Current issues and future directions in gymnastics research: biomechanics, motor control and coaching interface

Kinematic Analysis of Free Vertical Split with 720° Turn in Elite Chinese Rhythmic Gymnastics

This study investigates the kinematic characteristics of the free vertical split with 720° turn (C 807). C 807 is the international designation in rhythmic gymnastics for a free vertical split with a 720° turn. This research holds significant importance in enhancing the technical proficiency of gymnasts and reducing their risk of injury. Eight national-level female gymnasts (age = 20 ± 3 years) performed the C 807. Kinematic data were collected using a 3D motion capture system. The movement was divided into four phases, and Visual 3D (V6.0, CMotion, Germantown, MD, USA) software was used for data processing and analysis. The joint angles of the upper and lower limbs, as well as the torsion angles of the lower limb joints, were analyzed. Key findings included tibial torsion, knee hyperextension in the support leg, and changes in elbow flexion during each phase. The center of mass (COM) trajectory showed that, during the backward preparatory swing phase, COM height gradually decreased and slightly increased before the initiation phase. In the initiation phase, COM height initially decreased and then increased, while the rotation phase showed fluctuating but stable COM height. The results highlight the importance of joint angle control and COM fluctuations during movement. Training should focus on leg swing speed, lower limb strength, knee stability, and upper limb coordination to enhance balance, improve rotation speed, and prevent injuries.

The relationship between back handspring step out performance and take-off technique in female gymnasts

Although the back handspring step out (BHS) is a foundational skill in balance beam routines, it can be performed using different take-off techniques. Back injuries are highly prevalent in the BHS due to the combination of high spine extension and joint loading. However, it is unclear which technique minimises injury risk or leads to better BHS performance. The purpose of the study was to identify techniques used for the BHS take-off and analyse the resulting BHS performance. Gymnasts were found to use either: Simultaneous Flexion-trunk and knees flex at the same time; Sequential Flexion-trunk reaches its maximum flexion followed by knee flexion; or Double-Bounce-knees and trunk both flex and then the knees extend and flex again. To assess performance, point deductions were calculated, and dynamic balance, ground reaction forces (GRFs) and relevant joint angles were analysed. The techniques had no differences in point deductions or dynamic balance, but there were differences in GRFs, spine extension and knee flexion. The Sequential Flexion technique had the lowest spine extension, which potentially reduces back injuries and the lowest knee flexion, which is a BHS requirement. These results support the use of Sequential Flexion technique when performing the BHS.

What gaps exist in biomechanics and motor control research in Paralympic sports? A scoping review focussed on performance and injury risk

In Paralympic sport, athletes, coaches and administrators seek medal-winning outcomes. Research in the fields of biomechanics and motor control can support the quantification of performance measures and injury risk. The aim of this article is to review the state of existing research and identify gaps offering researchers and practitioners targeted paths for creating competitive advantages. This review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Four electronic databases were searched in accordance with selected terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria. A custom data charting matrix was used to identify relevant characteristics. From the 3363 retrieved articles, 237 studies covering 24 Paralympic sports were included. A new metric, medal events per included study (MEPIS), was developed. Research gaps were identified in the sports studied, impairment types, gender balance, the injury reduction process, and the application of motor control research, leading to suggested directions targeting Paralympic success.

Angular momentum generation and control during a back handspring step out on the balance beam performed by female gymnasts

The back handspring step out (BHS) is a foundational skill in gymnastics balance beam routines that requires the generation of significant sagittal plane angular momentum while tightly regulating frontal plane momentum to control their balance. However, which body segments are critical for generating this momentum and successfully performing the BHS and whether skill level influences this generation remains unknown. Twenty-five gymnasts with a range of skill levels performed a BHS on a balance beam. The BHS was scored, and segmental contributions to whole-body angular momentum were analyzed during the take-off, flight, hand contact and landing phases. Angular momentum has previously been used to assess balance control, where higher ranges of frontal plane angular momentum are indicative of poorer balance control. There were no differences in segmental contributions to angular momentum during the take-off phase between high- and low-scoring groups. However, the low-scoring group had higher trunk contributions to frontal plane angular momentum after the take-off phase. The trailing leg was also found to be a large contributor to frontal plane angular momentum, and thus more likely than the leading leg to cause deviations in balance control. In the sagittal plane, momentum generation and skill level were weakly correlated, suggesting as gymnasts become more skilled, they produce larger sagittal plane motions and are more adept at generating angular momentum. Because the trunk and trailing leg had high contributions to frontal plane angular momentum, controlling the trunk and trailing leg should be a focus in training regimes to improve BHS performance.

