Why We Stand Between the Rails on Tap Swings

Nine years ago I read this blogpost (I think written by either Jason Mortimer or Troy Wright):

https://thegymcoach.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/girls-peeling-off-the-bar-on-a-tap-swing/

And started standing between the bars for compulsory tap swings. I thought it was a good article. Some interesting comments as well.

Looks like the code was updated several years ago as well for the current cycle so that on bars, coaches can stand in there, "just in case", without incurring a deduction:

http://gymnasticscoaching.com/new/2012/11/safety-spotting-on-bars/

Bar peels happen infrequently enough that’s it’s easy to grow complacent, thinking it won’t happen on your watch. And then when they do occur, it sometimes doesn’t result in injury. However, they happen often enough and with severe enough injuries that coaches should consider the wisdom of standing between the bars as often as possible, “just in case”.

Our girls rarely peel. And yet at a recent meet last month, Coach Arielle caught one of her level 4 kids during warm-ups (keeping her from landing on her head) who peeled coming off a massive backhip circle underswing; and the same day, caught an excel silver kid who peeled off during warm-ups on her counterswing. If Coach Arielle hadn’t taken the issue seriously and elected to be there, those two athletes of ours could have injured themselves anywhere from slight to severe.

Obviously cover safety falls and rolls with your gymnasts; and periodically revisit and review and practice how to fall. Tap swings are tough because of the unpredictability in forces at work upon the moment of peel. Teach them to protect the neck/head; protect the limbs. Obviously, teach them how to tap swing with amplitude and also how to avoid the likelihood of peeling off the bar in the back of the swing.

Where children’s lives are at stake, don’t give into complacency, thinking it will not happen on your watch.

A save by Jason Mortimer:

https://youtu.be/19EH5HQsR14

https://www.facebook.com/TroyWright120/posts/10156572828094988

Another save by Jason Ross:

https://youtu.be/76w7opD02Tk

Apologies for freebooting videos off the 'net without proper credit and source attributions.

Please share your experiences and perspective with us and the community.

-Coach Michael

One method of spotting the level 4 dismount

Old footage from 2011, Colorado Aerials- One method of spotting the level 4 dismount, if needed:

Partner Front Hip Circle Challenge

Improvised bounce bar in the hotel

Adjustable Straps

Finding the perfect-size grips

Photo Source

When in doubt, it's safer to go smaller.  A good thread for grip sizing.

What is your gym's philosophy on when to introduce grips to gymnasts? And what is the rationale.

-Right off the bat?
-Grips without dowel?
-Wait until they are seriously training tap swings (level 4)?
-Wait until level 5 or 2nd year level 4?
-Wait until their hands are a certain size?

Generally, I believe in delaying it for as long as possible (especially if they are small- it's challenging enough for small hands to grip the bar without a piece of leather also getting in the way; and the real point of dowel grips is to make it easier to hang onto the bar and swing). And I feel grips without dowels are wasted money.

It's funny how younger gymnasts yearn to reach the age and level where they are allowed to get grips; and how some of them are instantly cured of the desire to wear them after the first day!

Rescue Spotting

Jason Mortimer posted this video:




Not standing between the bars for your basic tap swing/counter swing during level 4/5 bars can result in the predictably unpredictable peel:





The following is a reprint of a post I wrote up on my other blog, from 7/12/2013:

Will she catch her Gienger release?  Or will her coach catch slow her fall?

Sometimes a gymnast will say, "Spot me." And when I do just that, get slightly perturbed when I didn't physically touch her.  "You didn't spot me!"  Ah, but I did.

 Great spotting is an art that takes practice.

There are several different kinds of spots.  Some involve actual physical manipulation on the part of the coach, essentially carrying the athlete through the correct pathway of the skill; others involve some physical guidance or assist on the part of the coach, but with the athlete doing most of the skill, herself; then there's a "shadow" spot, where the coach is there primarily as "moral support".  And should anything go tragically off course, there is "rescue" spotting.  This involves the spotter jumping in there to prevent a potential catastrophic injury from an unplanned fall.

This post focuses on the latter.

So how effective is actual rescue spotting?  What are the chances of a coach actually doing it?  Dr. Sands did a study on rescue spotting.  Here, he also defines different spotting purposes:

Read more »

Tumble Trak's new Therabands

At National Congress in San Jose, Trade Show. I ordered two rolls of two different grade resistance on these Tumble Trak therabands. They're made segmented with loops. It resolves having to tie knots. They ran out by the afternoon on the first day; so I ordered for delivery to the gym. I think they are so new, they don't even have them listed on their catalog. We'll see how well they work.  I'm worried about the loops being manufactured too big. 

I texted all our JO parents from the Trade Show and they are all in as far as reimbursing me for the bands and sticky toes (I managed to get a few coworkers to register and give me their buy-one-get-one-free coupons)- rather than convincing the gym to buy it, I convinced the parents to have their athletes own their own.

I also picked up a bar pad for $17 (all Tumble Trak products were also with a 15% discount) that fits between hands shoulder width apart on the bar.  Otherwise I would have soon made one myself. 

