the front somersault techical breakdown and training

Gym Coach, Vol.2 (2008) 25-33 Methodological Article

The front somersault: technical breakdown and training

Valentin UzunovHataitai Gymnastics, Wellington, New Zealand

ABSTRACT

The front tuck somersault is a fundamental skill taught early on in a gymnast’s career. Mistakes in the teaching process will have long lasting consequences as engrained errors will be hard to fix, and will also lead to poor skill transfer. The common approach to teaching the somersault is usually through a trial and error approach, with little time spent on shaping or working the intricate details to the skill. In this article the understand – teach model is used to analyze the front tuck somersault. From this analysis a series of drills are used for teaching the somersault with focus on the critical phases. The critical phases for the front somersault, like any somersault, are the approach, take-off, rotation, and landing. Its is believed that its advantageous to teach each phase separately, so that the gymnast can gain appreciation for the importance of each phase, and understand the correct sequence of events. Once all phases are understood and learned they are combined to train the front somersault. The focus is on transferring a front somersault from a rebound surface to the floor. Careful and progressive progression is ideal, in order for the gymnast to be able to transfer the correct technique from one apparatus to the other.

Key Words: front tuck, take-off, understand-teach model, front tumbling, punch front

INTRODUCTION

The front somersault in a tuck position (aka front tuck) is regarded by many coaches as a ‘fundamental skill’ and it is usually taught first in sequence of front somersault skills, however this is usually because routine necessity or gymnast ability rather than because it’s ideal. Many coaches prefer to teach a front pike or front layout before a tuck. The common progressions taken to teaching this skill are quite basic and reply heavily on repetition, and trial and error. Little consideration is usually paid to shaping this skill. Even though former trial and error method can be effective in teaching the somersault, it does pose several limitations which hinder the progresses of this skill and its application to other skills.

Because of the fundamental nature of this skill its important to teach it correctly so that it can transferred to other apparatus, and so that it can safely develop into multiple somersaults. The following article uses a modified version of the

‘understand → teach’ model (10) detailing one possible method to teaching the front somersault on the floor. By using the understand → teach model to analyse the skill a holistic view of the front somersault is presented.

METHODOLOGY

Drills and Progressions The teaching process is divided into two phases: Phase 1 aims to develop the correct shaping and orientation for the somersault and phase 2 focuses entirely on the take-off. Both phases can and ideal should be taught at the same time, but not combined until the coach is confident that the gymnasts is able understand the correct body shape, and the importance of the take-off.

Phase 1 - Shaping and RotationThe following exercises are helpful in developing the necessary tuck shape and understanding of how to get into the position correctly.

©2008 The Gym Press. All rights reserved Gym Coach Vol.2, May, 2008 - 25-

V. Uzunov, Gym Coach, Vol.2 (2008) 25-33 Methodological Article

Shaping (Table 1)1. Resisted trunk flexion (Figure 1)2. Resisted Leg curls (Figure 2)3. Dish tuck extensions (Figure 3)4. Tuck over rail (Figure 4)The purpose of these drills is to strengthen and coordinate the key muscle groups and actions in performing the tuck position.TABLE 1 – Shaping Exercises

Figure 1 - Starting by holding on to a bungee/elastic like a theraband, the gymnast pulls the bungee downwards by rounding her back, and pulling in the chest, trying to maintain an open hip position for as long as possible. The motion should be fast with maximal range of motion. From the contraction the gymnast slowly return to the starting position. 2-3sets of 10 reps is recommended.

Figure 2 – Start by laying crossways over a pommel. The gymnasts ankle are tied with an elastic (theraband is good) attached to an anchor point, or the coach. Without arching the gymnast strongly flexes the knees and drives his/her butt upwards, than slowly returns to the start. 2-3 Sets of 10 reps is recommended.

Figure 3 - Starting in a half hollow/dish shape with the arms as far back as the gymnast can handle, the gymnast quickly and simultaneously draws the knees towards his chest and he/she reaches for the shin and lifts the shoulders to meet the knees in doing so assuming a tuck position. The gymnast than quickly returns to the staring position. The gymnast should grab the middle of the shins on each repetition and focus on opening back to the correct staring positon. 2-3 sets of 10 reps.