The effects of aerobic gymnastics training on performance-related variables in an elite athlete: a 2-year follow-up study

This study investigates individual performance adaptations on 2 years of training between European Aerobics Championships. An elite, 22-year-old aerobic gymnast performed postural coordination test, Y-Balance test, squat and countermovement jumps, 60 s test of repeated jumps, an isokinetic leg muscle strength test, and the Wingate test. Postural stability and flexibility improved in terms of increased distance achieved in the Y-Balance test in the anterior (by 6.3%), posteromedial (by 2%), and posterolateral (by 4.8%) directions. Lower limb muscular endurance also increased, which can be corroborated by a reduced fatigue index in the 60 s test of repeated jumps (from 42% to 27% after the 1st and to 22% after the 2nd year of training). In addition, mean power increased during dominant (by 23.2% at 60°/s and by 18.5% at 180°/s) and non-dominant leg extension (by 4.9% at 180°/s and by 15.5% at 300°/s), plus dominant leg flexion (by 2.0% at 60°/s and by 6.9% at 300°/s). Similarly, peak torque/body weight ratio increased during dominant (by 24.9% at 60°/s, by 11.5% at 180°/s, and by 2.1% at 300°/s) and non-dominant leg extension (by 0.5% at 60°/s and by 6.4% at 300°/s), plus dominant leg flexion (by 1.7% at 60°/s and by 5.4% at 300°/s). However, 2 years of training failed to show any significant improvements in the explosive power of lower limbs and anaerobic performance. These findings indicate that general aerobic gymnastics training without any specific inputs leads to performance adaptation, namely, in abilities closely related to competition routine (dynamic balance and strength endurance of lower limbs).

Inter-Rater and Test-Retest Reliability of an Innovative Evaluation Tool: CrossFit Functional Assessment Battery of Tests for the Shoulder Joint

Background and objectives This study aims to introduce an innovative functional assessment tool designed for CrossFit athletes, to identify a high risk of injury at the shoulder joint. Additionally, the study seeks to examine both inter-rater reliability, which was tested in 40 CrossFit participants, and test-retest reliability, which was assessed in twenty subjects. Methodology CrossFit Functional Assessment Battery for the Shoulder Joint (CrossFit FABS) is a newly created instrument presented for the first time. The evaluation of the performance of its six items aimed to reveal deficits that could contribute to incidents of shoulder injuries. For this purpose, 40 healthy CrossFit participants were concurrently but independently examined by two raters, and twenty healthy adults active in sports were assessed by the main investigator at two different time points. Cohen's kappa coefficient was used to analyze categorical data with an ordinal structure. Results Inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.824 to 1 (P = 0.000) and test-retest reliability was 0.661 to 0.906 (P < 0.001) for each test of CrossFit FABS. A strong to almost perfect correlation was demonstrated for all the variables between the two examiners. Moderate to almost perfect correlation was shown through test-retest procedures. Conclusions The proposed test battery was established as a reliable tool for evaluating performance routines that represent high injury-risk elements for the shoulder joint in CrossFit athletes.

Run-up speed and jumping ground reaction force of male elite gymnasts on vault in China

Background

A high run-up speed and a big jumping ground reaction force are crucial to perform difficult movements and improving the quality of movement performance in the competition vault. However, the relationship between performance in the competition vault and run-up speeds, as well as jumping ground reaction force, still needs to be discovered in detail.

Objective

We aimed to investigate the interrelations between different run-up speeds and jumping ground reaction force, and to explore the different requirements of performing different vault styles as well as difficult movements on run-up speed and jumping ground reaction force.

