Breaking Down: Nabieva Release on Uneven Bars

I decided to do a breaking down of the Nabieva release upon recent news that young and promising Brazilian gymnast, Rebeca Andrade, was training said skill. The Nabieva shares the honor of being the most highly rated element on uneven bars and is considered one of, if not, the most difficult releases in the women's field.

The Nabieva release was introduced by Russian gymnast Tatiana Nabieva back in 2010. Nabieva was performing that skill very well that year but did not keep it in her program the following years. She is said to be working on the release and a video of her emerged not too long ago showing her training it. She is close to being able to do the skill but that skill is never a sure bet even when it's fully prepared. 

The Nabieva is defined as pike sole circle backward with counter stretched hecht (layout position over HB) to hang - assuming on the high bar. The skill has a G letter value and is 7 tenths. Below is the diagram provided by the FIG in the CoP. 

Nabieva's attempt,

 

Andrade's attempt,

It is safe to say that both gymnasts have better than not form on entry but misjudge the the distance. I don't think either is close to having the skill down as competition ready but they are working on it. 

- videos via Alyssia Spaan and Gymnastics Coaching. 

Brenna Dowell's Uneven Bars

Expected World national team member Brenna Dowell put down a really massive D-score at day one of the US nationals. Brenna's D-score was 6.7, which is puts her up there with the likes of Becca Downie, Yao Jinnan and Shang Chunsong. I would add Aliya Mustafina to that mix but she hasn't performed her 6.7 set since last year's worlds.

Brenna's form is not up to par with the likes of Locklear or the Chinese and Russian gymnasts but her D-score allows her to score a competitive number. The judges will definitely take note of the high risk and uniqueness of her combinations. I particularly like the release into the Ezhova transition to the low bar. It brings me back memories of Beth Tweddle's massively competitive uneven bars routine from London.

The judges credited her with a 6.7 D-score and a generous 8.7 E-score for a total of 15.40. While the judges were generous she is sure to receive at least 15 points at an international event. Does this mean that Marta is for sure going to take Brenna to Worlds?

Below is the video of her routine, do you guys spot the deductions? There were plenty to spot.

Via Gymnastics Coaching

Gymnastics News: Vika Is Back!

Viktoria Komova is back! A video has surfaced online showing the 2011 World Champion on uneven bars performing a full bars set. The video is of a routine that is almost exactly the same as the one she performed at the Russian Nationals with a few exceptions. The video has made its way around the gymnastics blogs but they have all seemed to have missed one small detail, actually a big detail. Vika has dropped her Komova I release and is doing a Chow with 1/2 turn. That is very telling as in a previous post I wrote that she was probably training that element to connect it with from the Pak salto. She has replaced an E element with a much easier E element.

This particular bars set is hovering around a 6.4 and 6.5 D-score. The problem with the set is that she has a very piked jaeger and is probably going to get that element devalued. She probably has a 6.4 D-score at the moment but with the connection of the Pak and Chow 1/2 she could have 6.6 D-score. I don't think this is the bars set she will perform at the Worlds but could be close to it.

She is training bars and beam at the moment and needs a strong performance at Russian Cup later this month to make the team. I will keep my fingers crossed for her to make the team and show the world that she still has it.

Breaking Down | Mustafina Dismount - 1 1/2 Twisting Double Tucked

It has almost been four years since Aliya Mustafina introduced her namesake dismount on uneven bars, a one and a half twisting double back tuck. The weird thing is that a stretched dismount of the same element has not been performed. The problem with that element is that the CoP has no special value for it given that a full twsiting double layout is rated an F and the double double is rated a G. The CoP had the luxury of fitting the Mustafina, an E rated element, in between the D and F.

The fact that the CoP isn't clear, with regards to this element, will prevent it from being encouraged. This is a problem that is a mistake with the CoP and not really with the elements or the gymnasts. I can think of many other elements, particularly on beam, that are more difficult than their half turn less brothers but are still given the same rating.

Check the Aliya Mustafina performing her trademark bars dismount below - she sticks it too.

FIG Rules | UB - Failure to Maintain Stretched Body Posture

The FIG has deductions for failure to maintain stretched body posture in stretched dismounts off the uneven bars. I covered this in the explanation of jumps a few posts back and referenced that the CoP would deduct three tenths for just this type of fault. The FIG repeats just that under the video by marking it (-0.3)

The gymnast in the video attempts to dismount with a simple double layout in the stretched position. On dismount she slightly pikes her form into a position that was clearly not straight. This is a very typical form break when gymnasts do double layouts and it's the risk most gymnast take.