Figure 4 - The gymnast starts in an extended position with their hips resting on the bar, and the coach holding onto their ankles. On the coaches mark the gymnasts flexes his/her knees a over

his/her head while simultaneously contracting and rounding through the chest and back. The coach helps with the direction of the legs and he/she must maintain the position of the ankles as in the picture (3) in order to the gymnast not to fall off the bar. This drill is done in sets of about 5-6, with emphasis on correct tucking mechanics. Note: The coach must constantly hold the gymnast ankles to secure them toe bar .

OrientationAt the same time that the gymnast is working on the body actions and shapes the gymnast should start working on basic orientation drills (Table 2):1- Table drop into to ½ front tuck to backdrop to stand (on trampoline) (Figure 5) –2- From standing jump ½ front to backdrop to feet (on trampoline) (Figure 6)3- Forward roll off elevated surface to land (Figure 7)

TABLE 2 - Orientation Exercises

Figure 5 (above) – From a small bounce the gymnasts initiates the rotation on the take-off through a small heel drive and not by leaning forward(1-2). If the gymnast does the heel drive on take-off they will initiate the flip at which point they can drop the arms down, contract through the chest and flex the knees to continue the leg and butt lift landing in a table drop (3-4). On rebound the gymnast drive the hips and legs over his/her head, without pushing of the hands and flips over on his/her back maintaining the correct tuck position and than bounces up to stand still maintaining the round back position (5-7). This drill requires that the gymnast understand the table drop position. It teaches them to stay round, and initiate the flip from the legs not the shoulders.

©2008 The Gym Press. All rights reserved - 26 -


Figure 6 - This drill is a progression to the drill shown in Figure 5. The focus of this drill is to teach the gymnast to the importance of fully stretching through the legs on take-off. This will probably take time, and will need to a matter of confidence. The coach can slide in a soft mat also. It is important that the gymnast extend through the legs in order to initiate the rotation from the legs. Without full leg extension high and rotation is compromised.

Figure 7 – This drill teaches helps to teach the rotation into landing as well as special orientation. The key here is to help the gymnast develop the blind landing, and understand how to open out of the tuck to land. The gymnast should have a crash mat to land on to prevent injury and ensure a safe training environment. Teach the spotting coming out of the roll. Shape once again is vital

Phase 2 – The take-off and SomersaultTake-offThis phase can be considered as the most critical, and the most difficult to master. The success of the somersault is mostly dependent on the take-off

The first step to learning the take-off correctly is to work on straight jumps. The use of rebound surfaces is ideal at the start, like a double mini, a trampoline, tumble track, a spring board ect, especially first stages of this phase. The gymnast should aim to be able to do a straight jumps onto a 60cm stack of mats of the springboard, and up to 90cm off the double mini. This helps to develop the gymnast take-off and set. It also ensures that the gymnast has enough spring of the board to successfully safely perform the somersault. Once is able to achieve this, they safely add the somersault off their take-off, but it won’t be necessarily as good as it could/should be. Achieving a 60cm straight just suggests the potential but does not guarantee immediate success.

A punch-jump into the somersault is prefered (arms up over the head), over a Russian lift. Even though a Russian lift technical can be just as

effective for the single somersault (on the floor not the springboard or double mini). The downfalls to the Russian lift technique is that rotation is not optimized, the arm action has to developed and taught, eventually the over arm technique will need to be introduced for consecutive somersaults, and it does not work for somersaults (front) out of bounding skills such as handsprings, flyspings, layouts.

The hurdle into the take-off is similar to vault, as in they both are dependent on run-up speed, long and flat, rather then high and short. However in the somersault the take-off has to be more upright, than on vault, as height has to be maximized as opposed to rotation, especially for single somersaults. Focus should be directed on the hurdle, entry and take-off during all stage of training. Once again the reader is remained that the success of the somersault will be largely dependent on the dynamics and mechanics of the take-off.

