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Introduction. The aim of the study was to determine the differences in the quality of postural control between two female rhythmic gymnasts with different training experience during the performance of balance exercises. In rhythmic gymnastics, the same balance exercises are performed by novice and elite gymnasts. Balance exercises involving standing on the toes of one leg with the free leg raised in different positions are considered to be extreme forms of exercise in terms of the postural balance abilities required. In coaching practice, it is important to have tools which facilitate the objective assessment of the process of maintaining balance in such exercises. Material and methods.The study involved two female rhythmic gymnasts: a younger one (age = 8 years and training experience = 4 years) and an older one (age = 21 years and training experience = 14 years). The athletes performed three balance exercises standing on a Kistler platform: the split with hand support (lateral balance), the ring with hand support, and the back split without hand support (balance on the whole foot). The parameters describing the quality of postural control used in the current analysis were the range and velocity of COP displacements in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions. Results. Postural control in the balance exercises in the younger rhythmic gymnast was characterised by almost two times greater COP displacements in the anterior-posterior direction and more rapid than that of the older gymnast. COP displacements in the medial-lateral direction in all the exercises described did not differentiate the subjects. In the back split without hand support, the older athlete showed greater variability of postural control with smaller COP displacement and velocity than the younger gymnast. Conclusion. Gymnastics training should include exercises strengthening the muscles acting on the ankle and hip joints, which could improve the stability of these joints during the performance of difficult balance exercises. Improving the stabilising function of these muscles helps to minimise anterior-posterior movements in these joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning training in rhythmic gymnastics is a complex process aimed at achieving optimal sports performance. Information technology gives the coach an efficient means of controlling activity, in terms of training programming and evaluation, by facilitating the processing of a significant amount of data, the quick and objective analysis of recorded parameters and graphical visualisation. To optimise training in the group event, we used computer programs to develop a training analysis method that highlights at any moment the individual technical level of gymnasts, with reference to each element of the group exercise, the work performed during a technical training lesson and the number of errors for each difficulty element during the full exercise. An observer entered the information into the computer as the subjects were performing their actions. This option allowed easy database manipulation and flexibility in combining, subdividing, rearranging and transforming the collected data. Measurement included the recording of quantitative indicators, calculation of specific quantitative indicators and analysis of qualitative data. The result analysis reveals that gymnasts achieve the best performance after 10-11 full repetitions of the competition routine; there is a lack of constancy in the average scores for execution over a week; individual efficiency recorded over a week shows oscillations, better values being recorded at the end of the week, when competitions are also scheduled. This method provides the opportunity to have a clear and objective vision of training, monitor each gymnast, compare her results with those of the group, save much time and intervene whenever needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the effect of the method of technical learning on the motivation of achievement and the performance level of some gymnastics skills. Topics discussed include development and modernization of physical education and sports science; role of the instructor to draw a strategy studied sports education; and use of modern methods of learning different sports activities.

Traditional multimedia technology is not convenient for mobile devices. Therefore, traditional teaching methods are still used in gymnastics teaching. Meanwhile, these classes can far from satisfying students' requirements for social development and learning. In this research, we designed a mobile multimedia software for gymnastics utilizing Symbian OS. This uses the wireless package switch technology and guarantee the network transmission quality for the client. We used the audio editing interfacing to improve the smooth operation of the client software based on Symbian MMF. A survey shows that the experimental group had higher satisfaction with the application of this platform and could improve their gymnastics skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is acknowledged that knowledge and knowledge bases are an important part of coach and athlete learning and that the coach – athlete relationship is crucial to knowledge created, shared and used. This said knowledge about nutrition as constructed by elite gymnasts would seem particularly important in a culture long associated with weight control practices and disordered eating. This paper provides an insight into the ways that 10 Brazilian Olympic gymnasts construct ideas pertaining to nutritional