The real funny part about the video is that they picked a Romanian gymnast to call out - they are notoriously weak on the uneven bars. Also that was a different generation and a different CoP that would have overlooked such faults and focused on the landing.

Gymnastics News: Yao Jinnan Bars Routine

Yao Jinnan has been the gymnast who has been training more uneven bars routines since the 2012 Olympics. As many Olympic viewers may remember she finished fourth during the uneven bars finals due to a low D-score. Last year she was dead set on learning the Mo salto, a very dangerous bars release that is highly rated, which is named the Gaylord in the men's field. It's a really nice move to see but ends in a dead swing and is just very dangerous. That experiment didn't last long as she fell a few times trying to perform it and ultimately dropped it from her exercises.

Pak Salto picture via Examiner

This year she has had two sets, one with very complex combinations that add releases on top of releases. I saw her performing it in an empty arena - apparently Chinese fans aren't really interested in seeing B events or they do it in closed arenas. Either way she has dropped that routine again and has dropped a new routine on us.

Yao's new routine involves easier combinations and has cleaner lines - I would go out on a limb and say it will be the one that she does at the Olympics. The opening set is that which I said would be Viktoria Komova's first set, Komova II to Pak Salto to Chow with a half turn. That combination has two E elements, a D element and four tenths of combination bonuses. Then she performs four pirouettes and a release in combination. Dismounting with a full-twisting double back in a layout position - rated an F.

That performance is a very complicated uneven bars set but will ultimately get a lot of deductions because judges are very strict on pirouettes. She will also be performing nine elements meaning that the judges can find more deductions than not. That is the risk that a gymnast takes when they want a higher D-score from combining elements. The bars set is clearly a 7.0 D-score meriting routine but will be worthy of a Gold medal at the Olympics - only time will tell.

Via Gymnastics Coaching

First Post | My Platform | Breaking Down: Full Twisting Double Back Tuck Dismount on Bars

I am a gymnastics and enthusiast who has been watching gymnastics since the 90s but haven't really understood the technical aspect until around 2011. Before 2011, I saw every tumble and twist as more of the same thing and didn't fully understand the difference between a back triple full and a full in double back tuck. Everything was just tumbling and twisting and everything else was filler. I remember watching Nastia Liukin all around floor routine and being impressed without fully understanding how weak her tumbling was. Thankfully, I've studied and reviewed the previous and current code of points and can now say that I have a 'good' grasp of gymnastics.

My platform is to bring gymnastics fans the latest news regarding gymnastics, explaining the current code of points, review the latest FIG's releases on judging, explanation of jumps, breaking down routines and hopefully predict routines that gymnasts are going to do. That means I'm going to catch you up to my level of gymnastics understanding and send you off to some other sites when I lack the knowledge of the concepts.

To be completely honest I am a Russian gymnastics nut, I bleed for Komova and jump up and down for the Russian men. That doesn't mean that I don't follow what other nations are doing, I keep track of the competition just as much as I do the Russians. I generally lean towards gymnastics that fully incorporates artistry with tumbling and hard skills. I cringe when I see unpointed toes, bent knees and bad form all around. That doesn't mean that I won't appreciate a really massive skill - I really want to see a girl do a triple back - hopefully better than Valeri Liukin's cowboyed triple back. I will try and keep it quite unbiased but sometimes feelings do sneak out and I will keep that to a minimum.

Before I end this post, I want to make it clear that I am not a blog set up focused on a culmination with Rio 2016. I will focus on gymnastics as a cycle that culminates in four years but begins a new right after the last floor routine is performed in the event finals. Please come back and check out our posts and educate yourself on gymnastics.

P.S.: Below is a picture diagramming Viktoria Komova's 2011 gold medal winning uneven bars routine. The focus is on her dismount, a full twisting double back. That particular skill is rated by the FIG with a difficulty value of a D or .4. The skill requires that the gymnast perform a full twist with a double salto tucked from a back entry. The skill is sometimes referred to as a Tsukahara (pronounced sukahara) or a Chusovitina after the first man and woman to perform it.