Modern Gymnast - December 1971

TUMBLING SAFETY & TRAINING

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TWISTING BELT

An excellent belt made of 3 inch heavy cotton webbing with a 2 inch nylon belt and cadmium plated hardware. Comes with comfortable soft nylon tubular webbing straps for holding whil e spott ing. Sizes - sma ll 18" - 28" and regular 26" - 36" waists.

For safety and building conf idence.

Heavy nylon web construction with 4 inch nylon tubular webbing straps and snaps. Th e sides are padded for top comfort while doing tricks. Adju stab le to fit all waist si zes.

For learning complicated and diffi cult tricks. The famous Charlie Pond twisting belt comes complete with two 4 foot nylon tubular webbing straps. The belt rotates free ly on ball bearings. In two sizes; small to waist 33" and large.

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Gym Shop Jewelry

New Gym Shop

Gymnastic Trophies

Fill in event(s) desired in provided blank spaces , circle Gold tone (G) or Silver tone (S) and indicate quantity and total price below. Be sure to see event code for men and women.

WOMEN : WFX (floor exercise) WUPB (Uneven Bars) WBB (Beam) WTR (Trampoline) WSHV (Vaulting) WAA (All-Around) MEN : MFX (Floor Exercise) MSH (Side Horse) MSR (Rings) MPB (Parallel Bars) MLH (Long Horse) MHB (High Bar) MTR (Trampoline) MAA (All-Around) KEY CHAIN with _ in G. at $2.50 or S. _$2 .25 each .

TIE TACK w ith _ _ in G. or S. _ _ at $1 .50 each .

TIE BAR with _ _ in G. or S. _ _ at $2 .50.

LAPEL PIN with _ _ in G. or S. _ _ at $1.25 each .

CUFF LINKS with _ _ in G. or S. _ _ at $3.00 a pair.

CHARM BRACELET (one charm included) with _ in G. $2.50 or S. _ at $2.00 each.

CHARMS _ _ , _ _ , _ _ ,

Gymnastic Medals

Indicate Men (M) or Women's (W) figure and place : FirstGold tone (G), Second Silver tone (S), Third - Bronze tone (B). (i .e. MS = Men 's figure.in Silver tone) Molded base at $3.95 @ _ _ ,

- - ,

- - I

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Event code : WOMEN : WFX (Floor Exercise) WUPB (Uneven Bars) WBB (Beam) WTR (Trampoline) WSHV (Vaulting) WAA (All -Around) MEN : MFX (Floor Exercise) MSH (Side Horse) MSR (Rings) MPB (Parallel Bars) MLH (Long Horse) MHB (High Bar) MTR (Trampoline) MAA (All-Around) FIRST PLACE (Gold tone, blue ribbon) : _ _ , _ _ , _ _ , --, --, --.

SECOND PLACE (S ilver tone, red ribbon) : _ _ , _ _ , _ _ ,

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circle color desired: blue, red white Walnut cube at $7 .95 @ _ _ ,

Walnut pedestal and base at $9.95 @ _ _ , _ _ ,

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ALL TROPHIES F ,O,B, SANTA MONICA,CA,

THIRD PLACE (Bronze tone , green ribbon) : _ _ , _ _ , _ _ , FOURTH PLACE , FIFTH PLACE, SIXTH PLACE (Metal gray, white ribbon) : _ _ , _ _ , _ _ , Price: $2.95 a piece (allow 3 weeks for delivery)

- - ,

_ _ , _ _ , in G. $1.25 each. or S. $1 .00 each . .

SWEATER PIN with _ _ in G. or S. _ _ at $1 .25 each.

CHARM PENDANTS _ _ in S. _ _ at $1.75 DELUXE CHARM PENDANT: Round, Oval or Square ___ G. $2.50 or S. _$2 .25 each.

Please include 2Sc for postage and handling on all GYM SHOP JEWELRY (SOc for postage handling and insurance for all orders over $5 .00.)

Super "T" Shirts:

o Gym Shop custom Mini Parallettes $7.50 post paid

Finest quality 100 % combed cotton featur ing sport shirt length sleeves, breast pocket and choice. of colors . $4.75 each Indicate by checking below: size: _ Small, _ Medium, _ Large, _ X-Large White, color: _ Lt. Blue , I _Yellow.

Please indicate 2nd and 3rd color choices.

Please send me the items I have indicated above. I am enclosing a check for the total amount: $ (California residents add 5 % sales tax) .

I understand that I should allow up to 3 weeks delivery on the items I have ordered.

Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

410 Broadway Santa Monica, Ca. 90406

Ci~----------------------

State, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Zip _ __

NOTES FROM THE EDITOR: TABLE OF CONTENTS Volume XIII / Number 12/ December 1971 4 7 I discussed the " Wh ippit " with Yoshi Takei of Georgia Southern at the recent USGF Championships in Illinois, and he has agreed to writ e an article for the MG. He did say , however, that he goes for a very high back uprise, trying to get good foot lift. H e does not inlocate th e shoulders ; as the peak of th e b ac kswing is reached , he lifts (pik es) hi s hips up and over his head , keeping the head level. Th e arms are brought in hard to a blocked position ag ainst the hips , thumbs turned out.

Alt~ough the next issue of the MG will cover the USGF National in great depth , I might mention that Ch arlie Pond, Head Gymnastics Coach at University of Illinois did a fine job of organi zing the competition . There were more gymnasts, approximately 150, than eve r before. Seventy-five of these were entered in the men ' s comp etition . The All Around Championship was w on by Yoshi Takei with the total of 106.35. Second went to form e r University of Californi a, the great George Greenfield with 102.15, and third to Kanati All e n of the Washington Gymnastics Club with 101 .25 . Other ~mnasts qu alifying for the Semi Final Ol ympic Trials to be held later in the year in Berkeley , Californi a wer e: Robert Sweetman ; 101 .20, Tom Linder ; 100.30, Bob Dickson ; 100.05, and Paul Tickenoff; 100.00 .

This writer observed that our compulsories are generally quite w eak , with only a few solid performances. These will hav e to improve if we are to have any hopes in the coming Olympics .

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THE MODERN GYMNAST: Statement of ownership , management and circulation as requir ed by th e U.S. Post Office Department for second cl ass mailin g pri vil ege.

Own ers , Glenn and Barbar a Sundb y (DBA Sundby Publica ti o ns). 410 Broad way, Santa Moni ca, Ca . 90401.

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PUBLISHER: Glenn Sundby EDITOR: Jack Medina ASSOCIATE EDITORS, STAFF: Kenneth Sakoda, Dick Criley ASSOCIATE EDITORS, FEATURE: A Bruce Frederick , Education; Dr. James S. Bosco , Research; Jerry Wright , Competition; Frank Bare , USGF; John Nooney , Canada; Andrzej Gonera , European; Gerald George, Dan Millman , Don Tonry , AA Instructional; Bill Roetzheim , Instructional.

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NOTES FROM THE EDITOR, Jack Medina THE DILEMMA OF COACHES & GYMNASTS: TIME, Bill Ballester 1971 USGF CONGRESS, Dick Criley THE GYMNASTICS WORLD OF TIM SLOTTOW AN OPEN LETTER TO DAN MILLMAN, Joseph L. Massimo,PhD , GYM SNAPS THE SECRET TO IMPROVING GYMNASTICS IN THE USA, Don Tonry MG INTERVIEW: MR. HIRO OKAMURA, Mr. Frank Endo MG CENTER PHOTO, Ted Marti INSTRUCTIONAL: THE GYMNAST'S MOST COMMON MISTAKES, Dan Millman BEGINNER STILL RING ROUTINE, Jerry Wright SKILLS FROM START TO FINISH, FULL TWISTING FORWARD PIROUETTE Don Tonry STICK IT!, Gary W. Anderson TEACHING THE FULL TWISTING BACK SOMERSAULT: Twisting Right to Left ANGLES OF INCIDENCE SPECIFIC TO REUTER BOARD CONTACT, Gerald S. George PRINCIPLES OF KINESIOLOGY APPLIED TO A PIKED FRONT HANDSPRING FROM THE CROUP OF LONG HORSE VAULTING, Tom Donovan ANNOUNCING GYMNASTICS MEETS. Bob Hennecke REPORT ON THE MEN'S FIG JUDGING COURSE, Ted Muzyczko BOOK REVIEWS: A GUIDE TO GYMNASTIC COACHING, THREE YEAR COMPETITION AND TRAINING PLAN FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS, Dick Criley A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

Starting with the January edition , we will b e m e rging Mademoiselle and Modern Gymnast maga zines into on e new GYMNAST m aga z in e. N ew GYMNAST Subscribe r Re newal Bonus rat es: 1 ye ar $6 .50 2 ye ars $1 2. 50 3 yea rs $17 .00

JAPANESE COMPETITION TOUR OF THE USA For th e first tim e the Japanese men and women WORLD and OLYMPIC Gymnastic Teams will tour and compete across the USA . Th e first stop on thei r tour will take them to Southern California . The women will co mpete on FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1972 at CAL STATE FULLERTON . Th e men will compete on SATURDA Y, JANUARY 15 1972 at SAN FERNANDO VALLEY STATE COLLEGE . Both e v~nts will begin at 8:00 p.m.

Itinerary January 14, 1972 Cal St. Full erton January 15, 1972 San Fernando Valley College January 22, 1972 Chica go January 23, 1972 Chicago January 25,1972 Temple U .

January 28, 1972 Penn . St. The men competing for JAPAN will be: Akinori Nakayama: 1966 Dortmund World Championships; 3rd AA ; 1st Floor EXercise, Horizontal Bar. 1968 Mexico Ol ympics ; 3rd AA, 1st R.ings, Parallel Bars, Horizontal Bar. 1970 NHK Cup; 1st AA. 1970 All Japan Ch ampion ships; 1st AA . 1970 Ljubljana World Championships; 3rd AA. 1971 NHK Cup ; 2nd AA . 1971 All Japan Championships; 1st AA, 1st Floor Exercise, Parallel Bars.

Shigeru Kasamatsu: 1969 Ljubljana World Championships; 2nd AA, 1970 NHKCup; 6th AA.1970 All Japan Championships; 5th AA. 1971 NHK Cup; 5th AA. 1971 All Japan Championships; 6th AA, 1st Side Horse.

Masanori Takahasi: 1971 All Japan Ch ampionships; 76th AA, 2nd Horizontal Mitsuo Tsukahara: 1968 Mexi co Olympi cs; 18th AA, 4th Floor Ex ercise, Rings. 1970 NHK Cup ; 3rd AA . 1971 All Japan Championships; 2nd AA, 1st Ring s, 2nd Parallel Bars.

Shinichi Hosokawa: 1970 Torino Universiade; 18th AA . 1971 All Japan Championships ; 11th AA, 4th Floor Exercise Toshiaki Morioka: 1971 I nter-Co llegiate; 2nd AA , 1st Horizontal Bar. 1971 NHK Cup; 8th AA. 1971 All Japan Championships; 9th AA , 5th Floor Exe rcise Shun Fujimoto: 1971 I nter-Collegi ate; 6t h AA, 1st Still Rings .

1971 NHK Cup ; 10th A.A. 1971 All Japan Championships ; 8th AA , 4th Rings

The women competing for JAPAN will be : Kayoko Saka: 1968 M ex ico Ol ympics ; 3rd. 1970 Ljublj an a World Championships. 1971 NHK Cup; 4th . 1971 All Japan Championships; 5th , Uneven Bars, Floor Exercise; 4th.

Yumiko Komiya: 1970 Inter-C o ll eg iate; 7th .

1971 Inter-Co llegiate; 3rd, H o rse va ult, Uneven Bars, Balance Bea m , 3rd. 1971 All Japan Championships ; 10th.

Nobue Yabe: 1971 I nt er-C o lleg iate; 12th . 1971 All Japa n Championships ; 8th .

Junko Hyodo: 1971 All Japan Champi o nships; 9th , Ho rse Vault, 6th .