knowledge across generational periods (between 1980 and 2004) where significant organisational change in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics in Brazil occurred and included the introduction of dieticians. Drawing upon differentknowledge typesand paying attention to the coaching context, the life histories of 10 Olympic gymnasts were used to open a window on knowledge construction pertaining to nutrition by three generations of gymnasts. The findings draw attention to two main illustrative themes. Firstly, coaches’ personal knowledge, whilst perceived as incomplete by gymnasts, reinforced a narrative of weight loss for gymnasts regardless of generation. Secondly, the younger generations of gymnasts perceived that the introduction of dieticians into structured provision enabled them to use betterstructuredknowledge, and with it a sense of increased autonomy and corporeal learning via the construction oftacitembodied knowledge leading to healthier practices. Reflections are given to the role of the coach, dieticians and pedagogical actions, and the continued reshaping of knowledge in elite gymnastics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The continuation of emotional abuse as a normalized practice in elite youth sport has received scholarly attention, often with the use of a Foucauldian framework. The use of sense-making, a theoretical framework that focuses on how meaning is created in ambiguous situations, may give additional insights into the continuation of emotionally abusive coaching practices. The purpose of this study was to apply the seven properties of sense-making to explore how athletes and parents made sense of coaching practices in elite women’s gymnastics. We interviewed 14 elite women gymnasts and their parents to examine how they made sense of what occurred during practices. The results show how the sense-making of athletes and parents was an ongoing activity that resulted in a code of silence and a normalization of abusive coaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) is a sport designed specifically for women. With roots in ballet, calisthenics and eugenics, it was meant to showcase femininity, beauty, and encourage healthy bodies for motherhood, therefore offering socially acceptable sporting opportunities for females. This paper considers whether such sporting opportunities extended to female coaches. We examine the recruitment patterns in relation to gender of some of the top coaches in Australia and New Zealand since the 1980s, who are predominantly migrants. Using archival sources, interviews and personal experience, this paper argues that while so-called feminine or artistic sports can offer greater opportunities for female coaches, WAG in Australia and New Zealand remains dominated by male coaches, who have held the majority of the head coach positions and in many cases, been actively recruited from overseas. The few females who have been employed in top positions have been appointments of ‘convenience’ rather than reflective of a shift away from these gendered employment patterns. Thus, while its creation as a specifically feminine sport may lead WAG to be viewed as a site of increased opportunities for women coaches, deeper exploration reveals an unresolved tension between the use of male and female coaches. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The augmented feedback athletes receive from their coach is essential to improve performance. The aim of this exploratory study was to identify how coaches consider six feedback factors which might have an influence on the error-correction process. The six feedback factors were developed from a heuristic model of error correction, namely: a) visual perspective, b) visual experience, c) motor experience, d) personal relationship between coach and athlete, e) methodological knowledge, and f) biomechanical knowledge. Seventy-three active gymnastics coaches were asked to rank the importance and frequency of use of these six factors. In addition, we examined, in an exploratory way, if moderators can partly explain the weightings. Results show that the feedback factors can be ranked in importance and frequency of use, with methodological knowledge being the most essential in an error-correction situation. More studies are needed that explore if coaches should guide feedback according to their own motor experience. Gaze training for coaches is needed to improve the feedback and, ultimately, the movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes practical strategies that can be used to infuse self-compassion into practice and competition. While the target audience is women's gymnastic coaches, the concepts that are discussed have relevance for coaches, educators, and practitioners in an array of sport and physical activity settings. Strategies are described and then a brief critique is provided of the benefits as well as challenges of each activity from a coach's perspective. The aim is to present self-compassion as a multifaceted psychological construct that is a valuable, albeit underutilized, tool for coaches and athletes seeking optimal performance as well as personal well being. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Speed is one of the defining components of achievement in any sporting situation. Rugby Union is no different irrelevant of a player's position at some point within a game they will be required to sprint maximal either with, or usually without, the ball. Speed consistently influences game deciding situations. In order to train a players speed qualities strength and conditioning coaches should have a periodically planned approach to maximise adaptions similar to how they plan to improve strength and power in the gym or energy system development out on the field. The following article provides suggestions of how a coach can do this with regard to exercise selection, training volume progressions and technical coaching cues. The major concepts focused on are the necessity and importance of acceleration development, maximal velocity development and technical mastery of sprint technique. When training speed, quality of work is always the most important factor, if an athlete is running <95% effort and they are fatigued the chances are they are not training speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the second half of 19th century, the ideas on renewal of the Olympic Games have reached the Kingdom of Serbia from European countries. At the end of19th century the Olympic idea was accepted and found its place in private schools and civil gymnastic societies in Belgrade, which started using term Olympic movements. The Olympic idea was definitively accepted by establishment of the Serbian Olympic Club (Committee) in 1910, which was admitted to the International Olympic Committee - IOC in 1912 in Stockholm during the Fifth Olympic Games. Captain Svetomir Dukic became the IOC member and he stayed there until 1948. The admission of the Kingdom of Serbia to full membership of this international association was of utmost importance for further development of the Olympic movement and sport in Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine teachers' experiences of collaborative inquiry in an Irish primary school context. Initiated by a teacher-researcher, four educators engaged in a collaborative approach to teaching gymnastics in their school, contributing to curriculum writing and generative practice throughout the pedagogical process. The experiences of the teachers were storied via reflective response journals and audiorecorded conversations. A merger of narrative inquiry and and hermeneutics is used in analysis. The findings reveal that the collaborative engagement with a curricular concern leads to the emergence of a community of learning and creates a dynamic setting for the deepening of diverse consenting and dissenting pedagogical understandings to occur. Participants underscore the absence of continuous professional development with regard to the gymnastics strand of the physical education curriculum and identify ways the engagement in a community of inquiry might inspire transformation of pedagogical practices. In this inquiry, we raise questions about whether historical and current continuing professional development practices whereby "experts" are called upon to transmit knowledge to practicing educators within limited time frames are affecting meaningful change. We further argue that creating spaces for collaborative learning communities to transpire within a school context might provide an authentic setting for educators to learn and interrogate the curricular and pedagogical challenges faced in physical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The Aerobic Gymnastics is a complex sport and the movements are performed continuously, intensely at high speed with the musical accompaniment. One can directly assess the overall performance to the naked eye, but is not able to assess the individual elements of movement and technical aspects (Raiola, 2012). The video analysis indirectly, through the ability to stop and review the various stages of movement several times, facilitates the evaluation. The aim of this study is to verify whether the use of video analysis in daily training activities can facilitate the evaluations of the coaches. Methods. 4 female athletes will be evaluated using the tabs in the Code of Points with annotations for deductions (0.10 slight error, mean error 0:20, 0:50 fault) and after 30 sessions in two different ways. The athletes are divided into two groups: 1) Control which continues to be evaluated with the traditional forms, 2) Experimental which is evaluated through the use of two cameras, one placed opposite to the athlete and the other one on t222he side, which apply the points of repelle on specific anatomical points. At the end all the athletes will be traditionally evaluated and one will compare the assessments to highlight the difference between the two groups. Results. . The athletes in the experimental group improved at 0.30 and 0.40 compared to initial assessments made without the video analysis and compared to the control group. The experimental group compared with the control group has a better final evaluations in the matter of execution and cleanliness of the gesture. Probably the rapidity of correction of the act requested by the coach after watching the video and the subsequent execution of the athlete support proper execution. Conclusions. This new training methodology may be also tested on athletes, in order to allow a self-assessment through the measurement of the movie and the subsequent correction of performance so that it can better understand the errors committed and implicitly suggest the correction. The simultaneous use of video analysis by athletes and coaches during the training could further improve the result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of E-balonmano.com: Journal of Sports Science / Revista de Ciencias del Deporte is the property of Federacion Extremena de Balonmano and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the results of a study regarding the knowledge of gymnastics coaches in teaching and correcting athletes' technical skills.