Methods

The data, including vaulting run-up speed and jumping ground reaction force of 30 Chinese male elite gymnasts of performance testing, were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and Binary logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis.

Results

There was no significant difference in the pedaling run-up speed between the Front handspring types and Cartwheel types (p > 0.05). The comparison between interval run-up speeds revealed that the last 5 m run-up speeds were faster during the 25 m run-up distance, and 30 m sprint speed was strongly associated with the 25 m vaulting run-up speed of Handspring and Cartwheel (r = 0.81, p < 0.01). There are significant differences in the jumping ground reaction force of different types and difficult movements (p < 0.01). When the D-score is greater than 4.6, the jumping ground reaction force will increase significantly. Jumping ground reaction force was strongly correlated with 25 m run-up speed (r = 0.715, p < 0.01), last 5 m run-up speed (r = 0.718, p < 0.01), and 30 m sprint speed (r = 0.704, p < 0.01) respectively, but not significantly associated with last 10-5 m run-up speed as well as before the last 10 m run-up speed (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

The special requirement for run-up speed and jumping ground reaction force may vary as the difficult vault. Moreover, the optimization of interval run-up speeds and improvement of the 25 m run-up speed may contribute to the bigger jumping ground reaction force and increase the potential to perform more difficult Handspring/Cartwheel vaults. The topic may merit an interventional study to optimize run-up rhythm and improve lower limb strength for achieving higher run-up speeds and bigger jumping ground reaction force within the limited run-up distance to perform more difficult vaults for male elite gymnasts in China.

Age-Related Differences between Maximum Flight Height of Basic Skills on Floor, Beam and Vault and Physical Condition of Youth Female Artistic Gymnasts

In women's artistic gymnastics, difficult elements with great flight heights have to be performed on the apparatuses. However, the importance of the physical condition for generating flight height and its development with age remains elusive. Therefore, we investigated the age-related differences of lower body power, reactive strength, 20 m sprint speed, flight heights (basic elements on beam and floor) and run-up speed on the vault of 33 youth female gymnasts. Further, we calculated correlations between all parameters separately for different age groups (7-9 y; 10-12 y; 13-15 y). We found larger differences between the age groups 7-9 y and 10-12 y than between 10-12 y and 13-15 y on the apparatuses (10-12 y vs. 7-9 y: +23% to +52%; 13-15 y vs. 10-12 y: +2% to +24%) and for physical conditioning variables (10-12 y vs. 7-9 y: +12 to +24%; 13-15 y vs. 10-12 y: + 5% to +16%). The correlations between flight heights and physical condition were the lowest for age group 7-9 y (r: from -0.47 to 0.78; 10-12 y: r: from -0.19 to 0.80; 13-15 y: r: from -0.20 to 0.90). An optimal application of the physical condition to enhance the gymnastics-specific performance (e.g., flight height) is strongly age-dependent. Regular monitoring of jumping abilities and the derivation of training recommendations can accelerate this development and the future performance of young athletes.

Immediate Effect of Self-Modelling with Internal Versus External Focus of Attention on Teaching/Learning Gymnastics Motor-Skills

The aim of this study was to identify the immediate effect of self-modelling with different focus of attention strategies (i.e., internal vs. external) on the teaching/learning of gymnastics motor-skills. Fifty-nine non-gymnast students participated in this study and were divided into three groups (i.e., an external focus group (EF), an internal focus group (IF), and a control group (CG)). Each participant’s performance of the back dismount in the parallel bars was assessed before the experiment (i.e., base-score), and each participant was asked to provide a self-evaluation of their performance and their efficiency percentage. Afterwards, participants received a specific learning session (i.e., self-modelling with external focus, self-modelling with internal focus, or traditional learning with verbal instruction) and performed the back dismount in the parallel bars again immediately after (i.e., final score). Four international judges evaluated performance of our participants. The results showed that the EF and IF outperformed the CG in the final score. Importantly, a significant difference between the base and the final score was observed in the EF and IF, but not in the CG. In addition, the EF showed the highest percentage of improvement (Δ-score) and self-estimation scores compared to the two other groups. In conclusion, this study supports the adoption of external focus of attention for teaching/learning gymnastics motor-skills.