Eiko Hirashima: 1970 NHK Cup ; 7th. 1970 All Japa n Ch ampi onships; 4th. 1970 Inter-Co ll eg iate ; 3rd. 1971 NHK Cup ; 3rd. 1971 Inter-Coll eg iate; 1st, 2nd , Uneven Bars 1st, Ho rs e Vault, 2nd Floor Exercise.

Takako Hasegawa: 1971 All Japan Championships; 4th AA, 6th Uneven Bars Toshiko Miyamoto: 1971 Inter-Hi gh School; 1st AA . 1971 Asia Juni o r Championships; 1st AA. 1971 All Japan Championships; 6th AA, 2nd U neve n Bars, 3rd Ho rs e Vault.

JAPAN VS U.S. "ALL STARS" So. California Competition Th e men 's m eet at SF V SC, and th e women 's competition at Fullerton , promises to b ~ the most exciting eve nt in gymna sti cs ever held in Southern California . Tickets are required for both events.

Individual Tickets for Otle competition may be purchased : Competitio n Level .. . .. $4.50 Mezzanin e Leve l .. . .. . $3 .50 Gen eral Admission. _ .. $2 .50 Combin ation Tickets , a I lowing yo u to att e nd both m ee ts at red uced pri ces, are priC:::ed as fo ll ows: Competition Leve l . . . . . $8.00 M ezza nin e Leve l .. . . . . $6.00 Genera l Admission . , .. $4.00

A sellout crowd is expected at both m eets. You can rese rve a seat and rece iv e a SOl! discount o n any ti cket purchase by ordering yo ur ti cket (s) before Janu ary 7, 1972. For tickets to th e m en's co mpeti t ion se nd a check to San Fernando Valley State College, c/ o Jack Medina , Gymnasti cs Coac h. For th e women ' s compe titi on, send a check to Ca l State Fullerton, c;. / o Dick Wolfe, Gymnastics Coach. Combi nati o n Tickets may be purchased by writ in g to eit her San Fe rn ando Valley State, orCa l State Full e rt on.

D o n' t mi ss the gymnasti c opportu nity of a lifet im e! Mark yo ur ca lendar now! . .. Send for your tickets to both th ese grea t gy mna st ics m eets imm ediat e ly ... if no t soo ner!

1971 NHK CUP NATIONAL HI GH SCHOOL GYMNASTIC COAC HE S ASSOCIATION

Japanese National Gymnastic Champions 400 ft. Super 8 8&W Top 3 Compulsory and Optional Routines in Each Event Film taken by Ted Miyamoto of Stanford

Price:

$1B.00

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OLYMPISCHE TURNKUNST Through .the new publishers we can once again offer this German Publication.

Published 4 times per year. Price $6.00 U.S. dollars.

Copies will be mailed to U.S. subscribers from our offices as bulk supply arrives here from Germany.

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NAME: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ADDRESS: _ _ _ ___ _

CITY ZIP____ STATE _ __ _ _ Please find my

$10.00 annual membership dues to the National High School Gymnastic Coaches Association

A MESSAGE FROM THE NHSGCA PRESIDENT To the current and future membership of the N.H.S.G.C.A. The following is a brief resume of past and future events and objectives of the N.H.S.G.C.A. which should eventually become the largest single gymnastics association in the world.

The general objectives of our organization were printed in the September issue of the Modern Gymnasts. In addition, the current executive board is submitting additional objectives which should serve to strengthen and promote our association . The following objectives, goals and information is needed in order to unify a truly functional organization: 1. Please submit the names and addresses of any state high school gymnastics coaches organization and presidents address.

2. Copies of the N .H.S.G.C.A. Constitution will be sent to any state organization who is a member. This is important because voting in our organization is by geographical regions which correspond to the U.S.G.F . regions and only appointed delegates from each region will be able to vote.

3. Please notify th e president if you have not received any cards, pins or Modern Gymnast subscriptions. We will try to keep this up to date.

4. The N.H.S.G.C.A . is a voting member of the U.S.G.F. Council ; if you have any suggestions - voice your opinion through the Modern Gymnast via our organization.

5. A complete set of boys gymnastics compulsories adequate for use for grades 7 through 12 are available to each state association upon request.

6. During th e ea rly summer your president attended the meeting of the United States Olympic Gymnastics Committee meeting at Southern Illinois University. My objective was to gain membership as a national organization. I submitted membership application via registered mail to the U.S.O.c. and yet as of the date of the N.C.G .C. meeting in Chicago in November I had received no reply. At this time I pressed further as to the lack of communication but no reply yet? ? ?

7. Along with most states, Illinois has adapted the new National High School rule book . This should serve to standardize gymnastic competition across the nation . The new F.I.G . supplement will not apply to any National Federation Rules this year, but will be added next year, so read up on the new changes .

8. The N.G.S.G.C.A . supplied association pins as token exchange gifts to the touring German teams which "ex hibited " against a group to top all around gymnasts from the State of Illinois. (Note: The Illinois High School Gymnastics Coaches Association donated approximately $1000.00 for the promotion of the German tour.)

9. The National High School Gymnastics Coaches Association co -sponsored with the city of Chicago and th e Honorabl e Mayor Daley ; " The First Annual Chicago Beach Gymnasics Meet " . The weather was perfect, the turnout was large with over 120 individual gymnasts competing . The girls competition was very good and the mens competition was great, with outstanding winners as Mark Davis (9 trophies), Bob Dickson, Neil Schmidt, Ed Gunney, Ken Lier, Skip Ray, Warren Wakerlin , Pete Henmerling, Jim (Jet ) Ja ckson, Chuck Froming, and other who I am sure you would know. Nex t year should even be better.

10. TOM TEMPLE has repl ace d Paul Mayer as vice-president of our organization.

Paul moved to the college level. I am very pleased with the interest and willingness of Tom to "get the job done " . With Tom 's able assistance and personal contact, the membership of our organization will experience immediate progress.

Please send all co rr espond ence to me.

Cooch :____ _ Hig h School: Address :_ __ NH SGCA POST Offl CE BOX 110.

SAN n MONICA. CALIfORNIA 90406

Sincerely, Tom Gardner , President 310 Pleasant Street Hoffman Estates , Illinois 60172

The Dilemma of Coaches & Gymnasts: TIME PART II

NATIO NAL HIG H SC HOOL GYM NAS TI C COAC HE S ASSOCIATION

by Bill Ball ester Gymn asti c Coach , University of Orego n (Past Pres ident NHSGCA)

Recogni zi ng and accepting th e Hypoth esis that tim e in th e gym and time on the app aratus is the one uni ve rsal characteristic co nsi stant with all teams and individu als who are w inn ers lea ds to the co nclu sion that tim e, pra ctice, and gymnastic prepa ration must be d efin ed and organized if ma ximum effic iency is to ga in ed.

The majority of states ha ve seasonal limitat ions, c lini c and / or ca mp limitati o n s and ever-p resen t "sharing of facility " problems in high schoo l programs . H ypo th et ica l situat io n : A. Schoo l beginsSeptember3; no gym nastic apparatus is ava il abl e at the hi gh sc hoo l o r not lega l to u se.

B. Gymnastics "o fficial " practice begins Novembe r 3.

C. Gymnastics co mpe titi o n begins Dece mb er 3, w ith 10-15 duel mee ts; State qualificati o n se ri es arch 3; State fin als March 12.

D. Gymnastics prac ti ce is term in ated in hi gh school fo r the yea r.

E. School is ou t in June.

This is a typ ica l yea rl y calendar estab li shed by the hi gh school associatio n, the high sc hool admini st ra ti o n a nd / or va ri ous ot h e r admin istrative gro ups. It is not my intenti on to question or eval uat e th ese ru les, but simpl y offer methods to develop effect ive gymnas ts and gymnastics programs within the state guidelines.

ReconSid ering th e origina l hypo th es is co nce rning time in th e gym an d tim e on the apparat us it is necessary to d eve lop a program that will eff ectively and efficient ly lead to the desi red goa Is. A. At th e beginning of the yea r w hen the hi gh sc hoo l gym is not ava ilab le for practi ce there are altern atives : 1. Deve lop an intramura l program to i nclud e ALL stud ents--perha ps girl s and boys (some states have requi r eme nt s th at lette r w inn ers are no t to be in the gy m ).

2. D evelop a free p lav program for all stud ents with the gymnastics coac h not pr esent--perh aps an exchange program w ith the w res tlin g o r swimming coac h.

If th ere is no gym na sti cs area wi thin the hi gh sc hool don't neglect to exp lore the YMCA, Jr. highs, pri va te gyms, soko ls, or turn vereins.

These gro ups are usua ll y sympat het ic to the problem s of gymnastics and ma y give free use o f their fac il ities in exchan ge for some of the coaches and / o r gymnasts' tim e in in st ru ction.

3. Another altern at ive meth od is th e purcha se or building of appa ra tus th at ca n be kept at o ne gym nast's h o m es. Used , o ut -da ted

appa ratu s ca n be purchase d Cj uite reaso nably; but thi s requ ires pa ti ence an d sea rching.

4. The fourth alter native, w hen all other att empt s to get o nto appara tu s fail , is physical co nditionin g. Physical prepa rat ion fo r the co mpet it ive season d urin g Septembe r and October may be almost as beneficial as actual practice. Without f lex ibil ity and wi thout strengt h a gymnas t will never exce l. A dail y pro gram ca n be estab li shed to bring the team togethe r fo r movies, lectures, and ge nera l team unity as well as a co mprehensive program of flexibility work , circu it power workout and running, stair stepp in g cardiovasc ul ar d eve lopment.

B. Gymnast ics seaso n beg in s w ith th e bas ic assumption th at all gym nasts have ei th er bee n wo rking o ut o r physically cond itioning themselves in preparation for th e seaso n.

It becomes essential to begin rout in es and seque nces imm ed iate ly in preparation for Decembe r 3rd competition . It is also necessary to conti nue fle xib ilit y wo rk , power circu it, runnin g and sta ir steppi ng. Add to th ese tasks the n ew moves and in some sta tes the co mpul sor ies and it is obvious that eac h practice mu st be orga ni zed for maximum effici ency.

C. Co mpet it ive season begins and this simpl y red uces th e tim e for th e above object ives.

D. Gymnastics season terminate s and pract ice is no longer legal; h oweve r the re are opt ions : 1. Ut ili ze any and all of the fa ll program alter natives in addition to i nitiati ng a school assemb ly or commu nit y show or ex hibition for serv ice o rgan iza tion s, business men's club s. etc. Make th e program ava il abl e to A LL stud ent s. add clown acts and unrelated gy mn as ti cs ac ti viti es.

Thi s ty pe of program is lega l, fu lfill s a defin ite n eed fo r the stud ents, th e community, and o f course for th e gymnast ics program.

2. Develop an age-group program through the hi gh sc hool--an extra-curri cular program that g rade schoo l, jr. h igh and high sc hoo l students are eli gible to att ::> nd . Thi s is a regu larly sc hed ul ed tuition class --thi s is lega l!

E. When school is out, again exp lo re all o f the previousl y mentioned opportunit ies for th e wo rkout area, in add ition to so me n ew avenues: 1. Summer sc hoo l classes for all students at all ages. Gymnasts ca n be utili zed as instructors as we ll as stu dent s.

2. (In so me sta t es th e above type o f classes are NOT lega l ; th ere fore, a to tal sports development program could be developed b y using 4 or 5 various activit ies.)

3. Summer ca mps and c lini cs: Th e U.S. h as many such ca mps and c lini cs available (see MG) throughout the coun try. They offer gr ea t expos ure to new ideas and opportunities to meet many gy mn as ti cs friends. In so me sta tes spe ciali ze d ca m ps an d c linics are no t lega l; however, th ere are ca mp s that offer many activities, but are gy mnasti ca ll y oriented .

4. USGF and AAU age-group prog rams.

Take advantage o f summ er competi ti o n whenever poss ib le.

