1997 - 2000 Age Group (ompetition Program
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problem that gymnasts do not bend the front leg enough for a strong push off.) 3. The hands should be firmly on the ground prior to the completion of the front leg extension. 4. The hands should remain on the ground until the feet almost touch the ground, so the body will not float in the air for long and lose important rotational power. 5. The most important body position is the end of the handspring which leads to the take-off position for the next skill. During the turn over phase, the entire body should be fully extended in an arched position. As the feet reach the ground, the point of arch must quickly shift to the upper chest so that the gymnast can be standing up on his toes with the lower back straight except in the upper chest. The arms should be brought directly upward from the floor at shoulder width and end up straight over head. This position will ensure a proper take-off position for any type of front salto following the front handspring. The forward rebounding handspring (forward flip flop) is an important skill to learn prior to learning the layout front. It is similar to teaching a good back handspring prior to teaching a whip back or a layout back somersault. Developing proper technical execution of this forward rebounding handspring will facilitate the mastery of a good layout forward somersault and a series of rebounding fronts.
Progression for Forward Rebounding Handspring (Forward Flip Flop) and Layout Front 1. Headspring a. Headspring to heads pring (Series of headsprings) First, a gymnast must be able to execute a technically good headspring. This means that he must be able to finish the heads pring in an extended body position with arms over head ------------------------------j( r EC H N IOU E
without excessive knee bend. In the teaching process for a series of headsprings, the following pointers should be emphasized. 1) Hands reach further out for the second heads pring. 2) Excessive knee and hip bend in between head springs should be gradually eliminated. 3) Soon, encourage the gymnast to slightly dive into the second headspring without any knee bend or hip pike in the transition. b. Headspring to dive roll It is not necessary to emphasize an arched position in the air during the dive roll. Following are two technical pointers:
1) The diving action should be done forward in a rounded body position and emphasize extended legs and hips at the take-off point. 2) The arms should always be kept over the head at shoulder width. 2. Headspring to forward rebounding handspring Technically, a forward rebounding handspring should be done identically to the headspring except for the arms. The arms will be kept straight instead of bent. The most common mistake here would be the premature opening of the hips and the (continued on page 12) • VOL UMEl B • #3
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