limb coordination is as this skill is continuously used a lot throughout every apparatus in
gymnastics. The run up included. Coordination is used in the main running phase, arm swing and
hurdle step onto the board or into tumbling.
Twists and pivots- Are a strength of mine because i have a good reaction time which is very
useful when twisting in order to initiate the turn, especially in tumbling and vaulting. I know that
I am confident with twists and pivots because I have good body alignment, it is essential to keep
good body tension especially on bars during dismounts and mounts like a half turning upstart.
Having good spacial awareness is essential when twisting from knowing when to step out of
spins on beam and floor to knowing when to finnish rotating and twisting in somersaults, vaults,
dismounts and jumps.
Leaps and jumps- For me, leaps and jumps have always been my weaker skill in gymnastics. This
is mainly because I am not the most flexible gymnast, therefore I have to use my power to drive
my legs into splits. Recently, however, my leaps and jumps have improved massively even
though my splits on the floor have become worse, I believe this is because I have learnt to use
much more power to force my legs into splits; also by using my arms to get more height. Another
thing that is key in leaps and jumps is reaction time, especially in skills like a change leg split leap
because you have to quickly switch the legs then get ready to land.
Backwards tumbling- Is a weakness for me because i have a mental block when linking the
moves together which is very frustrating! My forward tumbling is strong, I get lots of power out
of the floor which gives me lots of height making it safer to twist and rotate in my tumbles before
landing. Speed is also quite important during tumbles, depending on the tumble you need a lot
of build up to get the height and power out of the floor. For some tumbles there just isn't enough
room to run far into them, like front somersault walkouts… therefore it is important to make the
moves fairly quick as this will speed up the tumble helping it to flow better and get more height
for the tuck back or whatever somersault finishes off that tumble line. Whereas with tumbles like
handspring straight front full twist, it is important to get a lot of speed in the run up to get the
handspring quick and snappy which will make sure that your feet get in quickly and are ready to
go into the full twist; to get enough height to completely twist 360° and land safely.
Movement Analysis- Back flick
A back flick is also another key skill in gymnastics, flicks are used in most backwards tumble runs,
on beam as acro and in a yurchenko vault. A flick is also a preparation for tuck backs (backwards
somersaults) because if the gymnast is already used to jumping backwards and going upside
down, when it comes to learning a tuck back it won't seem so scary.
Before learning a flick, it is important that the gymnast has: Good strength because it is vital that
you keep your arms straight and strong to land on. Good Flexibility in order to get a nice arch
shape and split legs if doing a flick walkout (flick to one). Power is also needed in a back flick in
order to get good height onto your hands. These three components of fitness are key when
performing a back flick in order to execute it perfectly (and ready to go into the next skill) and to
prevent the risk of injury.
, Performing a back flick requires lots of different muscle and joint movements. When doing a
standing back fick you must start with your arms straight by your ears (the gymnasts arms must
stay straight throughout the entire move) arms will then swing down to just past the hips-then
come back up to the ears as you push backwards. This arms swing provides momentum into the
back flick. The shoulder is a ball and socket joint, also a synovial joint, this means that it is a freely
moveable joint allowing all movement types: flexion, extension, abduction, abduction,
circumduction and rotation. As the arms swing down the articulating bones are the clavicle and
humerus, the active muscles at this stage are the deltoids and trapeziuses. Meanwhile the arms
swing down you should start to sit/lean back into an ‘imaginary chair’ like position, here the hips
have dropped about 45°. The hip is also a ball and socket joint/synovial joint and is freely
moveable allowing all movement types with the articulating bones being the pelvis and femur. In
this slightly squatted position the knees are at about a 90° angle and performing flexion. The
knee is a hinge joint, therefore only provides flexion and extension. The articulating bones
around this joint are the femur and tibia. In the slight squat position the antagonistic muscle pair
is the quadriceps and the hamstrings, the quadriceps being the agonist and hamstring the
antagonist. The fixator stabilises the muscle pairs, in this case the fixator is the gluteals. The next
stage to a flick is to jump back with power into an arch shape to get back to your feet
successfully. When jumping back it is important that you stretch through your legs to your toes,
the working muscle here is the gastrocnemius during plantar flexion. At the same time as this the
arms should be back by your ears ready to reach for the floor. Once you have taken off, the hips
must push forwards to create an open body/extended position, as this happens the knees will
extend and the body is in hyperextension because all limbs are fully extended. When the body is
in the air a bridge shape must be visible with straight legs and arms and eyes looking towards the
floor. The muscles used during a flick are: Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Gastrocnemius, Deltoids,
Trapezius, Abdominals, Gluteals, Triceps and Biceps. Flexibility is needed in the shoulders and
back for the bridge stage in order to get your hands down at the right time. Once your hands
have reached the floor, your biceps and triceps work as antagonistic pairs to successfully push
back off of the floor to land on your feet. At this stage, the triceps are the agonist and the biceps
are the antagonist. The deltoid and trapezius are both also working as they provide the ’shrug’
which helps you to push off of the floor. The shoulders also help the legs to get a tap meaning
they get over to the other side, during this the abdominals are contracting too to bring the legs
over. The gastrocnemius, quadriceps and biceps are also engaged to keep the toes pointed and
arms and legs straight;making the flick look neater giving the move a good flow. When your feet
hit the ground, the knees go back to flexion and your arms come back up to your ears. (As soon
as the feet hit it is likely you will get a rebound where the legs will go through extension then
back to flexion when landing. The rebound should be a tight dish shape here the abdominals will
be engaged.) Finally once landed, the body should be fully extended, standing up straight with
arms abducted by the ears.
gymnastics. The run up included. Coordination is used in the main running phase, arm swing and
hurdle step onto the board or into tumbling.