THEN IT' S BACK TO SC HOOL FOR BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS. Every sta te p rogram, ever y coach and eve ry gymnast is ::o nfronted wi th problems related to use of faci liti es , rules and tim e res trictio ns.

Above are ju st a few sugges ti o ns th at may aid you in yo ur q u estio n to con tribut e to gymnast ics. Rem ember: w here th ere is a wi ll , th ere is a way .

7

1971 USGF CONGRESS ....

The city of Chicago welcomed delegates to the 7th annual USGF Congress with a record low temperature of 22째. 175 gymnastic representatives from all parts of the country were in attendance. The Illin ois High School Gymnastic Coaches Association were the local hosts who helped the visitors find their way around.

Reports were heard from the U.S. Men 's and Women's Olympic Committees. The first qualifying round for the selection of the 1972 gymnastics team wil l be the USA Championships, Nov. 18-19 at the University of Illinois. Additional qualifying rounds for the men will include the conference championships, the NCAA Col lege and NCAA University Division championships, the NAIA Championships, the USGF Championships and the National AAU championships. A gymnast must score a total ofl00 or more points in the 12 events to qualify for the semi-finals. The semi-final round of competit ion wi ll be held at the University of California , Berkeley, May 19-20, 1972 to select the top 12gymnastsforthe fip al trials to be held june 23-24 in the Chicago area. The top 6 men wil l be the official team and the 7th man will be the alternate . FolloWing the finals, a three-week training camp will be held.

The same eight judges w ill be used for both the semi-final and final o lympic trials: East: jon Cu lbertson and Frank Cumiskey; Mid-East: Bill Roetzheim and Ted Muzyczko; Mid-West: Bob Fisher and Ron Baretta; and the West: jerry Wright and Les Sasvary. The alternate officials are Tonry, Orlofsky, Todd and Dvorak.

Reports were heard from the coaches and managers for the 1971 Pan-American Games team: Miss Muriel Grossfeld (Coach) , Mrs. Greta Treiber (Mgr) , Mr. Armando Vega (Coach), and Mr. Richard Aronson (Mgr). They recommended that an assistant coach be appointed to relieve the manager of coaching duties.

Reports of the 1971 European tour were given by Mrs. Wanda Obradovitch (Coach) and Mrs. Ruth Ann McBride (Mgr) , Mr. Gene Wettstone (Coach) , and Mr. Sid Drain (Mgr).

The U.S. team was we ll received in both Romania and France, and va lu ab le experience was gained by the participating gymnasts. The trip did point out the need for including one ' s own interpreter in the party and also emphasized the nationalism which is present in the judging of international dual meets.

Mr. Cal Girard, Executive Director for the Canadian Gymnastics Federation reported on the development of the CGF from the CAAU. This organization is supported 2/ 3 by the government and 1/ 3 by private sources. They are now seeking a technical director and an assistant for art istic and modern gymnastics and trampoline. One of their goals is a Schoo l of Gymnastics for training their coaches.

USGF Executive Director, Frank Bare, reported on progress of the Federation in a number of areas. Cathy Rigby was sent to the South Africa Cup, a U .S. Team was invited to Russia for an invitational , and Cathy has been invited to an invitational meet in japan this fall.

The USGF has invited Frank Cumiske y to consider taking on the duties as an assistant

8

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~~t~, I .

By Dick Criley

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director at their Tucson headquarters. The new USGF building in Tucson is now comp lete and houses the USGF and USTFF offices and the USGF press. Mr. Bare noted that the press is generating an income which is substantial supplement to the $180,000 budget of the Federation. He noted that the NCAA supp lies less than a sixth of the money needed to run the Federation activities. A code which delineates the duties of coaches, managers, and gymnasts has been proposed by Mr. Bare subject to ratification by the Governing Counci l.

It was announced that the National Gymnastics Team of Japan will tour the U.S. in January. The preliminary itinerary indicates that compet itions for the men wil l be held at San Fernando Valley State College (1-15) and for the women at Cal State Fullerton (1-14); an exhibition in Denver (1-18) ; a USA-Japan Match in the Ch icago area (1-22,23), and all star exhibition meet at Temple (1-25) and two days of competition at Penn State (1-28, 29) . Inquiry was made by severa l potential hosts about stops on the return trip across the country.

The National Gymnastics Team of Spain will tour the Eastern U.S . with stops in New England , Chicago, North Carolina, and New York. The dates of their tour were not firm but the latter part of March and early April seem to be the most likely time.

A detailed report of the FIG Meetings in Madrid was given by Frank Bare, Frank Cumiskey, Ted Muzyczko, Bill Roetzheim, and Bob Fisher. Chief topics for discussion included the responsibility of the USGF to nominate an individual for the Executive Committee although not for a Vice-presidency; the new Complement to the FIG Code; and a ruling which has been issued which restricts the use of names and photographs of top athletes for advertising purposes, for example for products or camps or clini cs .

A committee was appointed to make recommendations for formalizing relationships between the USGF and local, State, and regional gymnastics organizat io ns.

The Governing Counci l wi ll act on these recommendations at their December meeting.

I n a separate session , the NACGC discussed the effect which the new Comp lem ent wou ld have on NCAA procedures for running their championships. The 1971-72 statist ics wi ll be put out by the Nissen Corporation and are available to NACGC members or associate members who request them . The NCAA will be

!'

meeting in January to discuss financial aid restriction for ath letes. It is proposed that an institution be limited to 3 full awards for gymnastics per year , one of which may be " banked " with a maximum of 12 full awards for gymnastics being fil led at anyone time.

The N HSGCA elected Tom Temple as Vice-President to replace Paul Mayer. They reported that negotiations are underway to have a National Japanese high school team meet a team of senior U.S. high schoo l gymnasts in the Chicago area. The Illinois coaches also reported that a very successfu l beach meet was held at the Oak Street beach in Chicago in cooperation with the city of Ch icago .

The NGJA announced the following regional representatives: Bob Stout (East); Ted Muzyczko (Mid-East), Bob Fisher (Mid-West); Jerry Todd (West) ; with Frank Cumiskey and Bill Roetzheim as at-large members. Ted will serve as Technical Director, with new officers: Frank Cumiskey (Pres) , Jerry Todd (Sec) , and Jerry Wright (Treas).

The USGF Olympic Tour is nearly sold out. A confirmed TWA 707 w ill leave Chicago for Munich Aug 23 and return from Munich Sept 11. 165 rooms have been confirmed for the Tour in Munich itself. Tickets are to be arranged by the individual tour member through Bill Coracy of the A & B Travel Service of Carbondale, Illin ois.

A specia l report was given by the Olympic Coach , Abie Grossfeld, on the interpretation of the compulsory exerc ises. He noted that clues as to the preferred positions were to be found by careful ly studying the tables of penalties as we ll as the drawings and text. He also noted that the fi lm s of the Japanese taken ea rli er this year showed that they had not achieved a final interpretation on certain moves. While this sess ion ran over its time all otment, it was one of the most usefu l to the coaches in attendance in that it gave everyone the same basic interpretation of the compulsory exercises.

Dr. Gerald George of Old Dominion Univers ity, presented a paper titled " Innovative Techniques for the Gymnastic Spectrum. " This report wi ll be reprinted in a subsequent issue of the Modern Gymnast.

Essentially, Dr. George argued the case for approaching gymnastic training through a sound understanding of biomechanical principLes and a well-conceived training program.

THE GYMNASTICS WORLD OF

TIM SLOTTOW Tim started gymnastics at the age of 8 at the Evanston YMCA. He started working with Coach Jerry Fontana , Coach at Evanston High School , shortly after this and has been doing so for the last three and a half years. Tim's honors to-date include: Illinois State YMCA Champion for 4 years in the All Around; Midwest Invitational All Around Champion 1970; Regional AAU All Around Champion 1971 ; Tim competed against the touring West German Gymnastics Team and placed 6th out of 12 all around men ; Eiche Turners Open All Around Champion 1970 and 1971 . Tim 's ambition now is to become an Olympic Gymnast.

I might mention that I have seen films of Tim in competition and he is a fine prospect at the young age of 12 years. He has style, form , strength, flexibility, good mechanics and ha s obviously had excellent coaching. Tim Siottow is a fine example of what a young man ca n accomplish if he sets his mind to it. All of tho se people who have had a part in Tim 's development are to be commended for a job well done .

.9

AN

OPEN LETTER TO

DAN MILLMAN from ... Joseph L. Massimo Ph.D Special Assistant USGF National Coaching Staff

The Psychological Aspects of Gymnastics I enjoyed reading your article on the psychological aspects of gymnastics in the October Modern Gymnast. Thank you for your reference to my work as I need the support of gymnasts and coaches such as yourself in order to continue my own efforts.

You make some interesting statements in your article. The questions concerning the longitudinal stud ies of the gymnast (academic career, life sty le, etc.) are intriging and my current work would facilitate this kind of follow-up in coming yea rs.

Your article reminded me that we are

10

collecting a tremendous amount of data which sheds light upon , and eventually may answer, some of the questions you raise regarding feaf, motivation , aggression, general attitude and other issues relat ed to personality and the gymnast. Perhaps now is a good time to begin to share some of this material.

Early in 1968 I applied for membership in the International Society of Sports Psychology. The objective of this organization is to coordinate and share a growing body of research into the area of psychology in sports. Essenti <i lly there are three factors which account for the expanding interest in this area: (1) the discovery by clinical psychologists that the athletic experience is a fruitful laboratory for behavioral research , (2) the search by coaches and athletes themselves to identify the elu sive non-physical determinants of success and (3) the growing attention to such concepts as self-actualization and positive mental health rather than a continuing pre-occupation with pathology and remediation.

As you know I joined our National Staff in gymnastics two years ago as a Special Assistant, specifically, as a clinical psychologist. I have not only been concerned with applying clinical skills in work with our national staff and gymnasts but have also focused on a national and international testing program as well as other data gathering procedures.

Since joining the staff I have co llected a cons iderab le amount of data not only on u .S. gymnasts but also on some top foreign competitors in this sport. It has been possible to solicit such material through the cooperation of personal professional co ll eagues in different parts of the world. This is a lengthy process bec2use of the language difficulty and the necessity of formulating clinical objectives and methodology. Despite these limi tations we are beginning to make real progress. Unlike Drs. Ogilvie and Tutko, I have " done very many gymnasts" ! (Incidentally, you should read the report of the eight-year work of Ogilvie- Tutko in the Oct. 71 issure of Psychology Today-- " If You Want to Build Character Try Something Else " . They have worked , as you know, with 15,000 professional and amateur athletes and their observations on this large uN" are quite revealing indeed. It would also appear that they have used a similar device for eva lu ation, besides interviewing, as myself which makes our work quite related at an important level.

Also they have provided some broad based data which will be extremely helpful while I am zeroing in on one specific sport. The issue they raise about winning vs " joyous pursuit of esthetic experience" is open to considerab le debate! e.g. Are they mutually exclusive etc.?

Surely our competition in Eastern Europe has a different focus. I will reserve my comments about some of their conc lusi ons until a later time .)

My basic operational premise is very close to your point concerning the harmony of mind and body. The more knowledgeable and understand in g the gymnast is of his own psychology the more efficient and successfu l w ill be his performance. I also happen to believe that the most successful coaches are those who can best communicate with their individual gymnasts because of a sensitivity about the athletes specific persona lit y.

(Reasearch has already shown that coaches who are most skilled at articu lating the personal " sociology " of their teams have the

most successful records.) Such skill (many coaches don ' t have it) cannot be a substitute for technical knowledge , but it can help maximize the entire relationship and its outcome. The discipline of psychology can help in the development of this ability.

As of this date I have collected autobiographical material , including many questions dealing with the nature of the individual's conscious motivations and other aspects of his participation in gymnastics, and personality test data on practically eVEysuperior U.S. gymnast. For my purposes I mean those men who , for the past two years, have made our training camps and/or international teams. In addition , I have accumulated data on less successful gymnasts currently competing. I am also, and this is most important, in the process of attempting to gather the same material (questionnaire and testing) on top gymnasts from other parts of the world. (Hopefully a substantial number as time allows.) Although a small number are involved at this time it is a genuine beginning and the prognosis is good.