The SomersaultOnce the gymnast has understood how to initiate rotation and is capable of the a good take-off from the springboard, the two actions can be combined, to perform the full somersault of off the double mini or tramp and off a springboard. At this stage it is important to continue with the shaping drills. The main form of orientation training is now developed by doing the somersaults spotted and independently.

Its preferable to spot the gymnast on rebound surfaces from only 1 jump/hop to punch front onto a leveled landing surface. This forces the gymnast to have work of technique rather have the momentum to carry them over. Somersaults should never be worked down hill (so that that the landing surface is lower then the take-off surface. Better for the gymnast too keep landing on their butt on a leveled surface than to their feet on the lower surface.

Once the coach is confident the gymnast is safe to perform the somersault on their own they can step away, or slowly and gradually reduce the spot until the coach is only shadow spotting. At this stage most gymnasts will probably still not be able to perform a perfect somersault, as they will need to go through a confidence developing period, where technique is not the dominant focus, however the transition does improve very quickly as they get confident.



Once the gymnast is proficient at doing the somersault on the raised surface off a trampoline or double mini, they can start doing it off a springboard. The drill of choice to work the somersault of the springboard is a simple hurdle of box top (or any elevated surface) to the springboard into a front tuck onto a 60cm mat. The coach should initially spot for the gymnast to develop the confidence again, but once again should aim to move away when the gymnast is safe. The leg power and take-off mechanics will be the main factor to their success. They need to learn the correct joint and muscular activation patterns on a take-off (explained in more detail in discussion). They must learn to feel a complete stretch on their take-off, and not to rush into a somersault. This is the most common error, that majority of gymnast will do. The length of time devoted to this stage depends on the individual gymnast. Powerful, and well orientated gymnast will quickly advance to doing this drill successfully, slower, and less well coordinated gymnast will spend longer. Do not rush to take the somersault to the floor, of as a coach you risk regression in progress, and injuries.

Taking it to the floorOnce the gymnast is proficient at doing the somer-sault off the spring board to an elevated surface it is safe to introduce the somersault on the floor. At this point the physical preparation of the gymnast will be the key determinant to how quickly the gymnast can transfer the skill to the floor. The muscle activation timings, and power needed to do the somersault off the floor is different to the springboard so transfer of the skill may not be immediate, however it won’t take very long.

Similar drills done earlier in the training can be used to train the transfer of the somersault from the springboard to the floor, however this time the gymnast has to rebound off the floor instead of the springboard. Relatively low height (about 10-20cm) depth jump to punch front is a good tran-sitional drill, along with punch fronts to elevated surface (start with 30cm than raise to 60cm). Its important that the gymnast does not do excessive amounts of drills and somersaults per session on the floor, as overuse injuries can easily occur. Start with a low number like 10-15 per session, and slowly and gradually increase the volume (by 3-5 per month).

When training of this skill overuse injuries such as

Osgood-Schlatter Syndrome, compartment syndrome, shin splints, Severs disease etc can occur by doing to much to soon. If a gymnast who is just transferring a front somersault to the floor cannot accomplish the task in 10 attempts then its quiet likely that he/she wont be any better on the 11th or 20th attempt. Slowly and progressively is the best approach to prevent injuries and keep trainings effective.

Error Detection, Cause, and Corrections By far the biggest cause for error is lack of physi-cal preparation. A gymnast unable to effectively rebound of the floor is fighting an uphill battle. The best solution is to adjust the leg training to included more rebounding focused exercises. This is best achieved through plyometric training with a focus on rebounding.

The second biggest error is in the hurdle and essentially the take-off. Most younger gymnast do not understand that a high hurdle is not effective. Its is vital that the coach always pays attention to the hurdle and ensures that this action is always correct. Quite often as the gymnast impacts the floor following the hurdle their knees will buckle a little which will affect the take-off significantly. This is once again solved with proper conditioning such as hurdle punch jumps, and correct feedback.

Leaning forward on the take-off is another com-mon error that can be the result of several com-mon problems1- Lack of leg power, and thus a long amortization phase.2- Weak core strength, which hinders the gymnast from maintaining an upright posture during the take-off phase.3- Poor hurdle mechanics - A gymnast with a high and short hurdle will usually end up leaning forward.The solutions are quite obvious based on the dis-cussion in the article, but sometimes indentifying the cause is not as simple. This of course also leads to a rushed somersault with no set.

