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Dr. George

Concepts of Floor Exercise
*
by Gerald S. George, Ph.D.
January 10, 2012
 
Floor Exercise

    Of all the events in artistic gymnastics, none allows the opportunity for self-expression more than Floor Exercise, for in this venue, the performer tells her unique story primarily through the medium of dance. Ever-changing, often unexpected, but always sequentially related movement patterns are tactically choreographed to music, and the gymnast strives to display the widest range of shapes and movement patterns over as much of the performing area as possible. Speed, force, shape, rhythm, flow, direction, level, range, and transition are some of the more common factors that must be carefully and strategically interwoven into this tapestry of artistic movement.

However, true success in Floor Exercise requires more than mere expressive dance--it requires "flight"! Complex acrobatic maneuvers designed to propel the body high into the air must also be liberally applied in the telling of "the rest of the story." For after all, the ability to execute elite-level tumbling maneuvers with absolute precision remains the axiomatic litmus test for championship performance.

 

Excuse me while I touch the sky!

 

 

Three Dimensional Space

Most coaches agree a gymnast's competency in tumbling serves as "the great separator" between champion and would-be champion. And tumbling excellence is predicated on the   ability to achieve greater-than-ordinary "height" in complex somersault-oriented skills. The more a performer can call upon advanced maneuvers to explore the upper dimensions of the tumbling space, the greater her potential for success, particularly at the elite level. Be aware that the hidden question secretly lurking in the mind's eye of every judge centers on to what extent was the story told in that most difficult of dimensions--the third dimension.

 

Only the mightiest of eagles
soar

where the air is thinnest...

 

Figure 9.1 provides a conceptual model of three-dimensional space as applied to the Floor Exercise area. Although this performing surface is delimited to approximately 40 feet long by 40 feet wide, no restriction is placed on potential "height"--and rightly so, as height is steadfastly governed by that most impartial of sentries, "gravity." Confined by regulations in two dimensions, yet free to ascend to whatever heights that can be generated, the aspiring gymnast intuitively knows the ultimate key to championship performance is spending as much time as possible in the upper levels of the third dimension.

Floor Exercise 3-D Space
Figure 9.1. A conceptual model of the three-dimensional space in Floor Exercise.

In the Floor Exercise event, achieving

"volume" of space rather than mere "area"

establishes a new dimension of excellence!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

*Excerpted from Championship Gymnastics: Biomechanical Techniques for Shaping Winners. For additional information, see Chapter 9, "Concepts of Floor Exercise," pages 193-214. Also covered are: 

  •       The Spring Floor
  • Fundamental Tumbling Concepts

    1.   Dynamic Tension

    2.   Maximum Horizontal Velocity at Impact

    3.   Accelerating the Rotation

    4.   Sounding the Rhythm

    5.   Rapid Inversion of the Total Body Unit at Input

    6.   The Snap-Up

    A.  Rotary Motion at Input

    B.   Mechanics of the Snap-Up

    7.   Standing Tall and Skimming the Stone

    8.   Shoulder Girdle Range and Power

    9.   Whipback Handspring-Skewing the Curve

               10.   Kinesthetic Awareness-Eye of the Storm 

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