Individually, this material is and will remain, confidential. However, it is possible to speak of trends and perhaps now is an appropriate moment to state some preliminary observations. Much analysis and further collection and refinement is necessary but certain aspects seem to have some validity at this time.

More research (basic and applied) should point out future directions for investigation in this area. Personally, I am more interested in applying clinical knowledge and technology to the actual gymnastic experience and to the interpersonal coach-gymnast interaction. (This is surely needed on our national scene) This does not, of course, diminish my desire to remain as scientifically oriented as possible in so far as evaluation and research are concerned .

First of all, it should be stated that all past literature strongly suggests that it is extremely difficult to select out from a general population, in terms of psychological variables, athletes from non-athletes. It is also quite difficult to determine from a general psychological profile the different sports a group of athletes may participate in (e.g. weightlifter from basketball player) leaving out physical dimensions of course! I am beginning to feel, however, as I collect data on top athletes other than gymnasts, that this specific group may, in fact, be differentiated . I will need time and clearer evidence but there are indications that this is quite feasible.

Ogilvie and Tutko feel that they have collected enough data now to state that it is possible to distinquish between participants in team and individual sports (based on personality configurations) and even to distinquish between athletes participating in different sports. I have not studied their material but respect their conclusions. This is of course exciting news. (It is interesting to note that among women Ogilvie and Tutko found less trait variation from sport to sport then men with the exception being in fencing , gymnastics, and parachuting!)

One thing I am prepared to state with growing confidence is that we can distinquish the top, world-class gymnast, via personality variables and overall profile, from the simply "good" performer. (Criteria--scores and

national / international performance record) There is some evidence t hat this may even be true not only within our own country but cross-culturally as well!

Obviously , instrumentation is of prime importance and presents the biggest problem (translation etc.) when working with athletes in other cultures.

Some progress is definitel y being made in this area.

Should such a differentiation prove valid in coming months (i.e. 1972 Olymics) it may represent a significant contribution to our understanding of the gymnastic effort and to sports psychology generally. This is an aspect of research the Russians are particularly interested in ; distinquishing, from a psychological point of view, the top competitors from those just below them (Included in their work are interesting performance prediction studies.)

In time we should be better able to answer the question as to whether or not these personality factors and attitudes are the result of becoming a superior (top) athlete or are causal factors in achieveing such excellence.

(Chicken or egg inquiry) Current evidence suggests that they are characterlogical in nature and contributing variables in the individual personality rather then purely acquired traits gained through training and competition. In other words, you have it to begin with and in most cases those athletes who have the highest achievement and persist the longest have the stronger personalities. (By the way, "stronger" may not necessarily mean " healthier" !) As Ogilvie points out competition does not appear to build " character" . More research is needed to clarify this comment.

Let me whet your appetite at this time with a few specific observations from my own work. It is clear from my research to date that certain personality variables are found among virtually every superior gymnast. These variables, although found in other athletes in varying degrees as well, have a very strong presence in the personality profiles of top gymnasts. (I would need access to Ogilvie and Tutko 's work in order to make definite quantitative comparisons) What is most striking is the fact that our top elite performers in the U.S. appear to be closer in their " psychological appearance" (tests and questionnaire) to their foreign counterparts than they are to their less successful American peer gymnasts. This supports the notion that these traits tend to be an aspect of the athlete's intrinsic, personal fiber. Perhaps of even greater interests is a preliminary observation that the higher a gymnast ranks as a competitor (those closest to the top) the more predictable is the personality profile along certain dimensions . Clarification of this finding must wait upon a more careful data analysis but it is an intriging trend.

In general the protocols of gymnasts vary from man to man as one would expect in any group of human beings. I n the top men , however, the variables alluded to above appear in a striking progression in terms of intensity , spread , and interrelationship.

Top gymnasts appear to have a relatively high need to achieve. Although this need is present in the profiles of gymnasts in varying degrees, it is more prevalent then in any general population sample and ma y be higher than another group of athletes. Howe ver, it is not a predominant need. Gymnasts do , however, continually strive to accomplish tasks requiring

great skill and sustained effort and to be successful in these attempts. Their reasons for doing this vary from individiual to individual but their need to do so is constant.

Along these same lines and much more dominant , top gymnasts exhibit an extremely high manifest need (in comparison to even less adequate gymnasts) for psychological and physical endurance. That is, a powerful drive to finish a job which is undertaken at almost any cost.

A Similarly strong and somewhat surprising characteristic of top gymnasts is a strong tendency to follow directions closely and do what is expected and to experience acute guilt when something goes wrong. In this situation they seem to be willing to accept the blame for mis-calculations themselves rather than project responsibility upon someone else. (coach, judge, etc.) An interesting point to observe here is that in the material of those successful gymnasts where these diference-abasement needs were not prevalent there is a proportionately higher degree of need-aggreSSion expressed which may suggest the existence of some specific type of compensatory relationship may be operating.

An additional high-valence variable found in the protocols of most top gymnasts is one pertaining to a need to have external and internal order in their lives . In thiscasewhat is sought is a sense of predictability, not rigidity, as it pertains to the concept of order.

The questionnaire data from top gymnasts is very stimulating. Besides descriptive material concerning personal motivations, styles, idiosyncretic manisfestations, peaking, anxiety control, etc. the gymnasts provided their operational definition of the characteristics of an outstanding coach. Again, in all of this material, top gymnasts (given latitude for normal variance) " look " alike. What is impressive here is the phenomenal similarity given in the "coaches profile" by the best gymnasts. It may surprise some of our coaches to know that although technical know-how is imperative there are other factors which the top athletes consider of equal importance at least. Some of these factors are enlightening.

For example, the top men evaluated (U.S. and non-U.S.) all mention, as a positive coaching personality variable , the control of one's verbal output. In other words, the ability of the coach to keep quiet unless he has something of real value to say. As I have indicated in an article in Mademoiselle Gymnast, our predisposition to chatter may be culturally determined. In any event, the best gymnasts see this as a highly negative factor in coaching.

There are other equally challenging aspects to the questionnaire data collected so far but I wish to reserve comment until further work is completed. (An additional inquiry on the questionnaire concerned how the gymnasts felt a psychologist might be utilized on a national staff. Needless to say, this was personally highly informative and revealing.)

There is much more to say but time limits me at this point. I hope you are " stirred with curiosity" as I am.

I n the future a complete report of this work will be prepared. Perhaps I will have the continued opportunity to apply some of the things that are now coming into us in my work with our National Staff. Much will depend on our leaderships' vision and willingness to explore new areas as they relate to gymnastics.

11

GYMSNAPS

Barry Slatt en

Do ug Gr iff ith Frankl in High Schoo l Ohio St.lt l' AA Charnpio n (1971) & coac h D o n Se llrn an

12

Kanat i Allen

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Masay uki Watanabe

13

THE SECRET TO IMPROVING GYMNASTICS IN THE USA

by Don Tonry Yale U ni versity

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Are training camps , numerous compet iti ons, European tours, film viewing, hard work , improved facilities, better coaches, more money etc. going to move ou r national gymnastics tea ms from seven th to first p lace? I am certa in that all of the above fac tors w ill help as they alwa ys have in the past. As a matter of fact , we probably ha ve more of the forementioned factors, with the possible exception of training camps and coaches , than most of our strongest competitors in world compet ition . Then , yo u m ay ask, what is our problem? What do they have that we do not hav e?

I believe that o ur main problem is - we lack a realistic philosophy for training gymnasts to become world champions. In the not so distant past, o ur Ame ri ca n champions learned their gymn ast ics th roug h trial and error whi le training at seve ral different c lubs, YMCA ' s or recreation centers . Most of the time these indi vid u als were introd uced to the sport during their high school years by an interested program director or an ot her floundering gymn ast. Those individu als that we re fortunate enoug h to have a knowledgeable coach during

14

this ea; .y period st ill had problems of our national philosophy to contend with. Th e philosophy: (1) Difficulty always takes precedence over form and technical execut ion . (2) Provide the best in struction from th e top down. Rank order - Colleges, Hi gh Schools (some), Elementary Schools (none) . (3) Put pressure on gymnasts past the age of twenty-one to quit the sport and start "payin g back " by teaching the up and com in g champ ion s. Most good co llege gymnasts were teaching (instead of learn in g) at cl ini cs and had abo ut two meets per year to look forward to. (4) Create a small , powerful elite group of administrators to ru n t he sport. These individuals make all the decisions, disseminate all of the information and propagate the usual state of affairs. New blood must learn to conform th e old standard befo re they will be accepted into t he inner ci r cle . (5) Develop a pseudo-national program - one that only effects the elite; because, after all, they are the ones who are going to the next Olympic Games.

A well organ ized, comp lete, prog ressive national program that includes eleme ntary and secondary schoo l educators

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would probably tend to stifle our creativity as a nat ion . Run a decentralized program in orde r to fill the gap i n elementary and secondary education. Th e Junior Olympic program, regional AAU meets, USGF age group work book, YMCA meets, hi gh school dual meets and many other diverse resources are at the disposal of this group. Besides, it would probably take a year or so to develop a truly nationa l program on paper . . . and who wo uld admin ister it ?

I guess many weeks could be spent attempt in g to ana lyze the factors that keep us a coup le of steps from reaching the top The question is - what are we doi ng about it? We do have more li terature , more people, more monies, more meets, etc. Is the basic gymnastics foundation that we are offerei n g our yo un g people today any more stable than it was twenty years ago? Can an elementary and secondary school educator se nd for and use " THE NAT ION AL GYMNAST ICS PROGRAM " in hi s sc hool, YMCA o r recreation center?

Wouldn 't it be exciting if there was a master plan to all of this?

Interview of Mr. Hiro Okamura, a Japanese FIG rated gymnastic judge, Q. What is your present occupation?

by Mr. Frank Endo

A . I teac h ph ysi ca l educa ti o n at th e Kanto Gakuin U niversit y in Yo ko hama. I've been teachin g at thi s sc hoo l for th e p ast 17 yea rs. I als o co ach m en and wo m ens' gy mn as tc tea ms. I dedi cate 2-3 ho urs dail y all yea r lo ng w itho ut pay. No bo d y in Japa n r eceive m o ney fo r coaching a tea m .

Were you a former gymnast?

Yes. I start ed gymnasti cs i n hi gh sc hoo l and pl aced 2nd on th e parallel bars and 3rd in th e flo o r exercise in th e All-J apan Hi gh Scho ol Ch ampi o nship s. I was o n th e team at th e U ni ve rsity of Phys ica l Edu ca ti o n in To kyo . when w e w on th e N ati o nal Coll egi ate Champi o nship s.

When did you become an FIG judge?

I started jud gin g right afte r I gradu ated f rom the Uni ve rsity o f Ph ys ica l Educa ti o n. I beca me an FIG jud ge p rio r to the 1964 Ol y mpic Ga mes in To k yo. I am an exec uti ve member o f th e Japan Gymna st ics A ssociati o n (lGA ). I have been acting as Sup erior Jud ge fo r all th e nati o nal m ee ts such as th e N ati o nal Co lleg iate, All-Japan , Nati o nal Spo rts Fes ti val , NHK, W o rld and Ol ympi c tryouts.

How many FIG judges are there in Japan?

App roxi mately 35. All exa m i nati o ns (fo r qu alifyin g to becom e an FIG jud ge) are tak en in eith er Engli sh, Fr ench o r Germ an.

Do you have rating for judges?

Yes, we rate th e jud ges as FI G, Cla ss I, Class II o r Class III. Th e FIG jud ges, o f cou rse, are th e to p rate judges. W e h ave 120 jud ges w ho have su ccessfull y pa ssed th e Na ti o nal test to qu alify fo r Cla ss I. Th ey mu st have had 2 yea rs minimum judgin g experience. We have hundred s o f Cl ass II judges. Th ey ca n jud ge any meet up to th e State (pre fec ture) leve l o nl y.

