January 14, 2011
In this drill the gymnast begins with both hands in an eagle grip and jumps up to a handstand with eagle grip support afterwards to land flat down while maintaining a fully streched position and without loosing the grip on the bar. The drill can also be performed bouncing from a board, but either way, one of the goals is to show a vertically supported handstand without any pike before falling down. In these examples the male gymnast is moving over a little too quick before showing a fully extended vertical handstand. For eagle giants male gymnasts tend to keep the head neutral during the handstand support while many female gymnast approach the skill keeping a visual contact with the rail. Either way is valid as long as the body shows a great extended line during the eagle grip handstand support.
January 13, 2011
Strap giants help gymnasts to understand the tap actions timing and improve their body positions during the skill. Before attempting strap back gaints the gymnasts need some experience with giants with spot and big swings with straps. Turning is not an option. Just swing down in the opposite direction. At the begining it is also wise for the coach to stand on a spotting surface with adequate height to assist the athlete in case they get loose and begin to collapse against the bar. Strap back gaints should start from building increasingly biger swings instead of from a cast. To finish a set the athletes must be instructed to stop tapping and keep the arms straight until the body does not make the giant over and swings back down with decreasing momentum.
January 13, 2011
Many horizontal or uneven bars basic skills show a cleaner body line when performed with a neutral head while some other skills are executed better when the gymnasts maintain visual contact with the bar as is the case with releases such as gingers and kollmans. Due to these two different execution demands it is smart for gymnasts to master back giants with both head positions head neutral or slightly out and be able to change from one to the other at will. Traing back giants with straps is a perfect ocassion to practice a series of back giants alternating head positions during a single set. One of the strap training advantages is that long series may be performed several times in a lesson to build routine endurance and to work technical details like the back giants head positions without burning the hands for regular bar training.
January 13, 2011
During straps training sessions, front giants may be learned with an overgrip. Eventually it is wise to master front giants with an undergrip hand position. The athletes may build up their swings until they bring their bodies up to a handstand support. Observe how the hands are placed in the straps for undergrip swings and front giants. Gymnasts should concentrate on not piking the hips during the pull to the handstand. They should execute the pull changing from a straight or slightly arched body position to a hollow body with a round back.
January 13, 2011
To swing in the straps with an eagle grip the hands are placed through the straps like for undergrip swings. The gymnast then makes a backwards roll to dislocate. The athlete must shift the wrists to maintain proper weight support at peak height or his body may collapse against the bar. Notice also the wrists shift on each inverted giants ascending phase to support. To come out of the straps once the athlete stops he uses the elevated spotting surface to initiate a forward roll coming in this way out of the eagle grip toward an undergrip. Clip #2 Check again in this closer view how the gymnast sets his hands on the straps for undergrip swings and by means of a backward roll with a dislocate he gets into the disired position to practice his eagle grip swings and inverted giants. Notcie also how in each inverted giant the body shortens with a pike to facilitate the return to support and then straightens up again for maximum presentation amplitude and to increase the swing down.
January 13, 2011
Different horizontal and uneven bars require different giants speed. Advanced gymnast must be able to speed up or slow down their giants at will be means of the power utilized to execute their taps. The straps are a perfect opportunity to practice long sets of giants where the athlete may change from fast to slow giants and vice versa several times in each single set. This same principle of practicing and matering back giants at a faster or slow pace also applies to the front giants.
