twisting direction

[2gymmies]

Hi everyone! My dd and her teammates are in the process of learning their back full twists. My question is dd and her friend are both left round offs but one twists to the left and one twists to the right in their back layout fulls. Are there any long term implications to this? I know that a left round off is actually a right twist, but what does it mean if a gymnast twists the other way in their full (or more)?

Thanks in advance.

Jules

 

[Deleted member D3987]

it's more important that they are twisting the direction that is comfortable for them. and that the forward and backward twist are the same direction. the other stuff is what the coach will take care of when certain issues arise. those issues are to complex for this forum.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Here's a question that dunno may be able to answer -- what factors influence a gymnast's "natural" twisting direction? Is it determined primarily by training (ie whichever direction you learn in will always be more comfortable) or is it determined before the gymnast walks in the door?

 

[aerialriver]

I don't know the official answer cause I am not Dunno but I know for myself I am a lefty at heart, the only thing I do not do left is writing, I even cut my food with knife in left and can cut my right nails with my left hand good but not the other way around. As for gymnastics my left split is my best, I guess it does get fishy as I do cartwheel and roundoff left, I also barani towards the left which I am told is a "right" barani (so confused about that) but I full left both back and front.

 

[Laban]

here's a little conversation I had with my coach about this topic :

me : *doing a perfectly good full to the left*
coach : wrong side, do it again
me : but it's way easier for me on this side, plus it feels more natural
coach : no.

and now I do them to the right.

hope this helps

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Here's a question that dunno may be able to answer -- what factors influence a gymnast's "natural" twisting direction? Is it determined primarily by training (ie whichever direction you learn in will always be more comfortable) or is it determined before the gymnast walks in the door?

natural twist is biological and comes with birth. we're just like cats. but don't do this at home with your child...if you take a cat and hold it with its back to the ground...and then abruptly let go...you will see the cat perform what is called a "cat twist". you hear this in gymnastics all the time, but most don't know what it means. so, as with cats, you will see different cats "cat twist" different directions. some go left and some go right.

humans too are hardwired. and were all hardwired differently. coaches have to figure out what is best for their athletes. you will notice as a coach, when they first learn twisting both directions, that one way or the other they can look like fish out of water. or, they look perfectly coordinated. they don't cat twist and their head doesn't swim like linda blair in the excorcist.

someone can be trained against their "natural" direction. but my experience has shown me that those kids are very special biologically speaking.

 

[Laban]

natural twist is biological and comes with birth. we're just like cats. but don't do this at home with your child...if you take a cat and hold it with its back to the ground...and then abruptly let go...you will see the cat perform what is called a "cat twist". you hear this in gymnastics all the time, but most don't know what it means. so, as with cats, you will see different cats "cat twist" different directions. some go left and some go right.

humans too are hardwired. and were all hardwired differently. coaches have to figure out what is best for their athletes. you will notice as a coach, when they first learn twisting both directions, that one way or the other they can look like fish out of water. or, they look perfectly coordinated. they don't cat twist and their head doesn't swim like linda blair in the excorcist.

someone can be trained against their "natural" direction. but my experience has shown me that those kids are very special biologically speaking.

there are actually several ways to test twist direction which are pretty similar to the 'cat test', for ex :

1. stand with your back facing a mat, drop back and on the last second, just before hitting the mat, twist half way to your stomach.
2. similar way, do a stomach drop on a trampoline and on the last second, twist to your back.

there are several more methods which all rely on the concept of distracting you to the point your move comes naturally - but of course, if you already have a certain direction on your round-off, then your twist is pretty much set.