Cl ass III are m ostl y co llege gymn as ts and rece nt gradu ates wh o have taken th e nati o nal test.

Th ey judge loca l meets o nl y.

How many meets does a judge normally officiate in one season?

Appro xim ately 150 meets. A gra ph-type ch art is kept by th e JGA for all FIG and Cl ass I jud ges.

Th e chart will d etermin e ho w he judged i n each meet co mp ar ed with t he average scor e.

How many gymnastic association s are there in Japan?

W e have 48 prefectures and th ey all have an as soc iation under th e juri sdicti o n o f th e Japan Gymn asti cs A ssoc iati o n.

Have you ever judged abroad?

Yes, I att end ed th e 1969 Wo rl d Cup in Lo ng Beach w hen Kenmo tsu and Nakaya ma com pet ed . I acted as Superi o r Ju d ge alo ng w ith Mr. Frank Cumi sky . In 1968, I we nt to Ko rea w ith th e Japanese tea m and jud ged th ere. I also judge d in th e W o rld U ni ve rsit y Ga mes .

What is the most difficult event to judge?

Th e sid e hor se is th e m os t difficul t, sin ce th e moves are executed so fast. Durin g o ur nati o nal leve l m eets we have an FI G rated jud ge w h o w ill o nl y record th e A, B. & C m oves. If th ere are any di sc rep encies in t he sco ri ng, a check w i II be made w ith th e difficul ty recordin g jud ge. Thi s is o ne event th at t hree A -m oves ca n make a C-m ove. The rin gs are th e next most diffi cult eve nt to jud ge. Sw in g m oves executed w ith

strength o r visa -ve rsa, no t ho ldin g 3 seco nds, hold s no t in pro p er pos ition, two required handstands executed in a different mann er, etc. makes it diffi cult to judge.

Does a judge in Japan keep a record of each gymnast he judges?

M ost of th e FIG and Class I jud ges w rit e d own th e enti re ro utine indi catin g th e A, B & C m oves al o ng with any deducti ons.

Do judges have any specific uniforms when judging a meet?

Yes, FIG & Class I judges w ear a d ark gree n coa t and gray pants.

Does a Japanese gymnast ever approach a judge and ask why he received a certain score?

Gymn asts never approach th e jud ge. Th ey respect th e sco res fl ash ed. So metim es th e coach es inquire but thi s is aft er th e m eet is o ver.

Do you have trampoline competition?

Yes, w e h ave a se parate assoc iati o n w ithin th e JGA fo r th e special ists like th e tumbl ers, trampo lini sts and m o dern da nce rs . A nati o nal leve l co mpet iti o n is held each yea r. W e have a special gro u p o f ju dges for thi s co mpetiti o n within th e JGA. How many hours would you say that your top college gymnasts as well as those who will be your Olympians work out daily?

Th e goo d gy mn asts in co ll ege train approx iamtely 4 ho ur s dail y i ncluding Sund ay.

Th e Ol ympi an ca libre wo rks o ut abo ut 3 hours fo r co nditi o ning.

How many meets does a high school or a college gymnast normally compete in one season?

A hi gh sch oo l or co llege gymn as t co mpetes in abo ut t en meets a season. H oweve r, if he procee d s above th e prefec tur e level meet he ca n go into th e reg iona l and natio nal leve l mee t providin g he is no t eliminated o n hi s way up .

How many gymnasts normally participates in a national level meet?

Appro xim ately 160.

What do you think of th e Russian gymnasts and the other top gymnasts of the world?

Th e Ru ss ians and th e A meri ca n bo th have good po int s and we take interest in all o f th em W E: try to find o ut th ese point s and st ud y th em . Th e A meri ca ns are stro ng, fl ex ibl e and have q ui ck tumblin g. However , I fee l th at th e A m er icans do not wo rk o ut e noug h and sho ul d conce nt ra te on t he all aro u nd.

Do you feel that the FIG Code of Points is up to date?

We use th e Code as it is th e intern at io nal rul e.

Howeve r, in o ur n ati o nal m ee ts we require two C-m oves in stea d o f on e. Th ere are many C-m oves list ed th at w e fee l ca n be reduce d t o a B-mo ve simpl y b eca use of b ett er tr ainin g and equ ipm ent. W e appl y ROV (ri sk, o ri ginalit y & virtuo sit y) in all mee ts.

How many international rated gymnasts do you believe there are in Japan? I b elieve th at th e re are about o ne hun d red. In Japan we have three Ol ympic tryo ut s. W e w ill ho ld o ur first Ol ympi c Tr yo ut o n N ov. 18-21. W e ex p ect 150 to co m pe te. Th e first d ay will be fo r com p ul sor ies and th e seco nd d ay fo r th e option als. On th e third d ay th e t o p 36 co mpetit o rs wi ll do th e ir opti o nals aga in t o d etermin e th e indi vi dual all aro und res ult. Indiv idu al Finals w ill be held on th e fo u rth d ay.

How is it that the Japanese all used the same three moves for the beginning for their ring routine during the Mexico Olympic Games?

Th e co mbinati o n just happened to b e a good o ne and n o t to o diffi cult. Ho weve r, I w o uld rath er h ave each gymn ast use a different mo unt and m oves th at wo uld b e more fitti ng to th ei r abilit y.

When is your gymnastic season?

High sc ho ol and co ll ege m ee ts are held fro m A pril thro ugh N o vember. Th e nati o nal and intern ati o nal m ee ts are held in Nove mber and December.

In America we have gymnasts with long hair. As long as they do not disrupt their routine by shaking their head we do no make any deduction. Do you have gymnasts with long hair?

Duri ng o ne o f o ur rece nt meets we d id have a gymn ast w ith lo ng hair . He was to ld to cut h is hair in o rd er to comp ete. We have neve r h ad any pr o bl em w ith hair .

What are the latest new moves being executed by the Japanese?

Th ere are few new sin gle m oves but th e tre n d at thi s tim e is to m ake up n ew co m b ina ti o ns, es pec iall y o n th e pa rall el ba rs, rin gs, and ho ri zo nt al bar.

How is th e gymnastic equipment in Japan?

A ll equipment mee ts FIG spec if ica ti o ns. Th e A m eri cans m ake the eq uipm ent so th at it look s good and ca n be easi ly hand led an d ad ju stab le by t he gymn asts.

15

I

INSTRUCTIONAL: Dr. Gerald S. George, coordinator We of the MG staff are constantly seeking ways and means of providing both educational and interesting materials for our subscribers. In an attempt to further increase the scope and breadth of the "A nyone For All-Around" series, we would

like to extend an invitation to any and all gymnasts, coaches, judges, and enthusiasts to submit articles pertaining to all-around instruction. Perhaps you have a particular skill that you feel particularly qualified to illustrate, discuss, and /o r explain . Let's share your talents with the reading public

and thereby help to foster a stronger " System of American Gymnastics."

Submit your illustrations and articles to Dr. Gerald S. George, Dept. of Physical Education, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23508.

THE GYMNAST'S MOST COMMON MISTAKES Daniel J. Millman Stanford University Discussing proper mechanics, techniques, fundamentals , and basics can be a humerous pastime .. if you have that kind of a sense of humor. For most of us, learning the " correct way" to perform the innumerable movements in gymnastics a serious quest, with many obstacles and frustrations strewn in our path .

How may of us have attempted a movement over and over with little success -- and our queries of "what am I doing wrong?" are met with empty but well meaning co mm ents like, " Be more aggressive" or "Go for it again, but harder."

Complicating our quest for truth-in-movement are the the seemingly infinite number of mechanical hobgoblins that sneak up from nowhere and uncere moniously fling us from the apparatus.

Something needs to be said, then, to help allay the confusion about how to do gymnastics movements. At the outset, though , this writer should state that he makes no special claims at mastery or even expertise -- what follows is simply a distillation of some though and information gathered from man y sources.

Any information you gain, whether from reading or through personal coaching must be kept up to date . Techniques change so rapidly, that what you were told six months or a year ago may be out of date. The pictures you see of the Japanese (on rings for example) a year ago may not reflect new advances in swing.

What I'd like to do then , as an antidote for the countless articles you rea d -- one telling you how to do a front handspring, another telling you how to do a giant, or straddle cut, or double leg circles -- none of which are interrelated with one another -- is cover some basic variables that will help you in all you r work, on all apparatus.

It is this writer's opinion that six or seven fundamental weaknesses account for about 95% of all mistakes. Before going into these basic weaknesses, I'd like to define a few terms which will contribute toward your understanding : Gymnastics (Old Style): Man vs. Apparatus -- a small war, with the winner emerging, bruised, tired , but somehow "victorious." Man vs.

Nature -- fighting most of nature's laws -- trying to go against gravity, struggling against momentum , inertia. Taking for granted that gymnastics means muscle strains, pulls, bruises, rips, exhaustion. A masochistic endeavor.

Using muscles, but usually not kowing how to

18

Figure 2

Figure 1 relax . Building the wrong muscles, using more strength in some areas than necessa ry . Rarely actually swinging -- instead, shooting to shoulderstand on rings or bars then pressing the rest of the way quickly and calling it swing.

This is the way most of us work gymnastics, even on the elite lev e ls ... but a few individuals are beginning to do this.

Gymnastics (New Style): Man with Apparatus - Man With Nature. Trying to feel the physical laws and take advantage of them . Riding gravity, use inertia, RELAXING at the right moment and EXPLODING at the proper instant.

Discovery of how to work " as one" with the apparatus -- to ride, and flow with.

In order to do this properly, the gymnast seeks the easiest most efficient body line, concentrating on the appropriate range of motion in all his joints, so forces are concentrated in straight lines and smoothly curved ones, rather than dissipated through many crooked lines.

Result: less tiring, fewer rips, bruises -- a better, freer feeling and the discovery of the real joy of gymnastics.

Listed below with some explanations, finally , are some of the most important basic areas in gymnastics. When these areas are properly mastered , you ' ll begin to do the new gymnastics -- if not, these areas will grow hairy

Figure 3 faces and fangs, and ride you roughly to the ground .

Suppleness: The most important area in gymnastics is shoulder extension (fig. 1) -- the ability to hyper-extend the shoulder area, almost inlocating slightly. All your work in or through the handstand position (handsprings, ff's , roundoffs, cartwheels, presses, shoots, piroettes, etc.) will be done more consistently and elegantly after this extension is gained .

It's impossible to do a straight handstand (no arch) without this extension. It takes less strength to do a straight handstand , and dynamic forces are channelled more effectively. Some gymnasts are obviously tight in the shoulder area, and their potential is extremely limited. Most elite gymnasts are still a bit underextended.

The two other important areas of suppleness are the hips (bending forward , legs straight) and the groin area (Japanese splits) . Of course there are other important areas, but those listed above are absolutely necessary for elegant gymnastics.

Strength: The interaction between strength and suppleness is often underestimated. For example, it's not e nough to be loose in the shoulder area -- you must have sufficent shoulder strength to be able to pull your arms to the extended position and hold them there

without arching the chest or back. Also, one must have strength to hold the legs in close to the chest when bending forward (on a stiff-stiff press, for example).

Strength is the ability to control muscles -- to be able to relax some while contracting others.

Strength is certainly not simply an iron corss or a planche -- it's gaining some communication and mastery over all the muscles in the body, large and small, and using the appropriate ones.

Swing: Swing is simply an effective use of natu re 's forces for dynamic movement without using imporper power. Since any movement takes strength components, we can't say " not using strength,;; but after an initial explosion at the bottom, the upward movement should feel and look relatively effortless. This applies to swinging tumbling movements as well.

In order to swing properly, we must keep our bodies long, by eliminating pike at the waist.

This can be done by keeping the muscles of the thighs, buttocks, and stomach tight. This also tends to keep us from "popping an arch" a major (and common) fault among gymnasts.

From the time a gymnast leaves the floor on side horse, he should keep his buttocks so tight he can crack an egg on his rear.