Slow rotation is almost always the result of gym-nast pulling the knees into the chest on take-off, and not initiation the rotation from the heels on the take-off. This is solved by practice and con-scious effort by the gymnast to understand and feel this action during the take-off.

DISCUSSIONUnderstandIndentify



• Whole Skill (Figure 8)• Critical Phases –

o Approach (Run and hurdle) o Take-off o Rotation o Landing

Figure 8 - Sequence photography example of an ideal front somersault. The example used is a front somersault walkout, hence why no landing is shown. This is an ideal example of the first 3 critical phases (approach, take-off, rotation). Performed by Lilia Podkopayeva. View video

Biomechanics• Mechanics of Ideal ModelThe 2 most significant biomechanical factors for ideal performance of a front somersault, is the vertical velocity of the Center of Mass (CoM) and the angular momentum about the CoM on take-off. Lets examine how these factors can be optimized.

The front somersault starts from a run up which serves as a means of building up horizontal mo-mentum and kinetic energy (Figure 8 A-E). The amount of horizontal velocity generated correlates to the success of the performance. Essentially the faster the run up, the greater the potential for a well performed somersault. An example to illustrate this is consider how much harder it is to do a single somersault from 1 step or just from a hop, as opposed to being allowed a run-up. There is little the coach can do over a short period of time to improve the speed of the run-up, as this is highly dependant on the predominance of muscle fiber characteristics of each individual gymnast, motor response, and natural ability which will only improve with regular training. However this should be an area to develop as the athlete progresses.

Following the run up there is a ‘hurdle phase’, where as the gymnast is running, he/she jumps from one foot to land to two in preparation for the take-off (Figure 8 E-I). Like in vaulting this is a critical phase for the correct and optimal execution of the skill. The hurdle serves two purposes: 1-To conserve as much horizontal momentum going into the take-off 2-To optimize the entry and take-off body position

Ideally the hurdle will be relatively long and flat (Figure 9) finishing with both feet in front of gymnast knees, hips, and shoulders, with the trunk being as upright as possible, and arms by ears (refer to Figure 8, H). This is the most efficient way to preserve horizontal momentum going into the take-off phase and optimize the take-off position. It is very important to preserve the horizontal momentum because it will help with reducing ground contact time by aiding with proper utilization of elastic muscle properties

Figure 9 - The estimated pathway of the CoM based on figure 8. The height of the CoM is relatively even during the run up (A-E), follows by a slight raise during the hurdle (E-H), but clearly illustrating the long and low hurdle. On touch-down, following the hurdle, the CoM drops a little as the gymnast knees bend a little, but then raises sharply during the take-off (H-I), reaching a peak height (L) during the flight phase.

on take-off. This is important to consider because the hurdle can be trained and optimized much faster and easier then an individual’s physiology, and without a proper body position on entry on the take-off the actual take-off will never be ideal, regardless of the gymnasts physiology.

The take-off is illustrated in Figure 10 (or Figure 8 H-I). I it is important to understand the mechanics of the take-off because this is the key determinant phase to the success of the somersault (7).

Figure 10 - A sequential photography example that illustrates the ideal approach, hurdle,take-off position. Performed by Lilia Podkopayeva during her compulsory floor routine at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APBdZU_wU1Y There are 2 key concepts coaches need to understand and be aware of regarding to the take-off. The first one is to point out that the rebound out of the hurdle is not an instantaneous action. There are in fact 3 distinct phases. The first phase is the pre-stretch (eccentric muscle contraction, aka lengthening phase), second is the amortization phase, and third is the contraction (concentric muscle contraction, aka shortening phase) (8). These phases constitute what is known as the


