One of the many skills I wish I had learned when I was doing competitive gymnastics is the giant, and have recently been attempting to learn this skill. Though looking at how it's technically possible turns out to be far easier than actually accomplishing it!! Yet again one more skill that makes me have way more respect for all the young kids out there that have the guts to go for it!
Giants are a deceptively simple looking skill performed by both men and women on bars, in which the gymnast executes a full 360 degree rotation about the high bar. This picture demonstrates how the move is executed.
When executing this skill there are two main forces which must be overcome: Gravity and Friction. In this case air resistance can be neglected because compared to the forces of gravity on the body and friction between the gymnasts hands and the bar, air resistance has very little effect on the circling body.
One of the tricks to performing this skill is what is called a "tap" which is performed at the bottom of the circle. The tap is essentially a quick motion where the top of the body continues to accelerate while the feet temporarily remain still. The effect of this is the gymnast shortens his or her radius which in turn causes an increased acceleration of the entire body. This increased acceleration is one on the major components to overcoming gravity. There are several incorrect ways in which gymnasts attempt to increase their rotation, one of the most common is arching the back (also shortens the radius however isn't proper technique).
In the picture shown up top one of my friends is doing a giant on a "strap bar". The purpose of this bar is to eliminate a great deal of friction as well as the fear of falling since the hands are attached to the bar so one can't let go. This helps greatly with learning the skill but is greatly different since on the actual bar there is friction between the hands and the bar (which is lessened through the use of chalk).
In the picture shown up top one of my friends is doing a giant on a "strap bar". The purpose of this bar is to eliminate a great deal of friction as well as the fear of falling since the hands are attached to the bar so one can't let go. This helps greatly with learning the skill but is greatly different since on the actual bar there is friction between the hands and the bar (which is lessened through the use of chalk).
1 comments:
THIS is great, Bre. I like that you're incorporating some of the scientific concepts so that we start to understand what is actually happening here (especially the tap--I would never have guessed there was a name for that). Nice work.
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