Any piking action necessary can be initiated in a slight rounding of the chest. This in effect, increases the gymnasts radius or moment arm, giving him a more powerful swing, storing more energy to these.

Let it riot be misunderstood that htese basics are ea~y -- they ' re not. That 's why so few gymnasts have mastered them But if and when they are mastered, work becomes play. This is one reason the Japanese are able to do 36 routines during a workout. Their moves are simply done with less effort.

It isn't enough to simply understand how to do a movement - we must have the proper suppleness for extension, the proper strength to keep the buttocks tight, the chest rounded-most of us will have to learn to use a whole new set of muscles, and this can be very discouraging.

Some of us will work through the frustration, maybe even losing a few moves temporarily along the way. Others will stick to the familiar , the mediocre, and after several years work, the 9.0 score will strike them in the face and say STOP! Every year, pre-and post season, go back to basics. Check your handstand, is it really straight? Do a handstand and duck your head down, looking at your toes, keeping your body straight, exten:d (inlocate slightly) with the shoulders -- do you feel a solid lock when someone pushes down on your feet ? Now try doing your "o ld reliable" handstand . How does it feel when someone pushes down on your feet?

When you miss a move, ask yourself, "Was I really extended through the handstand, or was lover-arched "-- were my thighs relaxed (no good!) -- was my swing big (buttocks tight) or did I arch and pike like a dying fish? Am I able to control my muscles to do the proper techniques, or do I need to work some apporpriate strength exercises?

Am I concentrating on constantly i.-,co rporating proper basic positions in all my work or do I just throw and go?"

May your workouts be diligent, and filled with the right answers.

BEGINNER STILL RING ROUTINE drawings by: Pat Avera routine by: Jerry Wright A. Hang with false grip with straight body B. Muscle up to support bend at the waist,and C. shoulder stand-can be done with arms against straps when first learning and even

with feet against the cables with the legs spread.

D. lower body slowly below the rings and forward to E. inverted pike hang-spotter advised here F. cast (straight arm cast recommended for beginners) spotter advised for next part G. Inlocate-bent body recommended for beginners-followed by H. intermediate swing for safety and I. straddle dismount-beginners will be lower

C. shoulder stand

D. one路half fo rward roll

A. Hang

B. Muscle up

I~ 4.

2.

5.

6.

3.

1.

H. inv. pike hang

G. inlocate

E. inverted pike hang

11,

J. intermediate swing

14.

16.

17.

19

EJ Full

Twisting

SKILLS FROM START TO FINISH

by Don Tonry

Forward

Pirouette

The full twisting pirouette on the horizontal bar has not been given specific difficulty rating by the FIG. However, the 1968 Code of Points does indicate that full turns during the performance of giant swings (see section V. 3,6) rates a "C" value. As with other pirouetting skills tRat stem from a giant swing, the final position should be completed in a near handstand position in order not to receive a deduction for technical execution . From the standpoint of coaching, this skill may be considered somewhat easy to teach providing the following prerequisites are considered: 1. Ability to hold a steady handstand 2. Ability to execute a forward giant swing.

3. Ability to execute a forward pirouette from a forward giant swing.

4. Other closely related skills such as a forward pirouette on the parallel bars or floor; a cross arm giant change on the horizontal bar will also aid in helping toorient the performer.

TEACHING TECHNIQUE: Step One - Teach this skill on the low parallel bars (paralletes) with a super soft landing mat on one side. Have the performer kick to a handstand on the far bar (from the floor) and execute a forward pirouette to a near handstand position. Lower to front on the soft mat.

Step Two - After executing the forward pirouette satisfactorily several times, the gymnast should attempt to cross his free arm over the supporting arm to a cross grip position . This action should teach the student to rely on his supporting arm throughout the grip change. Lower to front on the soft mat.

Step Three - Execute the forward pirouette to a cross grip (hands about eight to twelve inches apart) and continue turning to a fall on the soft mat. (back contacts mat) .

At this point the beginner may have difficulty maintaining a " squared off" position during the descending phase. This may be the result of not shifting enough of the body weight to the regrasp hand, not completing the turn early enough to stabilize the body prior to the fall or bending the supporting arm . the performer Step Four - When demonstrates his ability to consistently finish the turn in a near handstand or 45째 from the vertical he is probably ready for the high horizontal bar. (The conservative coach may wish to spend more time working this skill from a support cast to handstand on the low horizontal bar before proceeding to the high bar) .

Step Five - I nstruct the performer to attempt to follow the same successful pattern that he has used on the low parallels : Do not start turning too early.

See the bar during the turn .

Keep body weight over supporting arm .

Always catch (stop) the beginning gymnast during the descending phase until he proves his ability to control his recovery.

20

Other full turn combinations are : 1. With mixed grips : shoot to handstand and full pirouette mount.

2. Backward giant, change one grip to under grip and full pirouette.

3. Hop from eagle giant to one arm support and full pirouette.

4. Free

backward

hip circle

hop change

(undergrips) to handstand and full pirouette.

5. Backward giant hop change (undergrips) to handstand and full pirouette.

6. Endo shoot to forward full pirouette.

Note : Illustration NO . Six has been reproduced from new horizontal bar chart published

by Gymnastic Aides, series Northbridge, Mass.

STICK IT! Gary W. Anderson U.S. Naval Academy

While observing several hundred gymnastic meets in the past few years , this author has become very aware and conscientious about the lack of concern for performers "sticking" dismounts. I hesitate to say it is a "lost art" for I doubt that it was ever mastered.

Coaches and performers must not realize how very important that "stick" can be. For a specialist it may mean the difference between that 8.7 or 8.8 and a 9.0. For an all-a rounder who sticks every dismount, it may mean an additional one or two points in his all-around total (needless to say there are many, many gymnasts who have missed Olympic and World Championship teams, or a first, second, or third place medal because of a more narrow point spread). For the team who "sticks" eighty to ninty percent of its dismounts it could easily mean two or three more points for their team total. If compulsories are used, that fine art of "sticking" could mean as much as six points to a team. (it might be noted that only five points separated the first six team finishers in the 1971 NCAA Championships in Ann Arbor last April) How does one improve upon his "sticking" percentage? PRACTICE -PRACTICE-PRACTICE. The same old story of how everything is mastered. A coach would not expect a gymnast to make a double back fly-away off of the high bar if he only practiced it at the end of a routine in a meet situation. How then can he expect these athletes to stick dismounts if he does not require them to practice this skill time and time again during practice sessions; not waiting for the meet situation .

It becomes very discouraging when observing a meet and seeing those small steps or a hop upon landing for performer after performer. In watching these same gymnasts warm-up before the meet or in a regular work-out session , it is obvious why they have such difficultly; they don' t practice sticking .

How can a gymnast develop this "sticking" ability? The first place to start would be in the enforcement of a "stick rule ." The coach should enforce this rule starting from the moment the gymnast walks into the gym for practice (similar to the French teacher only allowing French to be spoken in her classroom). The "stick rule" means that anytime a gymnast leaves the ground during the practice session, he sticks it upon returning to the floor. This means the completion of every tumbling pass, every warm-up "jump-off", jumping down from the tramp, and eevn when jumping from the chair or table used to stand on while cleaning off the high bar.

The gymnasts themselves can develop a competitive attitude towards sticking. They can" keep a record of those who stick the most dismounts in practice session or in a meet. Not counting or giving credit for a practice routine or half routine if the gymnast does not stick his dismount is another way the coach can enforce the "stick policy." A team ate can yell "stick"

upon the completion of each and every practice dismount in an effort to make the performer conscious about sticking (I have seen and heard this technique used in top caliber competion and feel this is not the place for it, since it usually draws the judges attention to a slight hop or step that may have gone unnoticed and therefore, in most cases doing the performer more harm than good.) .

There are numerous other games and techniques which can be used to develop a marked increase in a teams sticking percentage, but the important thing is that the coaches and the gymnasts begin to realize this weak American gymnastics trait and start concentration on correcting it.

TEACHING THE FULL TWISTING BACK SOMERSAUL T: TWISTING RIGHT TO LEFT

the trampoline bed, press downward firmly with the feet. The arms are then swung upward and the hips are forced forward and upward . As the gymnast begins to reach the zenith of the jump (2) the left arm flexes into the chest as'the right arm flexes left and over the head (3). The gymnast turns his head sharply to the left at this point and looks for thetrampoline bed . (This phase of the "Full" is similar to a back dive with turn .)

Step II - From this point, the gymnast flexes the right arm into the chest, holding the left arm into the chest as well. As the arms are brought into the chest, the right shoulder is dropped towards the trampoline bed and the heels are lifted over the head. (5) . As the descent begins, the hips are flexed and the feet are brought back to the trampoline bed (8).

(The final phase of this skill is similar to a barandy to the right.)

The gymnast, at first, will not realize the twist has been performed, even though it is executed . The reversal of right side with left side, due to the inverting of the gymnast's body, creates a confusing situation for the gymnast. In the two phase approach to the full twist, it is necessary for the gymnast to twist in what he will perceive as two different directions. He will be twisting in only one direction; to the left.

The full twist performed on the floor and as a dismount from rings and parallel bars is similar to this technique. The full twist as a dismount from high bar is slightly different and might best be approached by a different method .

Lead-up techniques on the trampoline : FOR STEP ONE:

(1) Have gymnast execute back dive 1/2 turn .

FOR STEP TWO: (1) Perform a round-off from two knees to two knees .

(2) Perform two foot round-off from stand (3) Perform two foot round-off from bounce (4) Barandy from bounce (to right) LINKING LEAD-UP SKILLS IN SEQUENCE

(1) Back dive 1/2 turn (left) to round-off (to right) (2) Back dive 1/2 turn (left) to one hand round-off (to right) (4) Back layout somersault with full twist (left)

The full twisting back somersault is taught in many different ways by many highly skilled coaches. Most coaches agree to the value the trampoline has with regard to expediting the learning process involved with this skill. The full twisting back somersault is learned most easily on the trampoline, where fatigue and spotting difficulties can be minimized. I strongly suggest the use of a twisting suspension belt.

Pre-Requisites: Backward layout somersault, back dive turn, barandy on the trampoline .

Procedure : Step I - From a parallel stand on

SPOTTING THE FULL TWISTING BACK: As mentioned, the overhead suspension rig with a full twisting belt offers the best opportunity for spotting this skill. However, hand spotting and hand held spotting belts can be used effectively.

To hand spot: The spotter stands near the gymnast on the side to which he is turning. As the gymnast executes a back dive turn , the spotter catches the gymnast in his arms and aids the performer throught the headstand position and into a forward roll or round-off.

If a gymnast performs a rou.nd-off to the left side, that is to say, places his left hand down first, then he should be taught to perform a back dive 1/2 turn to the right side. The opposite direction should be taught for a gymnast performing a right side round-off. Allow the round-off to determine the direction of his full twist, in this way eliminating the need to relearn the round-off action in a new direction.

21

8

Long Horse Š

An~les

of

Incidence

Dr. .Gerald S. George Dept. of Physical Education Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 23508

Specific to Reuter Board Contact

The accompanying illustration attempts to "freeze" that body position considered to be a most important aspect specific to success in Long Horse Vaulting for both men and women .

In any vaulting skill, the principles and mechanics for ensuring maximum pre-flight and after-flight trajectory direction and amplitude are one and the same. Body action and position at take-off serve to program one 's center of gravity throughout an irrevocable parabolic trajectory. Since said direction and amplitude are of prime concern in attaining maximum execution for any given vaulting skill, let us then look to its source, the causative factor, the controllable variable ... i.e .... body action and position specific to reuter board contact.

In considering a reliable application of the mechanical principles to "reuter board contact", let us first consider the basic structural environment that confronts the performer. Lines A and B depict the true and / or actual horizontal and vertical reference planes respectively. However, Lines C and D are of greater concern in that they depict the relative horizontal and vertical reference

planes respectively . Because of the inclined nature of the reuter board as the " contact" point, the incidence angles specific to body position must be observed in the terms of the relative reference planes.