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFWUzF72IMo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APBdZU_wU1Y


stretch-shorten cycle. During the pre-stretch phase elastic energy is stored in the muscle-tendon struc-tures as they are rapidly stretched. The pre-stretch is then followed by the amortization phase. This phase represents the turn around time from landing to take-off. The length of this phase is criti-cal. The shorter the amortization phase, the greater potential for force production during the concentric phase (10). This is due to the ‘stretch-reflex’, and hence why a short long hurdle is desired, as it can help in reducing the amortization phase time. Finally following the amortization phase there is the concentric phase, which is the voluntary force production phase, seen as the rebound. The effectiveness of this phase is dependant on the pre-stretch (on the amount of elastic energy stored), the effectiveness of the stretch-reflex (which is dependant on a length of amortization, and the amount of elastic energy stored), muscle fatigue, and muscle fiber type. There are other physiological principles to consider as well, but in order to illustrate the importance of the stretch-shorten cycle these will not be discussed.

The second important concept for coaches to understand is that the vertical velocity of the body’s CoM on take-off depends on the gymnasts mass and vertical impulse exerted during take-off. The vertical impulse is equal to the sum of all the vertical forces, and the time for which they act. These vertical forces are, in turn the result of muscular actions, associated with the movement of the gymnast’s arms, trunk, and legs. (9). In mechanical terms this is known as the impulse-momentum relationship written as ΣFΔt = mΔv (10). The left hand side of the equation is the impulse which as stated before is the product of a force (if not constant then the average) multiplied by the duration of that force, and the right hand side represents the linear momentum, which is the product of the mass of an object (in our case a gymnast) and the change in linear velocity over that time period (acceleration). This is a key relationship, as it is the basis for explaining and modifying technique for many tasks/skills (10). Simply stated the impulse-momentum relationship means that if we want to change the velocity of an object (which is almost always the goal of any skill technique), we can produce a larger change in velocity by either applying a greater average net force on the object or by increasing the time during which the net force acts (10). Figure 11 illustrates the key forces at play during the take-off.

As the gymnast impacts the floor out of the hurdle he/she applies a forward and downward force to the floor, which in return exerts an upward (F1) and backward (F2) forces on the gymnast in accordance with Newtown’s 3rd law (10). When there are two forces acting in different directions through the same point, sometimes its easier to just add these forces together to produce a resultant force “F” which represents the effect of the both these forces. Since this resultant force does not act through the center of gravity “G” rotation is produced. The biomechanical term for this rotary effect that occurs is “torque” (T). The turning effect (torque) is the product of F and the perpendicular distance between the direction of F

from G (ie. r). This can be written as T = F x r. This is important to know because it illustrates how rotation can be affected just by the position of the body on take-off. In order to be able to have both maximal vertical velocity of the CoM, and rotation on take-off (without leaning to far forward) it is thus critical to be able to maximize F. Increasing r to increase rotation is usually never a good idea, as it means the height of the somersault will be reduced.

M1 is the vertical momentum on take-off, which is directly proportional to the impulse of F1. F1 is largely dependant on the net muscular forces exerted by the gymnast on the ground during the ‘concentric phase’ of the stretch-shorten cycle, and the ground reaction force as a result of impact with the floor and ground properties (sprung surface) following the hurdle. M2 is the horizontal momentum generated from the run up. F2 is the frictional force between the gymnast’s feet and the floor, which acts to slow him/her down (horizontally) (7). For the gymnast to be able to take-off upright and ‘set’ into their somersault, it requires that they resist this horizontal momentum on impact with the floor. On take-off just prior to the gymnast’s feet leaving the floor it’s imperative that the gymnast has completely extended/stretched through the ankles, knees and


Figure 11 - Illustrated diagram of the key forces at play during a take-off. F1 is the Ground Reaction Force, F2 is the frictional force between the gymnasts feet and the ground. F is the resultant force of F1 and F2. T is the torque or turning force, which is the product of F x r. G is the gymnast center of mass. M1 is the gymnast vertical momentum on take-off, M2 is the horzontal momentum,


hips, as well as arms and shoulders (as in shoulders to ears) with the head in a neutral position looking straight ahead (6). This extension aids the vertical velocity of the Center of Mass (CoM) and the angular momentum about the CoM on take-off by enhancing the time of force application and the direction of force application. This leads to greater vertical and angular impulses and greater potential reduction in rotational inertia when the tuck occurs (faster rotation, from long body to short)

