The hurdle debate

[littlegirlsdream]

I have read old posts here about what type of hurdle is best. I admit the physics behind all the explanations are a bit above my ability to fully understand. That being said I have a specific question. My daughter learned a power hurdle and tumbling first, when she learned running tumbling she was taught front leg straight hurdle. That being said floor and tumbling is her best event. Now there is a new coach (really more of a helper she is a current gymnast helping out) that has decided she has to do a bent leg hurdle. This is because when she does front handspring front handspring tumbling pass she has trouble with the second front handspring. So the helper coach said its due to lack of power from hurdle. Her current hurdle has lead to very powerful and technically correct back tumbling, is it different for front tumbling? Just curious, thought and opinions on this. Also it only happenings when she is doing two, one is good and her front handspring step out front handspring rebound is also fine.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I don't see any advantage to a hurdle with the front leg straight. A hurdle should be low and fast and land in a low lunge with a deep knee bend. Keeping the front leg straight makes all of these things more difficult.

 

[stargazer]

My coaches encourage us to do a straight leg hurdle, their reason being that many of our girls who do bent leg hurdles actually bring that bent leg up way too high in front (sort of like part of a cat leap) and that takes away much of their forward momentum. I switched from a bent leg hurdle to a straight leg hurdle, and while I didn't find that it made a massive difference, I can tell my hurdle is more effective now that I've gotten the hang of it. Certainly at the beginning I found it awkward, but that fixed itself within a practice or two and I like it much better now.

 

[NastiaFan]

As a gymnast I constantly wondered about what type of hurdle is best, as I was also taught different things by different coaches. My conclusion is that a power hurdle (with straight legs) is best when space is an issue, but if your tumbling run does not take up the whole diagonal, then bending the front leg (like a deep lunge but in the air) does help to get more power, as the helper coach said. And remember, the body should actually be leaning forwards during the hurdle. Many gymnasts have a tendency to hop straight up towards the ceiling.

 

[iwannacoach]

I wouldn't teach a completely straight leg hurdle, but do like the idea of minimal leg bend. I think it allows the gymnasts to fall into their skills, and actually tumble. This does require a run that builds enough power in and of itself. With a fast 3-4 step run, the straighter leg makes it possible to keep the momentum, versus a lunge, which will require more time spent on the front foot as the hips move forward from behind the front foot.

IMO, the longer you're on one foot, the more you become stationary and have to push out of the lunge to regain the momentum you already had. This, of course, changes for the athlete that chooses to only take 1-2 steps to save space for a tumbling run with two or more saltos.

 

[stargazer]

when I say straight leg hurdle, I mean the original part of 'jumping' forward has a straight leg, I didn't mean it stays straight the entire time. Obviously when my foot hits the floor, I bend that leg and lunge into the skill I'm about to do. is this what everyone else means? This is my version of a straight leg hurdle: Layout on floor! - YouTube

 

[gymdog]

when I say straight leg hurdle, I mean the original part of 'jumping' forward has a straight leg, I didn't mean it stays straight the entire time. Obviously when my foot hits the floor, I bend that leg and lunge into the skill I'm about to do. is this what everyone else means? This is my version of a straight leg hurdle: Layout on floor! - YouTube

This is the style of hurdle that you commonly see from Russian gymnasts. Komova seems to do all right with it. The best American and Chinese tumblers almost exclusively use a double bent leg technique (pushing both legs under them). Raisman has a kind of strange hurdle to me sometimes (but it most closely resembles this category as well), but as we see from her current first pass she can walk into the most difficult tumbling runs in the world. But Sacramone, Maroney, Wieber, Cheng Fei...they all use a very similar hurdle and both of their legs are bent.

Cheng Fei - Olympics Events Final Floor Beijing 2008 - YouTube - Cheng Fei 2008 - bent front leg and also bends back leg to slide it forward and push off quickly.

 

[littlegirlsdream]

Stargazer, that isn't what I meant in original post. The hurdle looks identicle to bent front leg hurdle except front leg stays straight. The leg lifts only a few inches of the floor and is straight her Chest is forward over front straight leg all her momentum is forward and low not up.

 

[littlegirlsdream]

[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vUTzKhR12lo[/video]
the hurdle before front handspring and ro bhs in this video is what I am talking about. Daughter does it like this with front leg straight versus bent. Remember original question posted