We have one kid who's been having so much trouble on giants, I am thinking of trying this drill with her:







That's from the Forster-Resnick Bar Boot Camp the first year they had it.  Tom included it in one of his lectures at Congress this weekend.

Encouraging the Tap

Shape the Jump

Press/Cast Handstand/Stalder Shape Conditioning

Have not done this exercise in a very long time:

That's a preteam/new level 3 kid.  Thought I'd try it with her at the end of her practice.


Below, I think this was a level 5 kid; maybe training old level 6:

Jump Block Drill for High Bar

Jump blocking is pretty commonly seen on the low bar for low bar glide kip.

At a recent meet, one of my girls remarked seeing GymJam warming up with jump block for the high bar.  I didn't witness it myself, but thought that's an idea worth exploring.

For most of the girls in the video this is the first time they tried it (on the high bar):

Memory Monday

2011?  Not even sure what year this was.....

Bar Basics with Tom Stevens

Swing Big links to a bars clinic by Tom Stevens:

Daisharin Tetsubo-kun Horizontal Bar Gymnast Game tested

This can get slightly addicting.  You don't want to give up until you get the dismount stick (velcro mat).  I've made it happen a couple of times.

I've pulled this out during bars rotation a couple of times for my 3/4s.  If they make a correction on my set of bars, they get to go have a 60 sec turn with this toy.  I'm thinking maybe I should offer a prize for anyone who makes the gymnast stick a landing.  So additional incentive to get more turns on the toy....which means making more corrections/better performance each time they come back around to my set of bars for testing.

TBT: Doris Fuchs Brause

1966 World Championships travesty:

Again, disappointment found Doris at the 1966 World Championships.  Her performance on the UB was underscored at 9.866 that caused the audience to explode into thunderous and continuous noise halting the competition for one hour and fifteen minutes; however, the gymnasticswise audience was unable to influence her score. It was not changed. Many in the world’s gymnastic community feel that it was this performance that revolutionized the future of uneven bar routines with its continuous movement and daring elements such as a between the bars salto also known as a Radochia salto according to Wright or a “Brause” according to Doris.

Circling and Kipping Trainers

Of course, hand-spotting for shape-corrections and manipulating positioning is often desirable.  But trainer/spotting devices also have their uses.


Primitive method of a front and back circle trainer:

Another variation by Peter Soul of Integrity Gymnastics in Ohio.

I filmed this one at Aerials Gymnastics during the Bar Boot Camp clinic.  This was welded together by Tom Forster:

The divider placement between the legs is a great idea.


Some clips of the last year taken at my current gym of various aids:

Now here's what I'm excited about that inspired me to piece together this blogpost:

Credit is given to Alison Fowler of Wildcard Gymnastics for the idea of replacing the old school rope method with the ever-versatile theraband.

A couple of things I am liking about this:

1)  The theraband is probably less abrasive on the skin than unpadded rope

2)  Being elastic, the beginning gymnast cannot totally slack off, but must still work her muscles to hold her body to the bar, or she will fall away from it.

3) Even if the beginning gymnast completely lacks in physical strength- or especially if she does- she must exercise her arm strength to get back into front support; those more advanced can work on shape and technique.

I haven't tested it out yet, but I'll do so tomorrow:  Seeing whether or not having the level 3s cast into hollow shape with the theraband wrapped on helps to condition them  with proper resistance (the restriction the theraband places  on cast height isn't that critical since there isn't a cast height requirement at level 3- just shape).

I have one pre-team kid who is just so physically weak but who so wants to become a gymnast- I think the theraband circle trainer was a great aid to her.  She was kept on the bar for a longer spell than she's used to, got to experience some circling, and had a great upper-body workout just to stay on or get back on.  Meanwhile, my arms were not killing me.  For those like her, I'm not worried about bad shaping and muscle-memory habits by allowing them to play with this.  She needs the general fitness, first and foremost; and the sense of fun and accomplishment.


Some example of kip trainers on the market:
Hip Kip Trainer
The New Kip Trainer Video

Long Hang Pullover & Doggy Baby Giant Progression Ideas

Apparently my recent postings saw the owner of those two video clips wipe them from the YouTube channel.  Hard for me to not believe it wasn't in reaction to my sharing the vids.  Apologies if they were never meant to be widely shared (the videos were publicly accessible).

I filmed these a few years ago- I think the first year Resnick and Forster had their Bar Boot Camp clinic.

Apparently team coach Zac of Aerials Gymnastics came up with the idea for "doggy giants":

Teaching quality glides

Jason Mortimer's latest video reminded me that I had filmed a few of the level 3's doing correct-incorrect glide shapes, recently:

Also like doing hanging hollow holds and swinging hollow holds.

The crunch hollow holds at 37 seconds in Jason's video is the exact way my primary teacher used to have us do them for warm-up- palms resting face up on the knees.  Periodically through the 2 minutes, he'd demand us to crunch up another inch higher.  Having hands face up on the thighs/knees helped us have a visual of how high we were crunching and maintaining position.

More See-Saws

Good drills:

Posted these on my other blog last month: