Gymnastics Subpage--Tips on Learning/Performing Skills
Last updated: March 5, 1998
Under construction--If you would like to contribute and become famous on the Web, email me as I do appreciate all input as I do realize that there are many different ways of learning/performing the same skills
NUTRITION, EXERCISE, and the POSITIVE MENTAL FOCUS/HEALTH subpages--they're ESSENTIAL:"It requires no courage to throw a ball into a basket or catch a pass--anyone can do those--but it takes TREMENDOUS courage to risk breaking your neck whenever you perform gymnastics flips--even if you don't stick it, you can be justifiably proud of yourself for even trying the flip in the first place--because most people won't even dare or try."--Jason Hun
Click here to go to my 
POSITIVE MENTAL FOCUS/HEALTH subpage for more motivational quotes 
2) More later
1) Most beginners don't sit back far enough (they jump with
their weight/center of gravity over their feet instead of
behind their feet) because most are afraid of that off-balance
feeling they should get before jumping. Lean/fallback/sit-back
first and then bend the knees before jumping. Make sure the
knees/shins don't protude forward. You can drill yourself by
having doing backhandsprings/drills facing close to a wall so
the wall prevents you from leaning forward/(not siting back far
enough). When doing it from a round-off, make sure you snap
your feet down so that you land with your weight behind your
feet,shins angled backwards/up,and bottom/pc/hips tight and
tucked under.
2)Make sure rotate/arch your upper body AFTER you jump so you land on your hands
(with your shoulders over in line over your hands)--most beginners don't rotate
enough so they land on their shoulders/back instead of their
hands. Most beginners also arch/rotate too early (when their
weight is still over their feet or before they even jump) or
too late after they're in the air). Make sure you swing your arms super-fast before you jump so that your arms are by your ears by the time you jump--most beginners swing their arms too slow.
3) To prevent the legs from flying open while performing a
backhandspring, lie down and sqeeze the knees/ankles together
while someone tries to pry their legs apart. You can also
arch your bottom off the floor to simulate the arched in-flight
position while doing this. You can also jump while holding a
ball between the legs. Gymnasts who jump with their legs open
tend to depend only on arching (instead of arm swing/strong jump)
to land on their hands--they also usually have bent knees (bad
form). Stand on the toes and squeeze the bottom and legs and
you should feel this same tightness in the toes and legs/bottom/pc
when you jump through your toes. Make sure the feet are
pointed straight ahead and not angled away from each other
when in the start position or from landing a round-off--feet
anlged away from each other causes the legs to open when bent.
4) Conditioning: Exercises that build your shoulders, triceps,
and trapezius muscles are the most effective for increasing
your speed and power. Handstand push-ups are one the best
exercises for students if they can't do military/shoulder
presses.
2) Make sure you start to pushoff/block through your shoulders/traps early (before both legs hit vertical) so you float high--most beginners push off to late
3) Forcefully stop the movement of your first leg once it reaches vertical after kicking it up so that you'll transfer its momentum to your torso so your torso rotates up--most beginnners neglect to stop their leg and kickover to fall onto their back
4) Conditioning: same as backhandsprings
2) Do your flairs with a sweeping motion--don't pike and stay
tight by squeezing your bottom and keeping your legs tight and toes
pointed.
3) Conditioning: Splits and alot of lower-abs and shoulder
exercises.
2) You can exert more leverage if you try to put most of your
weight on your wrists(inside/palm of heels) of your false-grip
instead of the farther regions of your fingers/grip.
(Be careful, your wrists can actually bruise from having so much pressure pressing against it into the rings)
3) Good exercises are butterflies (all types,
especially cable-work and the pulley machines designed
specifically for cross work) and wide dips (use wide-set
bars or chairs or whatever is available).
4) Before your rings event, you can also increase your
strength-to-weight ratio by going to the bathroom to get
rid of a few pounds (caffeine is a diuretic and will help
you lose excess water).
2) Conditioning: Shoulder exercises, especially front dumbbell/barbell
raises to the front with palms facing each other or down.
BACKHANDSPRINGS
First, you should already have a good handstand.
FRONTHANDSPRINGS
1) Make sure that you hurdle and reach far ahead of your feet as your reach for the floor
FLAIRS
1) Maintain balance by keeping your shoulders over your hands--letting
your shoulders stray too far away from your hands will cause you
to fall.
GIANT SWINGS
IRON CROSSES
1) Iron crosses require as much determination as well as
strength. Your iron will to hold on despite the stress
and pain is just as important as your chest and shoulder/arm
strength--you really can push yourself past your limits.
However, you can tear pectoral/shoulder/briachial muscles and
strain tendons/ligaments if you hold on too long after you've
pushed yourself past your limits so do be careful (yeah, I've strained a couple
of muscles before when setting new duration records :)
MALTESE
PRESS INTO HANDSTAND FROM SPLITS
1) From the splits, place your hands about shoulder-width apart and
close to your inner thighs, hollow-out your chest, and press upwards
using your shoulder strength (you can also use your hips to help
yourself up). Keep your legs tight and toes pointed for best form.
Back to my homepage
© Copyright 1996 Jason HunRippedGymnast
@cheerful.com
All rights reversed. Printed on 100% recycled electrons. 94% fat-free. Dolphin-safe.