Once the gymnast’s feet leave the ground he/she can only slow down or speed up his/her rotation, but no longer has any ability to influence the trajectory of their CoM (the peak height that the gymnast’s CoM will reach during the somersault is at this stage predetermined). To maximize rotation at this point the gymnast can change his/her body conformation to a tuck, or pike position. The way the gymnast assumes the tuck or pike position is critical in order to optimize rotation and perfor-mance. As the feet leave the floor the gymnast contracts through the chest and simultaneously roll his/her back over his/her head while lifting/driving her butt and legs (which are simultaneously flexing at the knees and hips) upward and over (Figure 12).

Figure 12 - Illustration of the correct take-off into the tuck position. Notice the full extension on the take-off, with the contraction of the chest (1) followed by a lift of the hips. Notice that the knees are not pulling into the chest, but rather the hips lifting over the head with the chest and shoulders trying to catch up the knees.

At the same time the gymnast’s shoulders, arms, and head, are reaching around for the shins (refer to the Figure 12, and 8 with accompanying video). As one of my gymnasts said its “like a dog chasing its tail between its legs”. This method of tucking is a result of part take-off biomechanics, and part conscious effort by the gymnasts. The same method applies for a pike front somersault except the legs are held straight. The tuck position should be as tight as possible, with the arms grabbing to middle of the shins and actively pulling the legs closer to the body. The knees and ankles should be together ideally, but a small knee separation may

be beneficial in spotting the landing, and a good injury preventative technique when first learning the somersault.

As the gymnast is rotating, his/her eyes should be open. In doing so he/she is able to receive as many spatial orientation cues as possible and thus more likely to time the opening of the somersault correctly. The timing of the opening is dependant on the speed of rotation and the peak height achieved during the somersault. Ideally the somersault should open approximately as the back of the gymnast is parallel to the floor. The legs are stretched forward and downward quickly in anticipation for the landing, while continuing to rotate the shoulders forward (a common mistake to be avoided is the head being left behind, usually fixed by asking the gymnast to focus on a large visual cue ahead of them). The ball of the foot should make contact with the ground first (slightly in front of the rest of the body, which is still rotat-ing), followed immediately by a resisted lowering of the heels down to the floor (not collapsing onto them) followed by a slight bending of the knees to absorb the impact of the landing. It is equally important to maintain a tight core musculature (around the abdomen) as well in order to resist the rotating effect of the upper body upon landing

Body ActionsIt’s important to clearly identifying the muscle group/s and the corresponding types of muscle contractions during the most critical phase of the skill in order to effectively prescribe a specific training program for each critical phase.

The following table outlines the predominant muscle groups involved in the performing the somersault during each phase, and their actions.

TABLE 3 – Body Actions tableTake-offJoint Action Primary movers Type of

Contraction

Ankle

Planterflexion

Gastrocnemius and

soleus

concentric

Ankle

dorsiflexion

Tibialis anterior eccentric

Knee Flexion Hamstrings eccentric

Knee Extension Quadriceps concentric

Hip flexion Rectus femoris, eccentric

Hip extension Gluteus Maximus,

Hamstrings

(isometric/

concentric)

RotationJoint Action Primary movers Type of



Contraction

Shoulder flexion Latissimus Dorsi, Pectoralis Major

concentric

Trunk Flexion Rectus abdominus, External and Internal oblique abdominal, transversus abdominis

concentric/isometric

Cervical flexion Coracobrachialis, Anterior fibers of Deltoid

concentric

Knee flexion Hamstrings concentricHip Extensi Gluteus Maximu Isometric/

concentricKnee extension Quadricepts ConcentricAnkle Planterflexion

Gastrocnemius and soleus

Concentric

Trunk Extension Erector Spinae: Iliocostalis, Erector Spinae Longisimus, Erector Spinae Spinalis

Concentric

Shoulder extension

Coracobrachialis, Anterior fibers of Deltoid

Concentric

LandingJoint Action Primary movers Type of

Contraction

Ankle Planterflexion

Gastrocnemius and soleus

eccentric

Knee flexion Quadricepts eccentricTrunk extensors & flexors

Erector Spinae Longisimus, ErectorSpinae Spinalis, Rectus abdominus, External and Internal Oblique abdominal, Transversus abdominis

