FIG Rules | WAG Code of Points - BB - Devaluation of Element #5.513 (D)

The FIG has a YouTube channel these days and has been uploading videos showing some of it's devaluations. The element number 5.513 has been by far the element every gymnast has added to their balance beam routine - almost every. Element 5.513 is a salto backward stretched with both legs together, also commonly referred to as a layout on beam. It is valued in the CoP's as an E element but will be devalued to a D element if the gymnasts is deemed to deviated from the requirements of the element.

The move was emblematic of the Chinese gymnasts in the 90s and performed by almost every nation now. The emergence of the layout on beam can surely be attributed to the modification of the CoP after the 2012 Olympic games. The newest CoP added a whole new method of determining connection values and series bonuses that weren't around before. Before a gymnast that wanted to win a beam title needed to either have a highly valued element or an extremely complicated routine, an arabian or a full-twisting back tuck. The complexity used to fall on the judges hands as the rules weren't very clear on what a connection was, which lead to many controversial 'fantom' tenths being rewarded - best case of this was Nastia Liukin's balance beam routine in the 2008 All Around final.


In FIG's video release they show a lot of gymnasts that have legs separated going into the jump and don't float down but rather pull their body's down in a piked form. The gymnasts are clearly 'cheating' the jump and are making it easier for themselves to land. A gymnast should try and get as most height and let the jump float on down instead of forcing it down. If you take a look at all of the examples you will see just how evident it is.

The sad thing is that there are only a handful of gymnast out there that are performing the element how it is supposed to be done. I can think of Maria Kharenkova, Angelina Melnikova and Anastasia Grishina but not many others.

Example of a well executed layout at around the 22 second mark the element is being performed.

Simply Grishina!

Nastia performing a switch ring leap.

After the previous post, the injury update, I stumbled upon a recent video of Anastasia Grishina training. She is sporting a bandage over her left knee and will probably have to wear a bandage for the rest of her competitive career. I think it is meant to provide support and to cover up the thick scar that probably resulted from the surgery - think Rebecca Bross type.

Anastasia is performing a simple layout on a tumbling track - clearly nothing intense. The video shows that she is on track to make a comeback but the video makes it clear she is not training at a competitive level. I didn't expect much and I'm not disappointed with the video, I'm just happy she's healthy and back in training.

For those that don't know much about Anastasia, keep reading for my short and sweet bio of her. Nastia, as she is sometimes called, was a promising Junior who defeated Viktoria Komova on two apparatuses at the Junior Euros. She is known for her great toe-point and artistry as well as for having the best twisting form in the Russian team. To say she was a promising gymnast would be an understatement and a dishonor. Unluckily for her, she was assigned a coach that simply lacked the capacity to turn her into a champion. Her coach steered her into working hard tumbling passes on floor, a double twisting double back tucked, while neglecting her best apparatus - the uneven bars. She had performed a double twisting double back tuck off bars, an F rated dismount, but didn't attempt it at London. Ultimately her coach was reassigned and she was given a more uneven bars oriented coach.

If Nastia Grishina had better coaching her potential would have meant that Russia would have had three of the best gymnasts in the world on their team. Sadly for Russia the cards were not lined up for them and it wasn't meant to be. But thinking of Nastia reminds me of what could have been and what didn't happen. Since the Olympics she has been battling injuries and Valentina - I'll talk about her later.

P.S.: I would have posted the video in the previous post but didn't find it in time for that post. I also didn't want to mess with the previous post because it would have gotten to long for my taste. To be honest it is surprising that the video hasn't made it to all of the gymnastics blogs yet. I guess you saw it here first!

Via Alyssia Spaan on YouTube

Breaking Down | Positions - Tucked, Piked and Stretched/Layout

Every jump/salto has a position a gymnast's legs are in and that position is what determines the difficulty value awarded. The positions that exist in gymnastics are: tuck, pike and stretch and mostly called layout. The tuck is generally considered the easiest to perform and stretch is the most difficult to perform. The CoP has specific angles that each position must be within to be awarded credit as that type of style.

Tuck
The tucked position requires that the hip and knee angle be less than 90°. That means you are between straight and 90°, imagine yourself with your bent knees on the floor and the rest of your body straight. That position is the most easiest and probably the most commonly performed by less experienced gymnasts.

The diagram below will show exactly how the position should look according to the CoP.

Left -.10 for 90° angle and right -.10 plus cowboying deduction.

Deductions, the code is very strict these days and will deduct one tenth if you are in the squatting position. It will deduct three tenths if performed in a 135° angle, a less than pikes position with bent knees. The judges will also deduct if the gymnast 'cowboys' the jump, that means their knees aren't touching but rather open like if they were riding a horse. Pretty harsh but once you realize this you will understand why gymnasts  rarely crack 9.0 in execution.

Pike
The piked position is one in which the legs have less than a 90° hip angle. The knees aren't bent and they are at a greater than 135°. If you see the diagram below you'll recognize it very easily.

I find that a piked jump receives less deductions although they have the same deduction possibilities. They are a tenth if 90° hip angle and three tenths if greater than 90° hip angle. That means that the judges want to see a pikes position that has the legs closer to the body than not.

Stretch

The stretched position is by far the hardest position to perform and the most deducted out of all the positions. The requirement for this position is that the body is in alignment, straight at 180° when vertical. 

While the deductions only include a one tenth deduction if body alignment is out of sync by more than 10°. In actuality the judges find deductions in this position for leg separation, lack of pointed toes, bent knees, etc. It is very easy to find something wrong with a layout position and that is very evident in the scores for the people performing the move.

Note: D-Panel is in reference to the judges that are evaluating the gymnasts' performance on the difficulty level. The E-Panel refers to the judges that are evaluating the gymnasts' execution of the elements. 

Video

The video below shows a piked backflip in action. If you notice the gymnast is at a less than 90° hip angle which means she will not incur any deductions for hip angle position.

Back Somersaults - Gymnastics (Slow motion)