation  and showmanship is very important when competing. This means every gymnast must finish every skill, stay in releve, have full body extension, keep their chin up, smile constantly and go all out on every skill. They must show a great amount of confidence and enthusiasm and not look timid or afraid. This will grab the judges attention and give them the wow factor they have been looking for!

You need to practice the way you compete. Going through the motions during practice and a meet is not good enough. You need to give it 110% on every skill and every beam routine and floor routine. This will give the judges the wow factor they want to see and will set you apart from the rest of the gymnasts.

Give the judges and audience a gymnastics routine to remember!!! GO GET THEM GIRLS!!

USAG  has a specific routine for ever gymnastics level and event. Each routine has specific gymnastics skills that the gymnast must be able to execute in-order to be able to compete in that level.

Here are is a list of the  required gymnastics skills along with faults and deductions.

***STRETCH  JUMP- must push through toes. Feet must come together in the jump (cannot have a gap).

You must not have an arch or curve in your body.

***STRADDLE JUMP- must separate legs a minimum of 120 degrees (up to 0.20 deduction).

Make sure to pull feet together before landing (up to 0.10 deduction).

***DIVE FORWARD ROLL- maintain a straight hollow body position (up to 0.20 deduction)

Must show flight before hands touch the floor (up to 0.20 deduction)

Re-contacting the floor with hands to land in a tuck position (0.30 deduction)

***FRONT HANDSPRING TO 2 FEET, REBOUND-arms must stay up by ears while focusing on hands (up to

0.10 deduction)

Must have flight before your hands contact the ground (up to 0.20 deduction)

Hands must land at the same time and must be side by side (0.10 deduction)

Insufficient blocking off hands (up to 0.20 deduction)

Total lack of blocking…doing a front limber instead of a front handspring (0.60

deduction)

not landing with feet side by side at the same time (0.10 deduction)

Failure to rebound immediately after the front handspring (0.10 deduction)

***STRAIGHT LEG LEAP- do not bend the front leg on the take-off (up to 0.10 deduction)

You must have a minimum of a 120 degree leg separation (up to 0.20 deduction)

***LEG SWING WITH HOP QUARTER TURN- Leg  must swing forward and reach a minimum height of

horizontal (up to 0.10)

***SPLIT- split must be all the way down on the floor- 180 degrees (up to 0.20 deduction)

***WEIGHT TRANSFER- Make sure to show a rocking action through the use of plie- feet must be turned out

some (up to 0.20 deduction)

***BACK EXTENSION ROLL- Do not place hands on floor before rolling backwards (0.30 deduction)

Hands staged or not placed at the same time (0.10 deduction)

Make sure you pass through vertical (up to 0.30 deduction)

DO NOT DO a backward roll step out, this is an element change (0.60 deduction)

***FULL TURN IN COUPE- foot must remain at ankle in high releve while completing a 360 degree turn (up

to 0.40 deduction)

***HITCHKICK- Each leg must reach a minimum height of horizontal (up to 0.10 deduction of EACH kick)

***BACK WALKOVER- Make sure your leg lifts continuously while going into the back walkover-do not let

your leg drop after you begin arching backwards (up to 0.10 deduction)

Do not stag your hands or place them on the gymnastics floor one at a time (0.10

deduction)

Must have a minimum leg separation of 150 degrees (up to 0.20 deduction)

***ROUND-OFF – You must not lack acceleration in the series (up to 0.20 deduction)

Make sure to pass through vertical (up to 0.30 deduction)

Feet must land at the same time (0.10 deduction)

***2 BACK HANDSPRING REBOUND- Do not squat deeply in either back handspring (up to 0.20 deduction

for each)

Land feet next to each other at the same time (0.10 deduction for each)

Landing of the last  back handsprings must be followed by an immediate rebound

(0.10 deduction)

Must show a controlled, paused, and stuck landing (0.05 deduction)

These are not  ALL the gymnastics skills or  deductions for the gymnastics level 5 floor routine. These are the MAIN skills required for level 5 and the deductions for those skills.  There is more deductions in the level 5 routine that I did not list. One will receive deductions for lack of gymnastics dance, fluidity and rhythm. You will also receive a deduction for going out of bounds or not completing your routine with the music.

USA Gymnastics has specific required routines for compulsory levels (gymnastics level 1 through level 6). USAG has precise guidelines, rules, time limits, and a code of points for each event. USA gymnastics level 4 floor routine has specific gymnastics skills that have required guidelines one must meet. If these guidelines are not met, the gymnast will receive deductions from their overall score.

LEVEL 4 GYMNASTICS FLOOR ROUTINE- MAIN GYMNASTICS FLOOR SKILLS, REQUIREMENTS, AND DEDUCTIONS!

*Split Jump- Leg separation in the split jump must have a minimum of 90 degrees.

*Handstand Straight Arm Forward Roll- when performing a handstand forward roll the gymnast must hit vertical with legs together and hold for a minimum of 1 second.

*Handstand Bridge Kick-Over- While doing a handstand bridge kick over, arms must remain straight and up at ears the entire time. When the gymnast hits the top of the handstand legs must me together before continuing into the bridge. When in the bridge you must shift shoulders over hands before kicking over. Make sure a minimum leg split of 120 degrees is achieved when kicking over. Show a levering action and obtain control throughout this gymnastics skill.

*Leap Step Hop- Push off with front leg when taking off for leap. Leap must have a minimum of a 90 degree split. Make sure legs swings forward to a minimum of horizontal on the hop.

*Split- Must be all the way down with straight legs.

*Straight Arm Backward Roll into Pushup- Hands must touch the ground before rolling backwards. While rolling, maintain straight arms and land in a push-up position.

*Coupe Half Turn- When turning one must complete 180 degrees turn while in releve (on toe) and coupe (your foot at your ankle). Show control throughout the entire turn.

*Round-off Back Handspring Rebound- When performing a round-off back handspring rebound the gymnast must show acceleration. Be sure the round-off passes through vertical and both feet land at the same time. Legs must stay together throughout the back handspring and it must be landed with two feet. As soon as the back handspring is landed, immediately rebound , stick and control the landing.

Make sure you keep good fluidity and rhythm throughout the entire level 4 gymnastics floor routine.

In womens artistic gymnastics there are four apparatuses: gymnastics floor exercise, uneven bars, vault table, and balance beam.

Gymnastics floor exercise is one out of two events that are competed by both men and women. Out of all the events, floor exercise is favored by most. Floor takes a vast amount of strength, power, endurance, flexibility, grace, and gymnastics dance.

The floor exercise has springs underneath, for this reason many people refer to them as spring floors. The standard size for a spring floor is 12 meters by 12 meters. This size makes it a perfect square.

A spring floor is made out of tons of small springs that are covered by plywood, the plywood is covered by thick foam padding, and the foam padding is covered by carpet. The carpet has four taped lined along the outside, these are called the boundary lines. A gymnast must stay inside these lines when performing his/her routine. If a gymnast steps outside these lines they will receive a deduction.

Levels one through six all have the exact same choreographed gymnastics floor routine. Once a gymnast becomes a level seven they get to pick their very own floor music and have a gymnastics floor routine choreographed to fit her skills and style.

Floor Exercise is where the gymnasts get to express who they are as a gymnast. A gymnast expresses her character and ability through the tumbling, leaps, jumps, skill, turns, etc. she puts into her routine. Her personality also gets expressed though the music she chooses, and the type of gymnastics dance she selects and puts in her routine.