Hand slide on blind change, front pirouette

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I've been looking at pirouetting giants, and I've noticed that I do something on my blind changes and pirouettes that I've never seen anybody else do.

When I do blind changes/pirouettes, I slide my hand (the one that remains on the bar) over, so that I finish with my hands in the same place they started, just facing the other way. With everybody else I've seen doing these skills, the hand that stays on the bar remains in the same spot, so the pirouette travels a foot or so to the side. I remember when I was learning these skills, and I remember that they instantly became easier and cleaner when I started doing the hand slide, though it's not something I was ever actually taught to do; I just did it one day and suddenly my blind changes were easier and cleaner.

My question is whether there are any particular reasons against teaching pirouettes and blinds this way? Is there a deduction for it? Are there any higher-level skills that blinds and pirouettes build towards which would be adversely effected by this hand slide?

[Rick McCharles]

I spend a lot of time on sliding the hand with beginners on blind change. Both boys and girls. It's good technique.

Forward pirouette is easier and the hand slide is less important. I still like it, but wait until the kids are more advanced before adding the slide.

Practically, it keeps you better centered on the bar.

This would make a good coaching article.

[ACoach78]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoffrey Taucer I've been looking at pirouetting giants, and I've noticed that I do something on my blind changes and pirouettes that I've never seen anybody else do. When I do blind changes/pirouettes, I slide my hand (the one that remains on the bar) over, so that I finish with my hands in the same place they started, just facing the other way. With everybody else I've seen doing these skills, the hand that stays on the bar remains in the same spot, so the pirouette travels a foot or so to the side. I remember when I was learning these skills, and I remember that they instantly became easier and cleaner when I started doing the hand slide, though it's not something I was ever actually taught to do; I just did it one day and suddenly my blind changes were easier and cleaner. My question is whether there are any particular reasons against teaching pirouettes and blinds this way? Is there a deduction for it? Are there any higher-level skills that blinds and pirouettes build towards which would be adversely effected by this hand slide?

You must not have watched a lot of women's gymnastics closely. A lot of girls slide the hand in as it makes the turn a lot easier. This is particularly important for girls performing the Dawes (1 1/2). If they don't slide that hand closer, they'll run out of room as they are walking down the bar. Guys don't really do much "walking down the bar" in their routines and that's probably why you have never really seen anyone do it.

[lannamavity]

I've always taught girls to slide thier post arm in. It's pretty standard in WAG...as stated above, a girl would have to jump to the end of the bar to start a pirouette sequence. Part of the problem is that uneven bar rails don't have the kind of bounce a high bar has along the sides, so girls need to do their best to stay toward the middle.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I guess I haven't really paid much attention in watching it done by female gymnasts; most of the time when I see these skills and atually pay attention to the technique, it's at boys JO meets.

Good to hear I've been doing it right

[hammy]

I always moved my post arm (arm that doesn't come off the bar) over while swinging down into my blind change. I also found that it makes the blind change easier.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Interesting -- if this is universally considered to be correct technique, I wonder why I was never specifically taught to do this, and why I almost never see other guys doing it.

[BlairBob]

Geoff, if you go to USAG and watch those videos of on the road to the Olympics, you'll see both the Hamms using the sliding hand technique in their swing 1/2 turns and so on when they were around 10 years old and levels 5-7.