Isometric

TeachBody Actions• Potential Injuries and Preventative Measures The potential for injury during any somersault skill should not be overlooked, particularly on front somersaults which have blind landings. Based on epidemiological studies of gymnastic injuries (primarily in WAG, but also relevant to MAG) the knees and ankles are the most common sites of injury (11,12), followed by the lower back (12). Injuries are often the result of poor landings on dismounts or tumbling (12). The common types of injuries at these sites are: internal knee derange-ment, anterior cruciate ligament damage (ACL), or injury to the extensor mechanism (11,12), ankle ligament sprain (most often inversion/planter flexion), Archilles tendinitis (11,12), and spinal compression injuries (12), most often the result from poor landings. When you consider that the forces at the ankles on take-offs and landings range from 5.0 to 17.5 times a gymnast body weight (12) it is not hard to understand why the ankles, knees and spine are particularly at risk.

Immediate preventative measures recommended in literature are the use of braces or prophylactic tape during trainings and if possible competitions, use of appropriate matting, and the implementation of safety measures (12). This is particularly recommended for gymnasts with a history of ankle sprains, and knee injuries (12). However it’s also important to consider implementing an injury prevention program. The following are just a few possible exercises that could be implemented at the end or beginning of any leg program/conditioning (even though it is ideal to include these exercises with a leg program it is not mandatory, as long as these exercise are done regularly and in suitable cases overloaded carefully and progressively):1- Toe Drags 2- Progressive landing heights from waist height up to 20-30 cm higher then shoulder height (Emphasis on good landing mechanics) 3- Ankle rotations 4- Walking with everted and inverted feet 5- Achilles flexibility and stretching 6- Ankle inversion and eversion isometric holds7- Flexion extension with theraband

Critical PhasesThe Take-Off In actions such as take-offs where time of force application is limited, the predominant physiological factors determining performance is the rate and firing frequency of the appropriate motor units and the muscle fiber characteristics (4). There is very little if anything that can be done about the make up of the muscle fiber type within a muscle group as this to a large degree is genetically predetermined (8), but neural factors relating to the recruitment of fibers and rate force production, are most certainly trainable and should be the focus of leg training programs (4). The extent of muscular activation on take-offs is at least a pre-programmed response (4), which means that the take-off should be a trained action. Conditioning should be as specific as possible to simulate the conditions of a take-off. The exercises of choice to achieve the desired results are known as ‘plyometric’. The correct application and practice of plyometric exercise is an extensive topic, and thus conditioning recommendation regarding plyometric training will be discussed in future articles. However a couple of guidelines that are useful to be aware of are: The use of depth jumps should start at 40cm and build up to a max height of 75cm (over a long term periodization plan over a period of years), stick to



rep ranges of 3-5 with 3-5 sets, with recovery of 10-13sec between rep, and at least 3-5 min between sets, and never till failure, but maximal effort. It’s essential that the gymnast performs each repetitions and exercise with maximal speed and quickness and good technique. Doing endless jumps is counter productive and can easily lead to overuse injuries (8). There is a bit of controversy as to the safe application of plyometric exercise with pre-adolescent gymnasts, and the prerequisite level of strength before engaging in such exercise but as long as the exercises used are progressively trained (in skill, individual ability, and intensity) the author believes that there should not be any added risk of injury.

Because of the forces experienced during take-offs strength training for legs and core should not be overlooked (4). Specific core strengthening is of particular importance. One study showed that trunk stability training in athletes over a 9 week period resulted in improvements in vertical take-off velocities similar to those from a combination of trunk stability and leg strength training (2). This illustrates the importance of a strong core in the performance for all tumbling. The reasoning behind such improvements is because trunk stability training “may provide a more stable pelvis and spine from which the leg muscles can gener-ate action, may better link the upper body to the lower body, or may enhance leg muscle activation, thus promoting optimal force production during sporting activities” (2), however an indepth under-standing of trunk stability training on performance enhancement is still largely unknown (2).

