For Coaches Full of it---help with fulls

[gym law mom]

Ok, need some advice on what my gymmie may be doing wrong on her fulls which btw she's been doing for 18 mos. This year she's supposed to have one in her L8 fx., but about 1 month ago started landing short----as in a face first. She went back to the tumble track and worked on setting later---when this has happened before its been because she sets too early. I guess that has helped some, but she still can't stand it up---lands and takes 1-2 steps forward. The other night 2 coaches watched her and they don't know what's wrong(I know you're all saying, and we do and can't see her?). One coach said with the technique she saw, my gymmie should be sticking these perfectly.

Yes, they have pulled the full from her routine for now. She's doing 1/2s and sticking them---they are also huge. Now to really make you think, she can do a 1.5 and land it with no problem.

Any ideas????

 

[Robindq]

this might be completely unhelpful,
but does she look for the floor when she lands?

 

[bogwoppit]

Can you post a video, it would be easier for the coaches here to offere advice if they could see exactly what she is doing.

 

[gymdog]

It's really hard to say but she's probably just not pulling her chest up out of the full if the 1/2 and 1 1/2 are fine. The more aggressive shortening of the long axis for more twisting increases rotation so that's not necessarily unusual. If she's not ready for the landing on the full and used to taking that step forward, it's going to be a problem. Thinking about pulling the toes over and twisting around the shoulders and hollowing from the chest in the full to create rotation without over twisting helps me.

 

[emacmommy]

I agree some with gymdog, but to think of it much like the majority of gymnastics as yin-yang, teeter-totter. The set with slight side arch, chest lift, and hip tuck being the yin, with most of the twist in the middle, ending with the slight body change to that toe pulling hollow position through to the landing. Without seeing a video it's difficult to say.

It could be not lifting the chest as she lands, but often that would lead to the obvious piked landing to get it around, and you mentioned seemingly good form. Is she staying side arch chest up for too long, as tight as it might be not to be an arch (which would also lead to a visible form issue), and not squeezing her butt to change into a more hollowed position for the end of the twist to the landing? The hips upon setting should tightly thrust or roll on the set and then the toes (while not pikeing or going to too deap of a hollow) should eventually lead to the floor as the chest and focus comes up to spot a landing. When I full, I visually can spot the floor at about 3/4 of the twist to set up for the landing. If her head is sticking out or loose then that can lead to some lack of awareness as to where she truly is for a landing. She should be looking over her browline to spot, not trying to move her head (i.e. sticking her head out) to see the floor to land.

Landing the 1.5 I can picture the slight pulling of the toes to be the issue, because in a 1/2 & 1 1/2 you are almost driving your heels to complete the rotation.

Hope my attempt at the written explanation made sense.

 

[gym law mom]

Sorry I don't have video of her doing one. I'm usually don't go and sit through 4 hour practices and some days she may work on the full and others she may not. If anything I think it could be her head position---I know in figure skating that if the skater looks down at the ice(even for a split second in jump) they end up landing forward.

I asked her what she thinks of or spots during her full and she says when they are working, the last thought is strong hurdle and basically she has her body take it from there. Its weird because when she had nice consistent fulls, she can't do a 1/2 to save her life. She is also one of those tumblers that goes for power and height.

Thanks for all of your suggestions, I'll pass them on.

BTW--She said both coaches said her chest was up.

 

[KBT]

Maybe you could ask one of her coaches to video the skill. Try having them watch it in slow mo frame by frame - most digital cameras these days can do slow mo video. You can catch a lot of minor errors that way.

 

[gym law mom]

KBT, I think I will ask if they can tape her this week since the girls have longer practices due to Christmas break and its just the team girls in the gym. She really wants to fix the problem with the full because she wants it in the fx routine----says the 1/2 is just too easy. I know these tumbling skills happen so quickly that even a good coach could miss some small thing she is doing that is throwing the skill off.

I guess something improved because a few weeks ago she was landing on her head(as she said) and now at least she's standing up, but not controlling the landing.