This article is a summary of Bart Roskoski's presentation at the 2010 Minnesota Women's State Congress on release skills for Uneven Bars. The notes collected in this article contain instructions on teaching the Tkatchev. Bart Roskoski explains he often teaches the Tkatchev at his gym, starting with his Level 8 optional gymnasts. He begins by first teaching falling and re-grasping drills and stresses these are very important for athletes to master in order to safely perform this skill, particularly at meets. He then outlines a series of drills for developing the gymnast's understanding and spatial orientation on floor, tramp bar (including a clever alternative training aid for clubs without access to a tramp bar), and tramp. He argues there is no need to use all or many drills and encourages using specific drills to target individual problems. He ends by describing training progressions on a single pit bar rail, although he personally spends most of his coaching time between the channel-bar (which was not available at the facility at which he presented the lecture.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premises. The main goal of the training in the artistic gymnastics is the improvement of all possibilities of the body in order to achieve the performance, the high performance at the events held on dates fixed beforehand. To this effect, we have considered that an optimum relation of the general physical training and the technical training, reached through the selection of the most efficient specific means, will contribute to the improvement of the technical knowledge of the girls beginner gymnasts. Methods of research. We decided to organize a study within the Sports Club during a period of 8 months, from October 2008 to May 2009. The subjects of the study were a group of 7 girls beginner gymnasts selected out of the whole training group. In order to find out the level of the gymnasts' training, evaluation tests of anthropometrical measurements and control trials were applied, in order to assess the muscular strength and joints mobility physical training and the technical training at apparatus: acrobatics, uneven parallel bars, balance beam and supported vaults. During the study, the method of observation was used: the gymnasts' evolution all along the training period was closely watched and the results obtained were processed and interpreted by means of the statistical-mathematical and graphical representation methods. For a more efficient contents of the beginner gymnasts' initial technical training, a training program was elaborated, which points out the contents of the means used within the artistic, technical and physical training. Results. The results of the study emphasize the following practical-methodical aspects that are the basis of the technical training contents improvement at beginner gymnasts' level: - the results of the somatic development prove a significant evolution of the anthropometrical measurements data with a poorer homogeneity as for the weight; - the results of the physical training show significant differences of the control trials average scores and a good homogeneity at both tests; - the results of the initial technical training point out significant differences at all apparatus, with a good homogeneity at both tests and a close connection to the physical training level of these ones. Conclusions. Following up the conducted research we can confirm the following aspects: - an optimum physical training of the girls beginner gymnasts influences on the efficiency of the technical elements needed to the initiation at each apparatus; - the utilization of the physical training programs for each stage of the training improves the contents of the technical training; - the assurance of an optimum relation between the general physical training and the technical training leads to the improvement of the technical resources of the girls beginner gymnasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which designed and analyzed a training aid meant to assist the learning of a backward handspring in gymnastics. A backward handspring can be accompanied by anxiety since it is the first dynamic skill that will be learned by gymnasts. The intent and process of the study is presented. Results of the comparison between using and not using the training aid for learning the backward handspring are discussed.

Niels Bukh became a key exponent in Continental Europe's attempt to maintain gymnastics' precedence over British competitive sport. His revolutionizing concept of male gymnastics mainly gained its fame through its effects on the male sex role regarding norms for touching other men, for the rhythmic expression of the male body and for the exposure of the naked and sensual male body in public. These features of Bukh's gymnastics broke with existing norms for the disciplined and correct male demeanour and would still be seen as rather daring today. In addition, it is difficult to understand the popularity of Bukh's new gymnastics for male heterosexual youth without including his own homosexual orientation and personal interest in the aesthetics of the male body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The goal of this study was to characterize pedagogical feedback from fitness instructors in located gymnastics activity, examine if there are significant differences in feedback's frequency from fitness instructors with different levels of professional experience (professional experience as fitness instructor with three years of experience or less (Group A); between three and five years of experience (Group B); and with five years of experience or more (Group C)). Materials and Methods: The sample involved 62 instructors. The feedback provided by the instructors was observed through the videos recordings of the respective classes. It was used the pedagogical feedback observation systems with 7 dimensions and 24 categories. Results: It was verified that there are significant differences in respect to frequency of feedback's emission/minute; it was the Group C that provided more feedbacks, and it was the Group B that provided less feedback. In relation to feedback behaviour more and less observed it was the same, such as in Group A or in Group C. In Group B it was certificated that the feedbacks more provided were positive prescriptive. It was verified that there were significant differences between groups in the kinesthetic and interrogative categories. Discussion: The Group B in feedback behavior was the more different when compared