Message From the President: Dear Members and Gymnastics Friends, Welcome to the inaugural issue of "Salto", the official publication of the Zimbabwe Gymnastics Federation. "Salto" will provide news, competition results, personality profiles, technical articles and tips, as well (we hope!) as being a communication tool for our members and readers. Gymnastics in Zimbabwe has great potential, but has, sadly, suffered from a lack of leadership and planning. Z.G.F. is actively filling this void. We are persons from the sport, involved in the sport, passionate about gymnastics, and very proactive in it's future development in our country. Our membership consists of the majority of the clubs in Zimbabwe, over 50 participating schools programmes, and almost 4000 active athlete members. The Z.G.F. is for ALL athletes, coaches, parents, and persons involved or interested in gymnastics in Zimbabwe. We are blind to color, class, economic status, and tribal origin. The Z.G.F. is an organization committed to the growth and prosperity for ALL it's participants, and will make every effort to provide a positive sporting experience to ALL with whom it is involved. "Together, we ALL win" Khumbulani Moyo President Personality Profile: Wesley Cherima Wes is one of Zimbabwe's most familiar and best-loved figures. He has served the country's gymnastics community in many capacities including National Champion, National Team member, club and International Coach. Wesley was born 29 June, 1972 and began his gymnastics career while a student at the Allan Wilson School. He went on to qualify as a member of the Zimbabwe Junior Team (1987- 89) and graduated to the Senior team in 1990. Wes was a National Team member at 2 African Championships and 2 All-African Games. His best event wa~ Pommel Horse in which he made fmals taking 7th at the 1995 All-African Games in Harare and 5th at the' African Championships in 1998. Domestically, Wes was National All-Around Champion in 1998 and 1999. Today, he is the Director and Head Coach of Superstar Gym Club in Harare where he trains 16 Elites in preparation for high level competition. In addition, Superstar works with 12 school programmes, reaching out to the youth community and working to build a pyramid of gymnastics levels for future growth and development. Wes also has served as Coach for Zimbabwe's Junior Team at the last Zone 6 International competitions. His hobbies include coin collecting and playing drums in a band. |
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| Looking Back- A History of Gymnastics in Zimbabwe (Part One) by Claire McDowell Prior to independence, gymnastics was primarily conducted as part of the physical education curriculum in the national secondary schools. In the early 1980's the Amateur Gymnastics Federation was formed, and Zimbabwe received recognition from the International Gymnastics Federation (F.I.G.) in 1984. Throughout the 1980's there were few competitive opportunities outside the country aside from exchanges with neighbouring South Africa, but there was great hope that the Junior Programme would eventually produce results. At the AII-African Games in 1991 in Cairo Egypt, these hopes were realized in the achievement of a Bronze team medal by the ZIM men's team (Greg Noach, Erasmus Garakare, Khumbulani Moyo, and Stanley Chinyerere ). Arguably, the zenith of Zimbabwe gymnastics occurred in the mid-1990's. The country won it's first individual medal in international competition at the 1994 African Championships in Johannesburg when Khumbulani Moyo garnered a Silver medal on the vault. The following year saw Zimbabwe hosting the 6th All-African Games. Zimbabweans were treated to an almost week-long spectacle of great gymnastics at the Belvedere College facility in Harare. The women’s team grabbed the bronze medal and Karen Angus became Zimbabwe’s first All-African gymnastics champion by winning a Gold medal on the floor. Lamentably, the high expectations that were a result of these achievements were not to be realized. The ugly and very public controversy over ZAGA 's refusal to register National Champion Moyo for the 1997 World Championships was a shattering blow to the hopes of virtually all Zimbabwean athletes and coaches. Moreover, the diaspora of coaches from the country due to both economics and the lack of international opportunities has had it’s impact on gymnastics in Zimbabwe up to the present. |
