Stalder drills

[LasswadeCoach]

One of my younger girls is hoping to include a stalder in her bars routine this coming September, its quite a big skill so i though we had better start working it now, I have a few drills at the moment but not very many, does anyone have any good ones I could use? I'd specifically like to start teaching it on the metal bar. If anyone has any tips or drills they would be highly appreciated

Thanks!

[gymbum08]

are you also her coach?...
sorry i do not have any drills but i would google it and im sure something will come up. good luck!

[Laura]

http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/public.../stalder2.html

http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/public...9/stalder.html

are either of these any use?? I do not do this skill and have never taught it but I found these so I hope they help you! .... Good luck

[LasswadeCoach]

Yes, I am her coach

I'll have a look at those now, im sure they'll help, thanks!!

Anyone else got any suggestions?

[spotu]

Thank You Laura I found the progressions most helpful though I did not post the question !

[Valentin]

Hi

Pretty must most the stuff is covered in those 2 articles. You can't really go wrong there. One thing that i would advise is to yes get as many progressions and drills and you can, but only work with 1-2 at most. This skill isn't so hard to actually learn, what is hard is to do it nicely. It requires good conditioning.

Work lots of press to handstands on a single rail bar. Starting with the gymnat standing on the bar in a staddle, they lean forward to they are falling over (you are there to stop them of course). From this position (which is similar to them coming up from the stalder) have them press to handstand as you help them move (simulating the circling of the skill).

You once you are comfortable with that and the gymnast can do as well. Have them do it on the low bar. Exactly the same, but on the low bar. You will spot fromt he shoulders not the waist. They need to learn and rememer to keepthe leegs pulling in and not rushing the circling and closing the legs.

On the metal bar work lots and lots of Clear staddle sole circles.. They need to learn to pull drive the shoulders down and, turn upside down. Good place to work the key positiosn
1- the Entry
2- The vertical bottom. ( a nice flat pancake, with back parallel to floor)
3- The ascent ( but leading, legs held in tight into armpits)

This drill progresses to Clear sole cirle to straddle stand on the bar..then jump press to handstands.
Then she can do the press a little earlier and not let the feet touch the bar.. and work it up to handsstand that way.. Drills works well as an independant station.

But yeah work lots of on the entry..such as the drill in the 2nd article.

[blantonnick]

In my experience there are three different approaches to the drop on the Stalder.

1. The late drop - the drop mentioned by the articles in USA Technique

2. The early drop - Gymnast enters the Stalder by straddling early through the handstand position (imagine doing a backward roll on floor into a straddle L position, this would be the concept of this drop)

3. The pike drop - starting from the handstand position the gymnast makes a strong 90 degree pike in the hips then initiates the drop in phase to a straddle position.

Each method can be utilised for certain types of gymnasts...

The gymnast with strong hip flexors and nice flexibility in the lower back and hamstrings will probably be better suited for 'The late drop' entrance articulated by the USA Gymnastics article.

The gymnast with relatively tight hamstring and lower back muscles will benefit from 'The early drop' method as whipping the feet over into the drop will facilitate a smoother ROM to compress with. This technique is most often used in Men's high bar, to be honest I have never seen it used in the women's side although I am sure that it probably has at some point.

The gymnast with relatively weak abdominal and hip flexor muscles will benefit from 'The pike drop' as it allows for a pre action movement of the body in the handstand position to begin the process of folding into a compressed pancake/japana position.

I use the word relatively in two of the drop methods because to be able to perform the Stalder element on Bars and High Bar the participant must have sufficient preperation time in gaining flexibility in the lower back/hamstring regions as well as strength in the hip flexor/abdominal muscle regions.

I have three different gymnasts all performing Stalders at the moment. Each gymnast is better suited for the three methods listed above...three types of Stalders for three different types of gymnasts.

If I were to be honest the best way to pursue would be the first listed, 'The late drop'.....but thats my personal opinion....one basic tip to a Stalder though regardless of the drop that you choose is not to emphasise a wide straddle when compressing through the bottom. The legs should only open 90 degrees into a pancake/japana position. This will ensure a proper compression away from the bar at the bottom...
Goodluck



The gymnast with

[LasswadeCoach]

Thank you for the replies, i found the last two particularly helpful! the late entry seems to work well as this particular gymnast has very strong hip flexors and very good hamstring flexibility, she can now perform the straddle press on the bottom bar on her own, and the clear straddle on the metal bar herself.

The late drop entry has also allowed her to get better speed in her clear hip to handstand, and she can now comfortably manage three in a row on the metal bar, and is working them well on the wooden bar, so thank you very much to all posters!