with the others groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sportekspert is the property of Association of Professors & Experts in Physical Education & Sport, Canton Sarajevo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article includes narrative excerpts compiled from field notes the author collected observing six Australian women's elite artistic gymnasts and their two coaches. Using creative nonfiction and auto-ethnography, the stories' plots describe the gymnasts' daily training realities and include personal reflections on the author's gymnastics experiences and reactions to what she saw during the observations. The stories illustrate how, despite differing levels of authority, the coaches', gymnasts', and parts of her own identity and behaviors are shaped by a dominant gymnastics model. This ideal coerces the coaches and gymnasts to regulate their selves and behaviors according to its dominant characteristics. Although potentially beneficial and satisfactory, the training model's discourses and practices can have debilitating effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future of physical education (PE) depends on the quality of emerging committed professionals and their ability to teach across the different activity areas contained within the National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE). It is a role that requires extensive subject knowledge and perceived competence in the ability to use it effectively. Subject knowledge is identified as one of the professional standards to be met by students seeking the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). It is, however, an area frequently highlighted by students as the main source of concern throughout the process of Initial Teacher Training (ITT). This in turn can affect students' perceived confidence and competence to teach certain activities. One of the activity areas constantly highlighted as causing concern among pre-service PE teachers is gymnastics. This is often attributed to the fact that many trainees enter ITT with an impoverished background in this area. The purpose of the study was to examine the perceived level of personal subject knowledge and competence to teach gymnastics among trainees completing the School Based Experience (SBE) sections of a one-year secondary Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) PE course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the knowledge base and perspectives of current and retired gymnasts, parents, coaches and judges with respect to disordered eating in gymnasts. Surveys were designed for this study and included open-ended questions, Likert scales, and checklists. The results indicated that various discrepancies existed between the groups' reports. For example, the retired gymnasts reported more eating disorders and negative views of their experiences than did the current gymnasts. The coaches attributed the use of unhealthy weight control practices to other coaches but not to themselves. Gymnasts who received disparaging comments about their bodies or instructions to lose weight had significantly more disordered eating patterns than those who had not received such comments. The importance of one's social environment on eating and weight control practices is emphasized. Every group recommended further education about nutrition, adolescent development, body image, and psychological well-being. Limitations and future recommendations are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a teacher's new approach of teaching the flow in gymnastics sequences to children. Flow is a smooth uninterrupted movement. It is a continuous transfer of energy, or the direction of movement as occurs in a football play. The flow was lacking in the children's sequences. Since it is an abstract concept, young children find it difficult to understand and apply flow in physical activity settings. The second reason to have difficulty for children in understanding flow is that the concept itself may be part of a developmental sequence. A teacher realized that elementary school-age children are very familiar with words and stories. Hence, she tries her new approach of using familiar concepts (words) and concrete examples (stories) to help her students to better feel and visualize the concept of flow. For helping the students to understand flow, the teacher wrote two stories for them to listen to as a means of comparing and contrasting the stories. To motivate the students, they are reminded that they will be performing for an audience of peers.

Based on specificity of training and biomechanical analysis, the aim of this study was to develop a method to rank selected progressions for learning the longswing on high bar. Four members of the Men's National Gymnastics Squad were recorded (50 Hz) performing three series of five longswings and eight progressions. Real world co-ordinates from the digitized data were determined using two-dimensional direct linear transformation. Biomechanical similarity between the functional phases of the longswing and the corresponding phases of the progressions were calculated. The functional phases were described as a hyperextension to flexion of the hip and hyperflexion to extension of the shoulder joints as the gymnast passed underneath the bar. Using a combined score of 'Difference' and movement 'Variability' a 'Specificity score' was calculated for hip and shoulder angular displacements and velocities. An overall score based on the average of the four scores provided a ranked list of progressions based on their similarity to the target skill. The progression that showed the greatest similarity to the biomechanics of the longswing, and was therefore ranked first, was the chalked bar pendulum swing. The least similar progression, and, therefore, eighth ranked, was the chalked bar bent knee longswing. The hip kinematics were found to contribute most to the overall differences because the performance requirements of these progressions emphasize an increase in hip flexion during the ascending phase. The method described provides a means to quantify and rank progressions based on their kinematic similarity to the longswing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outlines the article `The Knowledge of High-Performance Gymnastic Coaches,' by J. Cote and colleagues, from a 1995 issue of `The Sport Psychologist.' Knowledge of and strategies used by gymnastic coaches in training and competition; Discussions regarding teaching of technical and mental skills during training.