Twists and pivots- Are a strength of mine because i have a good reaction time which is very
useful when twisting in order to initiate the turn, especially in tumbling and vaulting. I know that
I am confident with twists and pivots because I have good body alignment, it is essential to keep
good body tension especially on bars during dismounts and mounts like a half turning upstart.
Having good spacial awareness is essential when twisting from knowing when to step out of
spins on beam and floor to knowing when to finnish rotating and twisting in somersaults, vaults,
dismounts and jumps.
Leaps and jumps- For me, leaps and jumps have always been my weaker skill in gymnastics. This
is mainly because I am not the most flexible gymnast, therefore I have to use my power to drive
my legs into splits. Recently, however, my leaps and jumps have improved massively even
though my splits on the floor have become worse, I believe this is because I have learnt to use
much more power to force my legs into splits; also by using my arms to get more height. Another
thing that is key in leaps and jumps is reaction time, especially in skills like a change leg split leap
because you have to quickly switch the legs then get ready to land.
Backwards tumbling- Is a weakness for me because i have a mental block when linking the
moves together which is very frustrating! My forward tumbling is strong, I get lots of power out
of the floor which gives me lots of height making it safer to twist and rotate in my tumbles before
landing. Speed is also quite important during tumbles, depending on the tumble you need a lot
of build up to get the height and power out of the floor. For some tumbles there just isn't enough
room to run far into them, like front somersault walkouts… therefore it is important to make the
moves fairly quick as this will speed up the tumble helping it to flow better and get more height
for the tuck back or whatever somersault finishes off that tumble line. Whereas with tumbles like
handspring straight front full twist, it is important to get a lot of speed in the run up to get the
handspring quick and snappy which will make sure that your feet get in quickly and are ready to
go into the full twist; to get enough height to completely twist 360° and land safely.
Movement Analysis- Back flick
A back flick is also another key skill in gymnastics, flicks are used in most backwards tumble runs,
on beam as acro and in a yurchenko vault. A flick is also a preparation for tuck backs (backwards
somersaults) because if the gymnast is already used to jumping backwards and going upside
down, when it comes to learning a tuck back it won't seem so scary.
Before learning a flick, it is important that the gymnast has: Good strength because it is vital that
you keep your arms straight and strong to land on. Good Flexibility in order to get a nice arch
shape and split legs if doing a flick walkout (flick to one). Power is also needed in a back flick in
order to get good height onto your hands. These three components of fitness are key when
performing a back flick in order to execute it perfectly (and ready to go into the next skill) and to
prevent the risk of injury.
, Performing a back flick requires lots of different muscle and joint movements. When doing a
standing back fick you must start with your arms straight by your ears (the gymnasts arms must
stay straight throughout the entire move) arms will then swing down to just past the hips-then
come back up to the ears as you push backwards. This arms swing provides momentum into the
back flick. The shoulder is a ball and socket joint, also a synovial joint, this means that it is a freely
moveable joint allowing all movement types: flexion, extension, abduction, abduction,
circumduction and rotation. As the arms swing down the articulating bones are the clavicle and
humerus, the active muscles at this stage are the deltoids and trapeziuses. Meanwhile the arms
swing down you should start to sit/lean back into an ‘imaginary chair’ like position, here the hips
have dropped about 45°. The hip is also a ball and socket joint/synovial joint and is freely
moveable allowing all movement types with the articulating bones being the pelvis and femur. In
this slightly squatted position the knees are at about a 90° angle and performing flexion. The
knee is a hinge joint, therefore only provides flexion and extension. The articulating bones
around this joint are the femur and tibia. In the slight squat position the antagonistic muscle pair
is the quadriceps and the hamstrings, the quadriceps being the agonist and hamstring the
antagonist. The fixator stabilises the muscle pairs, in this case the fixator is the gluteals. The next
stage to a flick is to jump back with power into an arch shape to get back to your feet
successfully. When jumping back it is important that you stretch through your legs to your toes,
the working muscle here is the gastrocnemius during plantar flexion. At the same time as this the
arms should be back by your ears ready to reach for the floor. Once you have taken off, the hips
must push forwards to create an open body/extended position, as this happens the knees will
extend and the body is in hyperextension because all limbs are fully extended. When the body is
in the air a bridge shape must be visible with straight legs and arms and eyes looking towards the
floor. The muscles used during a flick are: Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Gastrocnemius, Deltoids,
Trapezius, Abdominals, Gluteals, Triceps and Biceps. Flexibility is needed in the shoulders and
back for the bridge stage in order to get your hands down at the right time. Once your hands
have reached the floor, your biceps and triceps work as antagonistic pairs to successfully push
back off of the floor to land on your feet. At this stage, the triceps are the agonist and the biceps
are the antagonist. The deltoid and trapezius are both also working as they provide the ’shrug’
which helps you to push off of the floor. The shoulders also help the legs to get a tap meaning
they get over to the other side, during this the abdominals are contracting too to bring the legs
over. The gastrocnemius, quadriceps and biceps are also engaged to keep the toes pointed and
arms and legs straight;making the flick look neater giving the move a good flow. When your feet
hit the ground, the knees go back to flexion and your arms come back up to your ears. (As soon
as the feet hit it is likely you will get a rebound where the legs will go through extension then
back to flexion when landing. The rebound should be a tight dish shape here the abdominals will
be engaged.) Finally once landed, the body should be fully extended, standing up straight with
arms abducted by the ears.