Last updated: March 5, 1998
Under construction--If you would like to contribute and become famous on the Web, email me as I do appreciate all input as I do realize that there are many different ways of learning/performing the same skills
NUTRITION, EXERCISE, and the POSITIVE MENTAL FOCUS/HEALTH subpages--they're ESSENTIAL:"It requires no courage to throw a ball into a basket or catch a pass--anyone can do those--but it takes TREMENDOUS courage to risk breaking your neck whenever you perform gymnastics flips--even if you don't stick it, you can be justifiably proud of yourself for even trying the flip in the first place--because most people won't even dare or try."--Jason Hun
Click here to go to my
POSITIVE MENTAL FOCUS/HEALTH subpage for more motivational quotes
2) More later
1) Most beginners don't sit back far enough (they jump with
their weight/center of gravity over their feet instead of
behind their feet) because most are afraid of that off-balance
feeling they should get before jumping. Lean/fallback/sit-back
first and then bend the knees before jumping. Make sure the
knees/shins don't protude forward. You can drill yourself by
having doing backhandsprings/drills facing close to a wall so
the wall prevents you from leaning forward/(not siting back far
enough). When doing it from a round-off, make sure you snap
your feet down so that you land with your weight behind your
feet,shins angled backwards/up,and bottom/pc/hips tight and
tucked under.
2)Make sure rotate/arch your upper body AFTER you jump so you land on your hands
(with your shoulders over in line over your hands)--most beginners don't rotate
enough so they land on their shoulders/back instead of their
hands. Most beginners also arch/rotate too early (when their
weight is still over their feet or before they even jump) or
too late after they're in the air). Make sure you swing your arms super-fast before you jump so that your arms are by your ears by the time you jump--most beginners swing their arms too slow.
3) To prevent the legs from flying open while performing a
backhandspring, lie down and sqeeze the knees/ankles together
while someone tries to pry their legs apart. You can also
arch your bottom off the floor to simulate the arched in-flight
position while doing this. You can also jump while holding a
ball between the legs. Gymnasts who jump with their legs open
tend to depend only on arching (instead of arm swing/strong jump)
to land on their hands--they also usually have bent knees (bad
form). Stand on the toes and squeeze the bottom and legs and
you should feel this same tightness in the toes and legs/bottom/pc
when you jump through your toes. Make sure the feet are
pointed straight ahead and not angled away from each other
when in the start position or from landing a round-off--feet
anlged away from each other causes the legs to open when bent.
4) Conditioning: Exercises that build your shoulders, triceps,
and trapezius muscles are the most effective for increasing
your speed and power. Handstand push-ups are one the best
exercises for students if they can't do military/shoulder
presses.
2) Make sure you start to pushoff/block through your shoulders/traps early (before both legs hit vertical) so you float high--most beginners push off to late
3) Forcefully stop the movement of your first leg once it reaches vertical after kicking it up so that you'll transfer its momentum to your torso so your torso rotates up--most beginnners neglect to stop their leg and kickover to fall onto their back
4) Conditioning: same as backhandsprings
2) Do your flairs with a sweeping motion--don't pike and stay
tight by squeezing your bottom and keeping your legs tight and toes
pointed.
3) Conditioning: Splits and alot of lower-abs and shoulder
exercises.
2) You can exert more leverage if you try to put most of your
weight on your wrists(inside/palm of heels) of your false-grip
instead of the farther regions of your fingers/grip.
(Be careful, your wrists can actually bruise from having so much pressure pressing against it into the rings)
3) Good exercises are butterflies (all types,
especially cable-work and the pulley machines designed
specifically for cross work) and wide dips (use wide-set
bars or chairs or whatever is available).
4) Before your rings event, you can also increase your
strength-to-weight ratio by going to the bathroom to get
rid of a few pounds (caffeine is a diuretic and will help
you lose excess water).
2) Conditioning: Shoulder exercises, especially front dumbbell/barbell
raises to the front with palms facing each other or down.
BACKHANDSPRINGS
First, you should already have a good handstand.
FRONTHANDSPRINGS
1) Make sure that you hurdle and reach far ahead of your feet as your reach for the floor
FLAIRS
1) Maintain balance by keeping your shoulders over your hands--letting
your shoulders stray too far away from your hands will cause you
to fall.
GIANT SWINGS
IRON CROSSES
1) Iron crosses require as much determination as well as
strength. Your iron will to hold on despite the stress
and pain is just as important as your chest and shoulder/arm
strength--you really can push yourself past your limits.
However, you can tear pectoral/shoulder/briachial muscles and
strain tendons/ligaments if you hold on too long after you've
pushed yourself past your limits so do be careful (yeah, I've strained a couple
of muscles before when setting new duration records :)
MALTESE
PRESS INTO HANDSTAND FROM SPLITS
1) From the splits, place your hands about shoulder-width apart and
close to your inner thighs, hollow-out your chest, and press upwards
using your shoulder strength (you can also use your hips to help
yourself up). Keep your legs tight and toes pointed for best form.
Back to my homepage© Copyright 1996 Jason HunRippedGymnast@cheerful.com
All rights reversed. Printed on 100% recycled electrons. 94% fat-free. Dolphin-safe.