| Handspring Progression for Beginning Vaulters by Jim Ho1t USA Zimbabwe Coach, 1995 A11-African Games Reducing vaulting to it's essence, the biggest problem that beginners face is simply being able to get over the horse! It has often puzzled me that most gymnastics coaches approach teaching the handspring vault sequentially. While we are all aware that the elements of vault consist of Run, Hurdle, Punch, Preflight, Block, Postflight, and Landing. It makes little sense to teach the skill that way. To reiterate, the most significant challenge for the gymnast is the ability to get over the horse and do so safely. In order to dc this, it is essential that the gymnast generate the necessary amount of force, but even more importantly ( or rather, what takes precedence) is for the gymnast to develop the confidence to go over the horse, whereby the gymnast will be able to generate grreater levels of effort, thereby generating more and more force. Over the years, I have had great success with the following progression: Station: Vaulting horse is positioned sideways for both boys and girls Springboard is directly in front of horse. Coach/trainer is stationed behind the horse, hip leaning on horse for support and leverage Step 1 Gymnast stands on vaulting board, both hands on horse; on both feet, jumps 3 times on board with the emphasis on .lifting the hips over the head. In this drill it is not only permissible to pike but emphasized! Step 2 Same as step one, but on thrid bounce, the gymnast puts his/her head on the horse, hips over head, and attempts to 'kick over" at 45 degree angle (handspring angle). The coach spots the gymnast by placing his near (horse side) arm under the gymnast's waist, far arm in the lower back, and as the gymnast passes through vertical (handstand position), shifts his near arm to the gymnast's wrist for support and push. Using this technique (and depending on the size of the gymnasts, e.g. high school girls), the trainer can use his shoulder to support the gymnast also. This step will normally take between 20-25 repetitions for the gymnast to feel comfortable going over . Step 3 The gymnast backs up 3 steps and walks to the board, hurdles onto the board and takes 3 bounces, repeating the above sequence. The coach/trainer has a verbal cue during these two progressions. I always tell the gymnast that we are going to "Step, step step, bounce, bounce, bounce, head down, hips up, kick over!" Generally the gymnast will be comfortable with step 3 within 15-20 repetitions. Step 4 Eliminate the extra two bounces; 3 steps, hurdle, bounce, gc over. The coach maintains the same spotting position and technique. This step only takes 10-15 repetitions. Step 5 Change the walk to a trot. Note that the board needs to be moved away from the horse proportionally to the speed of the run. Step 6 Back up to 5 steps; speed up. Note above, regarding board placement. Step 7, etc. Back up to 7 steps, run Advantages: The advantages of this particular progression are numerous: I. the fear factor of going over (and particularly of running into) the horse is eliminated because the gymnast starts out under control and increases his/her energy at a speed with which he/she is comfortable. . 2. The coach, by spotting on the "backside" or landing side of the horse is able to control the body position of both the kick and the post-flight landing. 3. By not worrying about the body position at the initial stages, the gymnast's task is simplified; he/she needs only to think about getting the hips up and kicking over 4.. A gymnast needs fewer drills and will master the skill in fewer repetitions, and therefore less time. 5. As the gymnast moves backfrom the horse and runs faster, the arms will straighten and the kick will be more powerful virtually automatically. Disadvantages I believe that there are no disadvantages to this progression with the exception of it being labor-intensive for the spotter during the intitial steps. Conclusion There are, of course, other aspects of teaching elementary vaulting, including running and hurdling technique, the apility to extend "into and through" the board on impact, and increasing the efficiency of the reach and kick to the horse during pre-flight, and the block and extension off the horse for post-flight. However, this is a simple, efficient, and effective progression to introduce the handspring vault to beginners. |
| Assessment of Current Situation in Country. Executive Committee Zimbabwe Gymnastics Federation Gymnastics in Zimbabwe has extraordinary potential for greatness. While many challenges and difficulties lie ahead, Zimbabwe has resources and strengths that make it one of the most important countries in the developing World. Crises are opportunities for renewal; despite the critical financial situation the country faces and the lack of activity from the previous existing organization, the future of the sport is bright and provides unprecedented opportunity for success. As we decisively address our organizational and financia] problems, we will work to gain the respect of the Z.O.C., Sports Commission, and our colleagues in other sports. It is essential for the Federation to have written long-range plans which articulate it's competitiove goals, financial objectives, and the means by which these will be achieved This document is an initial step towards these ends. I.. Inventory of Current Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths: 1. a large and growing number of Member schools and clubs within this organization 2. a written development plan 3. a number of young, dynamic home-grown coaches with (formerly) National Team and International experience and administrative skills 4. growing athlete base 5. regularly published magazine ("Salto") 6. we are a Summer Olympic Sport 7. an ambitious agenda for future growth and participation 8. International judge with F.I.G. brevet 9. facility (Belvedere Teacher's College) suitable for hosting international and National level competitions Weaknesses: l. an " Amateur National Association(ZAGA)" that has not maintained a level of activity, articulated a plan for growth, and which has not supported the coaches and athletes in the country 2. low morale of many former participants due to exclusion from policy making opportunity from "Amateur Association" 3. a disproportional representation in both competitive participation and administration of organiziation and program on ethnic and class lines lack of money and other resources Indeed, our goal is to ensure that Zimbabwe gymnasts are able to compete at the World and Olympic levels, to make the sport accessible to all strata of our society and simply, to be the finest Sports organization in Zimbabwe. |
| Lineup Stacking By Chenjerai Mutare A coach is responsible for putting his/her gymnasts in a particular competition order . While it might seem natural to put the gymnasts in rank order (least accomplished to first), this is not necessarily the case. Lineup order is important in any team competition, because the order in which the athletes compete affects the final team score. Why? Gymnastics scores are subjective. Judges, who despite implementing the Code of Points and striving for complete objectivity have assumptions and biases that the effective coach will try to utilize in favor of his/her gymnasts' scores. In addition, the gymnasts' performances affect one another; although gymnastics is an individual sport, one (or a group) of gymnasts can perform in a way to inspire or alternatively, undermine confidence in the athletes to follow. The coaches first responsibility is to set a lineup that optimizes the chance for each gymnast to hit her routine. As a general guideline, then, a coach should put his most solid athlete up first on an event. This is particularly important on the balance beam where there is such a small margin of error. It is generally agreed and/or assumed that the first gymnast to compete is the "tablesetter" of a lineup, and that the gymnast's score will be a base from which the remainder of the team score is built. In a competition where the lowest score is thrown out, the coach might consider either burying the lowest gymnast in the middle of the lineup, or even having her compete last on an event. Example: 6 compete, 5 count, assume a .2 average score escalation Lineup #1 Gymnast A 7.5 Gymnast B 8.0 Gymnast C 8.1 Gymnast D 8.3 Gymnast E 8.4 Gymnast F 8.5 Team score 41.3 Lineup #2 Gymnast B 8.0 Gymnast C 8.2 Gymnast D 8.4 Gymnast E 8.6 Gymnast F 8.8 Gymnast A 7.5 Team score 42.0 While the "net" escalation in lineup 2 is. 7 less than Lineup 1 the team score is higher due to Gymnast B being a more effective "table setter" for the group. In this particular instance, Gymnast A is a 'throwaway" score, but provides insurance in case of a break or fall in one of the other gymnasts' routine. A third factor for the coach to consider is the (general) assumption that the best gymnast will go last. Where there is a measurable difference between the best gymnast on an event(gymnast A) and the next best (gymnast B), we suggest experimenting with different combinations at different competitions. Based on the assumption that gymnast A goes last, a team can, over the course of 4 events obtain a number of "assumptive" tenths if it puts gymnast B up last. Two notes of caution: if there is a marked difference in ability between gymnasts A and B, this tactic will be less effective and might even mitigate the opportunity of gymnast A to get her highest possible score from a judge. (Judges don't like to be fooled and/or made to look foolish). A fourth issue of which the coach should be aware: all of the above discussion is predicated on the assumption that the final team score is the highest priority at a given competition. If not, then stacking the lineup to maximize the score of a given individual in the all-around, or on a specific event might be the appropriate strategy. CONCLUSION There are many variables that can be factored into the lineup order, but suffice to say, coaches should be aware that "last to first" is not automatically the best approach, and should think about the different variables and possible consequences of a given lineup. |
| ZIMBABWE GYMNASTICS FEDERATION SALTO Vol. 1 #1 Fall, 2001 |