As revealed by Arrow F, the center of gravity of the body not only realizes an extremely significant velOcity in a forward direction but it is also slightly rising immediately prior to reuter board contact. This is accomplished by virtue of a fast, controlled run with a low, relatively short final hurdle. When the actual feet-to-board conta'ct occurs during the upward parabolic trajectory of the hurdle phase, the body's center of gravity realizes what can be termed a "staircase effect" in that potential force can be more easily summated with the already existing kinetic force. I n effect, the performer therefore realizes greater resultant take-off force.

Precise observation reveals that the feet-to-board contact occurs well in front of the body's center of gravity in the horizontal plane. This slight counterclockwise rotation of the body is accomplished during the hurdle phase ' by means of planting the feet well in front of the total body unit at reuter board

contact. The degree of blocking (and / or angulation) must be commensurate with the speed and direction of the center of gravity.

More simply, the faster the forward run of the performer (linear velOcity indicated by Arrow F), the more blocking action or angulation (angle of incidence ind icated by Arrow E) is necessary to realize maximum pre-flight and after- flight trajectory direction and amplitude.

A prime objecti ve, of course, would be to attain maximum running speed and then to ' block ' in accordance with that speed . Line G indicates the resultant take-off a(lgle realized by the body's center of gravity. Arrow H depicts the parabolic trajectory, that irrevocable path monitored consistantly by the effects of gravity, real ized by the body's center of gravity.

Upon con-tact, the slightly decreased ankle, knee, hip, and shoulder angles are most forcefully extended to a direct straight-line relationship position. Precise timing of these factors will serve to maximally employ all potential and kinetic forces in the desired paraboliC trajectory. Also , observe that the balls of the feet contact the ' belly' of the reuter board (center of oscillation) so that the maximum restitutional coefficient of the board can be realized .

Kinesiologically speaking, Long Horse Vaulting skills are simplistic in nature . .. for reuter board contact is the single most important consideration for successful performance on any level. Indeed, it is the 'critical phase', the time when all forces are summate and held accountable, the simple difference between defeat and victory.

H

o B

D

\

\

\

\\ \

\

\ \

\ --- ---F 0

---)7 0 -

=

C

B

Š

22

COPYRIGHT

8

PRINCIPLES OF KINESIOLOGY

APPLIED TO A PIKED FRONT HANDSPRING FROM THE CROUP

BY Tom [)onovan Louisiana State University

The piked front handspring or Yamashita vault in gymnas:ics may be divided into five basic parts : 1) approach, 2) pre-flight, 3) execution of the piked front handspring, 4) extension, 5) landing.

The approach is the single most important phase of the vault. Through momentum obtained in the run, the gymnast has the necessary force to allow him to achieve maximum height and optimum execution of the piked front handspring. "Once speed in . running has developed the force of the body momentum will be greater and will contribute .more to forward movement of the body. " The speed of the run must be controlled to insure proper take-off from the beat board . A low hurdle onto the board is used to maintain the momentum of the approach and transfer it to the rest of the body . This is termed the " blocking effect" in gymnastics and is accomplished by making contact with the beat board at a low angle. This is opposed to the high hurdle executed in springboard d iving. The arms are used to obtain lift from the board to the horse and t heir action is upward and outward toward the croup or near end of the long horse.

The beat board is designed to give the gymnast an angle from which to leave the ground and contact the horse. -â&#x20AC;˘ . ,ere is very little spring in the beat board so the lift off the board is accomplished through extension of the legs. Upon contact with the board the arms are extended to reach the croup, while the legs are forced upward over the gymnast's head .

Ideally this phase of the vault, termed pre-flight, should establish the position at which the vaulter will contact the long horse. If carried to its optimum extent the contact will be made just short of a handstand position on the croup of the horse.

With the gravitational forces acting upon the gymnast, there is very little push that can be executed upon the horse. At best there will be only slight extension of the shoulders to change the parabola followed by the center of gravity upon completion of the pre-flight phase. The principle more accurately applied here is that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of rebound . With the ideal contact being just short of a handstand or ninety degrees, the vaulter should leave the horse at about this same angle. The length of time that the hands are in contact w ith the horse determines whether or not this priniciple is utilized to its maximum benefit. If the hand contact is too long upon the horse, a rolling action will take place and the vaulter will be unable to achieve the desired height.

Conversely if the contact is too short he will be beginning the execution of the piked handspring too soon and once again lack height.

~

" Q)

li

:;(

The center of gravity will follow a prescribed trajectory once the hands are free of the horse.

The hops will be leading during this phase of execution of the piked handspring. To accomplish the pike action the gymnast brings the trunk of his body up to his legs in a folding fashion. The head should remain in line with the body and not pulled forward. Through shortening the radius by assuming a piked position, the angular velocity will be increased and the gymnast must prepare for the extension phase of the vault or he will over turn his landing.

The hips will have dropped to a horizontal position by the time the pike action is completed. At this point the gymnast extends vigorously or unfolds from the pike. This will allow him time to prepare fo r his landing as well as achieving the necessary post-flight.

Extending for the mat allows the gymnast a greater distance-his entire body - over which to absorb the shock of the landing. The amount of force necessary to stop a moving object is inversely proportional to the distance over which the stopping force is applied .

Absorption of the shock of the landing must begin as soon as th e feet co ntact the mat.

Through flexion of the feet, ankles, legs, and trunk the shock will be absorbed and a solid landing will result . There should be no effort or attempt made to land without absorbing the shock or injuries will result.

To insure that the vault will be " stuck" a gymnast should remember that " in vaultin~ exercises, the center of weight is moved ahead in the direction of the motion. " This means that

a vaulter will not " stick " if he contacts the mat in a directly vertical position; i.e. one in which he is ninety degrees to the horizontal. For equilibrium to exist the center of gravity must fall within the base. This is the reason many vaulters have a step forward upon completion of a vault.

Finally, it should be stated that although the vault is broken into various ¡parts, each must 'carried out to its maximum extent. One cannot be lacking in one area and ex pect t o compensate for it in another phase of th e vau It. Optimum execution is required in all ph ases of the vault. " The summation of forces may take place in a given direction if the forces are added successively at the point of greatest velocity of the previous force ." Therefore, there can be no shortcuts to successfu lIy accomplish a piked front handspring and expect to score well in gymnastics.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cooper, John M ., and Glassow, Ruth B. Kinesiology, Saint louis, Mo.: The C.V. Mosby Company, 1968.

Hughes, Eric. Gymnastics for Men. New York : The Ronald Press Company.

1966 Logan, Gene A., and McKinney, Wayne C. Kinesiology. Wm . C. Brown Co. Publishers, 1970.

Vega, Armando . " long Horse Vaulting," Athletic Journal, Vol. 51, No.4, December, 1971, p. 19.

23

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The announce r is a ve ry v ital part of a well organized gymnastics meet. H e h as the dual responsibility of keeping the meet moving and keep in g the spectators both int e res ted and infor med. If there is a natural break in th e activit y of the compe tition, it is the announcers respo nsibilit y to keep the spectators att enti on fo cused on th e m eet by " fillin g in " th e time space with p ertin en t information. A meet ann o un ce r should be lik e e ntertainment 's m aste r of ce remo ni es in that he is ab le to sm oot h over those time spaces in wh ich no activity is occ urin g.

The duties of the announce r are: (1) Welcome th e spectato rs to the meet. (2) Introdu ce the teams and coaches. (3) Introduce th e judges. (4) Call up the compet it ors and the man on deck throughout the meet. (5) Ca ll for the scores afte r a ten to fifteen second co mputati on period and th e n , read the scores (always read th e sco res in the same order). (6) An ass ista nt shou ld provide indi vidu al scores and running team sco res to be ann ou nced . (7) Announce the next home meet at least twicegive the time , place, and opponent. (8) Kiip the spectators interested during the natural breaks in the acti vit y of the compet iti on. Since many an noun ce rs fail to fill these time spa ces, here are some suggestions.

First, where are these time gaps? . . . The y are between even ts when judges are moving, w hil e judges are computing scores , during judging co nf erences, and w hil e equipment is being adjusted.

Second , what to fill in w ith? . . One

possibility is to give information about the event in progress. The most particular event.

This is a common fill in dev ice on TV sports shows such as Wide World of Spo rts. Another possibility is to make note of any titles won by a compe titior. Spectators alw ays lik e to see a c hampion . I ha ve heard coac h es arg ue that this sho uld not be done because it may influen ce the scor in g. H owever, the judges along with the coaches and compe itit ors are already well awa re of th e top performers. The spectators are not! At any rate , the problem can be easily avoided by announcing a compet it o rs titles after reading hi s scores; this also tends to e lim inate some addit iona l tension as we ll as e limin ating some embarrassment if he shou ld miss. Another fill in is to mention the state and / o r nation and sometimes the home own of an at hlet e. Lo ca l ath letes are always popular.

Foreig n athletes and those from anoth er sec tion of the cou ntry raise int erest. Still another possibility is to inform the audi e nce of va ri ous rules govern in g competi ti on. Th e reasons for holding a judges confe rence, the rul es governing spotters, and so fort h are se ld om known to spectators. Such bits of informat ion helps them to better understand our spo rt .

The anno un cer shou ld give the details concern in g the meet to enab le the spectators to better understand and enjoy gymnastics.

Gymnastics is a daring and exciting spo rt when it is occuring. U nfortunately there is a lot of blank time spaces between ro utin es and between eve nt s. Filling these spaces ca n en hance the e nj oyabi lit y of a meet.

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25

REPORT ON THE MEN FIG JUDGING COURSE, MADRID, SEPTEMBER 26129, 1971

by Ted Muzyczko This is a straight, fa ctua l, r eport o n the subject co urse. My on ly inten t io n is to disseminate confirmed information that will be of use to U.S. gymnasts, coac h es, and the NGJA technical co mmittee in interpre tin g the m any new rul es chan ges. I have included littl e if any information co ntained in th e Complement and Addition to the Code of Points, which may be o btain ed f rom the USGF. Th e Co mplem ent co ntains a number of mi stakes, but it would be impossible to judge without a copy , so it is impo rtant to ge t o ne and use it until a co rrected copy is availab le.

COURSE PARTICULARS The course was held at the N ati ona l Institute of Ph ys ica l Educati on September 26-29, 1971.

Lecturers incl uded A. Gander, I. Ivancev ic, A. Lylo, T. Ja lenti , B. Chak lin , K. Tschoc ke and H. Neuman .

Almost 100 ca nd idates took the co u rse.

Among famil iar fa ces co uld be found Azaryan, Tit ov, Weiler , Girard, and many other.

In genera l, t he lectures were interest in g, but some were more info rm ative th an o th ers. All of th e U.S. questions were adequately answered.

Th e oral test was quite ex tensive. The practical test was based on 2 live performances and two film performances o n floor exerc ise, side horse, long horse and hi gh bar. Th e FIG 's testing panel in m ost cases, eva lu ated Band C moves as we do. Four U.S. Can didates atte nded : Frank Cumiskey (Eas t), Ted Muzyczko (M id -Eas t), Bill Roe t zh eim (Mid-East), and Bob Fisher (M id-West). The ca ndidates were nominated by th e NGJA and se lected by th e USG F. Although it has not yet been confirmed, appa rantly all of the U.S. ca ndidat es passed wi th high scores. Th ese new cards are to be valid until December 31, 1975 accordin g to A. Gander. We (NG JA ) w ill be coope rati ve ly trying with the USGF to ge t an internati o nal co urse h ere in the U.S. as soon as possible.

CAPSULE SUMMARY OF NEW RULES

INTERPRETATION OF THE SPIRITUAL EXPRESSION PORTION OF COMBINATION Combination has been broken in to two porti o ns : Material Expression and Spiritu al Exp ression (geis ti ge Se ite) sometim es tran slated Abst ract Expression. Combination is to be evaluated as a whole usin g 2.6 as a max imum va lu e.

