MAG Question about pommel

[cbifoja]

Forgive me as we are just establishing a boy's team and I'm just learning the basics about the men's side.

My question is about the pommel horse. Is the "ideal" routine one where the gymnast's legs never touch the pommel or is it expected that their legs will occasionally brush against the horse?

 

[profmom]

They shouldn't be brushing. Take a look at some high scoring routines on Youtube. It's a pretty big deal for the lower level guys to get to the point where they can do multiple mushroom circles with no brushing.

 

[skschlag]

I agree. On the mushroom, brushing isn't what you want. On the pommel, however, it is hard for the smaller ones to do pommel without brushing. They just aren't big enough. I think it is good to strive for not touching, but know that the smaller ones will.