Leg strength should be in the form of single and double leg stance squats, lunges, low intensity jumps in series (eg straight jump, skipping etc). Repetitions should not exceed the 3-5 reps per set for 3-5 sets with 3-5 min rest between set. Each rep should have a controlled eccentric contraction (resisted lowering) followed by a fast concentric contraction (Extending). Thus exercises where added resistance is possible are best (eg partner squats, single leg squats with weight vest, cleans, piggy back step-ups etc)

Rotation The speed of rotation can be significantly increased by being able to change body position from a straight body to a tuck, and back quickly. It is thus important to condition the tuck shape, and

the speed of tucking and opening. Specific conditioning to enhance these body position changes is justified for the improvement of the somersault.

LandingsAll leg based training will help to develop the strength to absorb the landing impacts. However its advised that in some part of the training, basic landing drills are also included. The author recommends dance training along with basic stick drills for best results. Dance training particularly with exercises focusing on landing technique is high effective. Consider how dancers are able to land seemingly effortlessly on hard wooden floors from great heights, and thus the merits of specific dance training is justified.

CONCLUSIONS

The front somersault even though considered a basic skill requires a great degree of training and preparation in order for it to effectively lead into multiple somersaults. The critical phases for the execution of any somersault, including the front tuck, are the approach, take-off, rotation, and the landing. Each phase must be considered separately in order for the gymnast to grasp the essential concepts of each phase. Because this skill its taught to gymnast from an early age, it makes it that much more important to teach them correctly from the beginning. Essentially the front somersault is dependent mostly on the plyometric ability of the gymnast to explosively take-off. Thus the leg conditioning required has to be specific to the task. Rotation is initiated from a heel drive from the take-off rather than teaching the gymnast to pull into a tuck. Its important that the gymnast understands how to initiate rotation on the take-off in order to effectively assume the tuck position. This is probably the hardest concept to teach and transfer from the trampoline to the floor. However when the gymnast masters this, they will develop the ability to rotate as they are going up. This is vital for multiple somersaults.

Every care is taken to assure the accuracy of the information published within this article. The views and opinions expressed within this article, are those of the author/s, and no responsibility can be accepted by The Gym Press, Gym Coach or the author for the consequences of actions based on the advice contained herein



Address for correspondence: Valentin Uzunov, Hataitai Gymnastics, Wellington, New Zealand. [email protected]

REFERENCES and RECOMMENDED READINGS1- Butcher S.J., Craven B.R., Chilibeck P.D., Spink K.S., Gruna S.L., Springs E.J (2007). The Effects of trunk stability on vertical jump take-off velocity. Journal of Orthopedics and Sports Physical Therapy. 37(5):223-2312- McNeal J.R., Sands W.A., Shultz B.B. (2004). Muscle activation characteristics of tumbling take-offs. Sports Biomechanics. 6(3):375-3903- Gluck M. (1984). Mechanics for Gymnastics coaching : Tools for skill analysis. Springfield: Illinois. Charles C. Thomas Publishing.4- Smith T. (1982). Gymnastics A mechanical understanding. New York: New York. Holmes & Meier Publishers, Inc.5- Baechles B.R. & Earle R.W. (2000). Essentials ofstrength training and conditioning (2nd Ed). Champaign: Illinois. Human Kinetics.6- Larkins C. (NA). The take-off drill for long jump. Track Technique. Iss.1077- McGinnis P.M.(2004). Biomechanics of Sport and Science.Champaign: Illinois. Human Kinetics.8- Fu F.H. & Stone D.A.(1994). Sports Injury: Mechanisms, Prevention, Treatment. Baltimore: Maryland. Williams & Wilkins. 9- Marshal S.W., Cavassin T., Dick R., Nassar L.G., Agel J. (2007). Descriptive Epidemiology of Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Injuries: National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System, 1988-1989 Through 2003-2004. Journal of Athletic Training. 42(2):234-240.10 – McCharles R. (2007). Understanding and teaching competitive gymnastics skills: The understand → teach model. Gym Coach. Vol 1: 24-27


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the front somersault techical breakdown and training

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