Material Expression ded ucatio ns are those that are concrete and are the ones we have bee n co mm o nl y usin g. For exa mple: missing scissors on the side horse, not having a release on hi gh bar, not meeting the swi ng requirements o n st ill rings, n ot m eeting the release req uirements o n parallel bars etc.

Spiritual Expression refers to that subject ive never-ne ve r land and is usually (but not always) recognizab le in the text and co mpl ement by introd uctory words such as should o r pred omina ntl y.

Examples include th e following: on side horse - double leg circles must be predominant ; o n parallel bars - the sw in gi ng and flight parts should be predominate. You m ay also deduct for w hat you personally feel (based on yo ur gym nas ti cs sense and experience) is lack in g from the exercise. The composite opi ni on of the technica l co mmitt ee, based on private ca nvass ing, is that in all i nsta nces each individual Spiritual Expression deduction is up to 0.3. Further, th ese deductions are to be used cautiously and wise ly and in the main wo ul d rarely exceed 0.4 in a fa irl y good exercise . The

Miscellaneous Notes 1. LH 1 opt va ult in comp (1) & (2) 2 opt va ults (diff) in co mp (3) 2. All old deduct ion li sted as a range from .1-become " up to " e.g . .l to .3 becomes up to.3 3. LH Fam ili es 1. Analogous SK, 2. Ca rt w hee ls, 3. Handsprin gs, 4. Yama shitas , Hecht 4. C's ca n be b roke n into B's only if they are in excess of requ irem en t

REQUIRED PARTS TYPE OF COMPETITION

C(.6) 8(.4) A(.2)

(1) Tea m Competition

purpose of the Spiritual Expression concep t is to allow a judge to make separat ions between la ck- lu ster, safe, minimum requirement routi nes and those that are really " moving " .

In my opi ni on, Spiritual Expression is the communicat ion. For exa mple, compa re th e Japanese perfo rm ances to those of the Russians in th e last World Games. A lso, everyo ne is wel l aware o f easy B exercises and a hard B exe rcise.

This seems to be another instance for differentiation .

In summary, use Spiritua l Expression deductions w hen necessa ry, but use them w ise ly and cautiously and in gene ral do not exceed 0.4 unless abso lute ly justifiab le. As th ese new conce pts become more fam ili ar more guidelines will become avai lab le.

I can on ly p arap hrase an answer to a Spiritu al Expression Guidelines question I asked one of th e lecturers private ly: It is for me a p rob lem as it is for yo u -- but I wou ld not exceed 0.3 to 0.4 in deductions.

Some deductions that I can list are:

1. Poor choice of B' s and C's 2. A no n-exp losive p erformance w hen it is apparent that the gym nas t w ishes to do this 3. Imbalance of moves 4. An absolute blah perfo rm ance 5. A ve ry jerky performance w h en th e gymnast is obviouly trying to convey smoo thn ess 6. Irregular theme patterns when not connected w ith smooth transit ions 7. Poor choi ce of transitions 8. General Im pression

DEV ALUATIONS When a move is not performed as specified it is to be devaluated. For examp le, a free hip to a giant sw in g on t he hi gh bar is deva lu ed to an A if it does pass through a handstand position.

The same wou ld be true of a st radd le on stradd le off, also on th e hi gh bar. However, w hen there is a tim e requirement i.e. hold positions and the time requ irement is not hono red , then t he move is devalued to nothin g. For examp le, an L cross on t he still rings , that is held for 1 second is devalued from a C move to no move. It does not become a B move, no r an A move, nor a move of any va lu e.

Th erefore, simply devalue and do not ded uct

BASE TOTAL

SCORE

5

4

10(3.4)

10.0

COMB. OED. FOR ROV Mitig. (.3)

MITIGATION

LESS THEN 11 PARTS

SWINGING C REQ.

.3, LH-n one

.2

Yes

(2) All Around

2

4

3

9(3.4)

9.7

.3

None all event s

up to .3

Yes

(3) Individu al Fin als

3

3

2

8(3.4)

9.4

.6

Non e all eve nt s

u p to .4

Yes

SCORING COMPETITION (1) HOLDS Rings-2 seconds D ifficu lty - 3.4 L support-1 L support-1 Execution - 4.0 Floor Ex-l second L support-l Combination - 2.6 Parallel Bars-1 second (Material & Spiritual Expression) TOTAL 10.0 - -- -- -- - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - ---Part INTERRUPTION OF AN EXERCISE FOR ALL 3 COMPETITIONS A B C

26

sec. sec. sec.

hold over 4 sec.-up to .2 hold over 3 sec.-up to .2 hold over 3 sec.-up to .2

A Hempted

Without Loss of Grip

.4 .6 .8

With Loss of Grip - - - - .4 .7 1.0

unless other faults are present such as a high position or bent arms etc.

There is one monumentally important exception to this rule, when a hold move is required , but not held the required time , then you must give cred it for the move, but deduct the time deficiency. The following are exa mpl es: 1. If in a still ring exerc ise the only hold- strength move performed is an o rdin ary cross, which is held 1 second with no other form breaks - deduct 0.4 and give B credit.

2. If in a still ring exercise an ordinary cross and a front lever are held each for 1-second with no form breaks, give B credit for either the cross or the lever, deduct 0.4 and devalue the other move to nothing.

The key here is that the move must have a time stipulation and it must be a comb in ation requir ement. See page 14(6-b) of the Complement. Thi s is a new interpretation, but I think it makes sense and should be followed.

BREAKING UP C-PARTS C parts are required for all exercises. The on ly time a C can be broken into 2 B's is after the C requirement is met.

ARTICLE 36 Deductions definitely refer to up to 0.3 for each specified part of the body. But, common sense must be used with re gard to the toes and head i.e. in these cases do not deduct more th an 0.1 per move at most.

Deduct up to 0.3 for each technically incorrect part of a move. This means that theoretically at least, more than 0.3 could be deducted for a single move. In conjunction with t he above paragraph it is possib le to deduct much more for a move than it is actually worth. Again here common sense should be used.

LONG HORSE DISTANCE The distance of 20 meters is to be measured up to the near edge of the long horse, not to the sp rin g board.

MOUNTS All mounts must be commensurate with the value of the exercise.

INTERMEDIATE SWINGS Deductions for intermediate swings depend on the va lu e of the higher move that precedes of succeeds the swing. For exampleC-swing -B : deduct 0.3. This isa confirmation of our current practice .

MOVES OF NO VALUE The deduction here depends on the sophist ication of the exercise. I n extremely advanced exerc ises it is possible that a very low A move may necessitate a deduction. For examp le, if Nakayama were to do a flank-out after a german g iant swing in hi s usual exercise, this cou ld become a move of no va lue.

SOME CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS TO THE COMPLEMENT Page 35 No. 11 " Drehflanke " in support front ways etc.

Page 35. No. 13 From sid e support rearways on left end of horse, " Wendeschwung" ri ght forward to reverse stock li WIC - - - C

Page 35 No . 14 From side support or stand frontways on left end of horse. Wendeschwung to Czechkhre WIC - - - C Page 20 If two or more gymnasts tie for 36th place, the one wit h the higher higher scores will compete i.e. how many times (events) a tied gymnast sco red hi gher than those wit h whom he tied.

Points of Interest Mentioned During the Lectures and the Practical Test 1. A la yed out side saito with stradd le legs was given B credit.

2. A rou nd-off to a pike back saito with a V. turn , straddle legs was given B cred it.

3. A stiff-stiff press from a side splits was first given B, then C and finally changed back to B for the test.

4. A kehre mount to immediate czec hkehre to immediate stockli was rated a C. 5. An end circle mount to a double swiss to a schwabenflanke to a czechkehre (W IC) was rated 1C. 6. On the side horse, undercuts are not to be construed as a requirement (paraphrase from a lecture by H. Neuman) .

7. On the side horse, the best circl es are those in which th e toes stay in the same plane as the top of the horse.

8. O~ the side horse, all front sc issors should be shoulder hi g h -- reverse scissors perhaps a bit lower.

9. It appeared as if a double saito dismount from the high bar was being given 1C credit.

10. A hop to overgrip from an eagle gia nt swing was construed as meet in g the release requirement for the high bar.

11. On high bar, the TC was very exact in cal ling ordinarily li sted B moves as A moves if they were not performed technically co rrect, e.g. stem starts, free hips to handstands and straddle on - stradd le off combinat ion s.

12. A giant swi ng to a handstand o n the hi gh bar could be an example of risk.

BOOK REVIEWS

By Dick Criley

A GUIDE TO GYMNASTIC COACHING by Pauline Prestidge. British Amateur Gymnastics Assoc. 23 A High Street , Slough , Bicks, England.

A GUIDE TO GYMNASTIC COACHING by Pauline Prestidge. British Amateur Gymnastics Assoc. 23 A High Street, Mrs. Prestidge has been Coach to the British National Gymnastics Team since 1965 and has trained them for European, World, and Olympic Championships. With a background borne of her years of coaching exper ience, she disti lls a guide to both teaching and coaching of women 's gymnastics.

The 28-page book let does not try to be the comp lete guide to all ski ll s. It is conce rn ed with mass teaching of large numbers and with training and coaching those gymnasts with hi gh leve ls of potential.

Mrs. Prestidge discusses 8 qualities which she regards as essent ial : amplitude, body control , suppleness, strength , coord ination and timing , stamina , body awareness, and courage .

Exercises are suggested for suppleness and stre ngthening. A suggestion is made ' as to progressions and a way of ana lyzing skills to break them down into component parts.

So far, so good. The booklet has diagrams of a few moves which originally appeared in the Olympische Turnkunst: the Radochla somersau lt , free forward circ le on the high uneven bar to V, turn to catch the low bar, glide; twisting elements, and Doris Brause 's 1966 uneven bars routine in Dortmund . These few moves and others of superior difficulty are discussed with the aim of getting a coach to know what to look for when training a gymnst.

The point is always made that al l the basic moves must be mastered first. Unfortunately, the requisite basic moves and their progression are no t give n.

Despite her expe ri ence in developing intermediate p rog ress ions, Mrs. Prestidge has left her readers without a bridge from basics to the advanced moves she elects to illustrate. The idea, of course , is that the coach must herself at.tend clin ics , study gymnastics, watch fi l ms, and 路 [~ad more books.

I think this booklet would go very well in teacher workshops if used by a ski li ed instructor. It is also a handy sort of thing to refer to when asked to give a ta lk on gymnastics because of those 8 essential qualities which

THREE YEAR COMPETITION AND TRAINING PLAN FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS 1972-1974.

Women ' s Technical Sub-Committee. British Amateur Gymnasics Association , 23 A High The three-year plan sets up junior and senior classes of competition with exercises of graded skil ls on each apparatus. In a sense, it is like the USGF Age-Group Workbook but with gre ater detail on women 's gymnastics.

Basic ski ll s are stressed: for instance the 4th Class junior floor routine requires proper execution of simple dance steps (petit e jete, chasse), cartwheel, sp lits, and backwards flexibility , and handstand. Going up the sca le to the 3rd Class junior, more leaps, a one-armed cartwheel, handstand and forward bend , and sp li ts a re included. By the ti me a 1st Class ju nior and 2nd Class Senior level is reached , th e gymnast shou ld be able to perform a roundoff , back handspring to stag leap; split leap , dive walkover, forward and backward walkovers , splits, back extension roll to handstand and tinsica.

The build- up of exercises runs similarly for each event. The required exercises for the Olympics ('72) or World Games ('74) are used for the 1st C lass Senior compu lsories.

The diagrams are clear and illustrate well the text which is as in vo lved and as detailed as women 's routines are wont to be.

In the reviewer's opini on these exercises could be used to help bui ld an age-group program where none now exists. The USGF-DGWS gUide in use to the present assumes a higher gymnastics attainment than many real beginners are likely start out with , but th e new one is sa id to start out at a st ill higher level. The BAGA sequences might do nicely to help bridge a gap. They do, for one thing , provide a budy teacher w ith another set of routines which she can adopt for class use.

27

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