Hand and finger positions

[littlegirllost]

One of the coaches at gymnastics said that you should never show the judges the palms of your hands, that in gymnastics it's considered a disrespectful thing. Was anybody else told this? It seems likes gymnasts have very strong, pointed finger positions, but ballerinas seem to have soft hands that are more relaxed which I think looks better. Is this just the way it's supposed to be in gymnastics? Can somebody post pictures of what good hand and finger positions look like?

 

[gymnast!!!!]

??

Hi,
I know that my coach tells me similar things as what your coach has said,
so yea in gymnastics everything is tight and all about posture while ballet is sometimes loose.
I hoped I helped
Bye x

 

[gymkat]

I have yet to be offended by seeing a gymnast's palm. Stop sign hands are not disrespectful; they're just not the ideal position. I usually prefer softer hands, but it also depends on the style of routine. A jazzy routine, for example, would probably look ridiculous with ballet hands/arms, and vice versa.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

I personally don't like rigid hands; however it is a trend among gymnasts. I guess it is easier to teach a rigid hand position than teach a child to hold their hands softly and controlled. One thing I absolutely can't stand is bent wrists with thumbs sticking out, also known as 'light bulb hands'. It totally ruins the line of the gymnast.

 

[traceyd1]

This annoys me, it's one of my pet hates when focussed on too much.My view is that hands are hands. As long as they're controlled! Yes, hands have a place when doing elements ON the hands, but the rest comes down to personal preference and can detract from learning/coaching real gym skills if it's made too much of an issue just for how it 'looks'.I personally don't like big jagged fingers prickling out of a little hand and prefer the ballet look. But as a judge, would not deduct anything for it.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Well, as a person who spent many, many years in ballet, let me tell you, ballet arms and hands are not "loose!!" lol! the challenge is to temper the strength with grace and make every line look very fluid and show continuous motion. Gymnastics seems to include more sharp poses and stops...but I agree, it surely depends on your routine-whether it is jazzy, balletic, etc.
One other major difference I notice between ballet and gym is that gymnasts arch their backs wheras ballerinas keep very straight backs with their bottoms tucked under. I've often wondered if that is why turns are so hard for some gymnasts to learn (?) you know, finding your "center" seems much easier if your back is perfectly straight as opposed to arched...anyway, I'm getting off thread...
I've not ever heard that showing your palms is disrespectful...hmmm.

 

[MdGymMom01]

Well, as a person who spent many, many years in ballet, let me tell you, ballet arms and hands are not "loose!!" lol! the challenge is to temper the strength with grace and make every line look very fluid and show continuous motion. Gymnastics seems to include more sharp poses and stops...but I agree, it surely depends on your routine-whether it is jazzy, balletic, etc.
One other major difference I notice between ballet and gym is that gymnasts arch their backs wheras ballerinas keep very straight backs with their bottoms tucked under. I've often wondered if that is why turns are so hard for some gymnasts to learn (?) you know, finding your "center" seems much easier if your back is perfectly straight as opposed to arched...anyway, I'm getting off thread...
I've not ever heard that showing your palms is disrespectful...hmmm.

I agree with this in that my dd is having this same issue with her ballet classes. Her teacher mentioned that the "arch" and "finish" in gymnastics is affecting her balletic line and posture. But, she loves her strength and flexibility that helps with many of the ballet positions and elements.

As with the hands, dd has very long fingers that can look very graceful and balletic but at the same time look awkward.