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Gymnastics Technique: Dr. George 
Factors Affecting Success
Part 2  
by Gerald S. George, Ph.D. 
November 26, 2012 

A number of important  training concepts directly influence:
  • the rate of progress
  • the quality of skill execution
  • the resulting degree of success
  • and the assurance of a reasonable margin of safety
that one can ultimately hope to achieve in gymnastics. Here are some of the more time-tested factors to consider. Part 2 of a 4-part series. If you missed Part 1, CLICK HERE  
Not until mastery of the basic skills has been fully ingrained and demonstrated over an extended period should the performer proceed to the next level. At first blush, this approach may appear inefficient and cumbersome, lacking in any real productivity. One might ask, "Why spend seemingly inordinate amounts of time practicing what I can already do reasonably well?" The truth is that advanced skills are really nothing more than a properly integrated series of basic movements. Although it may appear initially that the race is being lost: 
 
Never forget the story of the tortoise and the hare!
  
Persistent Use of Repetitions 
The only realistic way to achieve task mastery of any gymnastics skill or element is through the persistent use of repetitions. This does not simply imply repetition is necessary to the learning of skills. More importantly, it points to the relentless use of repetitions applied to skills that have already been learned. The basic idea here is to ensure that a vast majority of the daily workout session deals with successful executions, rather than some haphazard trial-and-error scenario wherein the performer's experiences are mostly centered in confusion, frustration, and failure. 
 
Train smart, train hard, train forever, 
that the seasons of victory are yours and not your inheritors'.

 

Use of Appropriate Skill Progressions 
The use of skill progressions alone is not enough--far more important is the knowledge of which sequence of progressions ought to be introduced and when.
To ensure a maximum rate of progress, the difficulty of the skill progression must be within the experience and readiness level of the performer. The following guidelines will assist in the development of appropriate progressions: 
  • Select each skill progression based on how closely it approximates the previously mastered skill (the closer, the better);
  • Make certain each progression is simplistic in nature, i.e., that it has a direct relationship to the previously mastered skill;
  • Master as broad a range of sequentially related progressions as possible;
  • Always proceed from simple-to-complex task mastery; and
  • Remain at each progressional level until task mastery is consistently demonstrated for a significant period.
Ultimate success in technical execution of gymnastics skills inevitably depends on the degree of simple-to-complex task mastery. Because advanced skills are, in effect, nothing more than an integrated series of elementary movements, the necessity of truly mastering the basics should be quite obvious. 
 
Keep taking tiny steps, like the weathered old lady... 
Only then will you begin to feel her beauty and her power. 

COMING SOON in next Newsletter--Factors Affecting Gymnastics Success: Part 3 
  • Learning vs. Performance 
  • Skill Sequencing
  • Compensatory Skills--The Achilles Heel

*This article excerpted from Championship Gymnastics: Biomechanical Techniques for Shaping Winners. For additional information, see Chapter 1, "Introduction to Gymnastics Technique."  

 


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