Types of Gymnastics

• Gymnastics Canada recognizes seven types of gymnastics.

Acrobatic Gymnastics

• Favors body control in ground and air.
• Combines choreography and acrobatic elements.
• Requires perfect synchronization.

Aerobic Gymnastics

• Is very energetic and high intensity.
• Uses music originating from traditional aerobics.

Men's Artistic Gymnastics (MAG)

• Includes six routines: floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar.

Women's Artistic Gymnastics (WAG)

• Includes vault, uneven bars, beam, and floor routines.

Gym for All

• Plays a role in developing fundamental movement patterns (FMP) and sport skills.
• Contributes to physical literacy, health, fitness, and an active lifestyle.
• Focuses on fun, fitness, and fundamentals.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

• Uses the rope, hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon.
• Performed on a carpet.

Trampoline Gymnastics

• Symbolizes freedom, flying, and space.

FUN Principles

• Children must be active most of the time.
• Children must be successful most of the time.
• Children must play most of the time.

Play Guidelines

• Games should have a purpose.
• Participants should be active in the game all the time.
• Safe running in the gym is important.
• Play cooperative as well as competitive games.
• Games should be age and maturity appropriate.
• Change the game if it is not working or not safe.
• Stop the game while children still want to play it.

Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD)

• Includes active start, fun fitness, fundamental movement patterns.
• Focuses on building the skills of gymnastics and specialization in gym discipline.

Seven Fundamental Movement Patterns

• Landings
• Stationary positions: hangs, supports, and balances
• Locomotions
• Rotations
• Springs
• Swings
• Object manipulation

Landings

• Necessary to absorb force over the longest time using as many joints as possible on the greatest surface area.

Center of Mass

• Is the balance point of the body.
• It is the point around which the body rotates while free in space.
• It's where the three axes intersect.
• Is the point around which all body mass is equally distributed.

Ways to Become More Stable

• Lower center of mass closer to the base of support (BOS).
• Align body segments over the BOS.
• Widen the BOS.
• Hold a rigid body.
• Lower center of mass closer to the ground.

Supports

• The center of mass is near the middle of the BOS, making them relatively stable.

Balances

• The center of mass moves to the edge of the BOS, making them unstable.

Hangs

• The center of mass is directly below the base of support and the most stable stationary position.

Springs

• Involve strong takeoff limbs, a rigid body, and effective use of non-support limbs.

Three Axes of Rotation

• Longitudinal
• Transverse
• Anterior-Posterior.

NCCP

• Includes throwing, catching, jumping, striking, running, kicking, agility, balance, and coordination.

Laban Movement Analysis

• Includes four aspects of movement: body, space, effort, and relationship
• This framework can increase variety, intensity, and complexity.

Physical Qualities of Fitness

• Endurance: cardiovascular and muscular endurance
• Strength: maximum force a muscle exerts in a single contraction (isometric, concentric, eccentric)
• Power: the speed at which maximum force can be generated in minimum time, needed for vault and tumbling
• Flexibility: active and passive.

Order of Training

• Muscular endurance
• Strength
• Power

Motor Qualities of Fitness

• Agility: ability to change direction quickly and efficiently.
• Balance: ability to hold stationary positions and move.
• Coordination: ability to use different parts of the body smoothly and efficiently.
• Spatial Awareness: knowing where the body is relative to the ground/other objects and limbs while spinning or free in space.

Understand-Teach Model

• Teachers should have a strong understanding of the skill beyond the fundamental level.
• The understanding should incorporate mechanical, psychological, and physiological aspects.
• Understand: identify biomechanics and body actions.
• Teach: conditioning, psycho-motor conditions and spotting, error detection, cause and correction.

Adapting Gymnastics for Students

• Ask questions to ensure understanding.
• Ensure equal treatment.
• Avoid assuming intellectual disability means lack of understanding.
• Use well-structured practice plans and progressive approaches with athletes with intellectual disabilities.
• Sit down when talking to someone in a wheelchair.
• Adapt the sport or activity only when necessary.
• Modifications include space, time, speed of execution, equipment, environment, and rules.

Adaptive Techniques

• Ability, difficulty, area, participants, time, inclusion, variability, equipment.
• Ask: Is the environment safe? Do the participants experience success? Is there evidence of skill development? Are the participants in a good state of mental health? If any answer is no, use adaptive techniques.

Gymnaestrada

• The largest GFA event, is non-competitive, and occurs every four years.

World Gym for Life Challenge

• Group routines are evaluated, and occurs every four years.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

• Individual exercises are 90 seconds, and group exercises involve five gymnasts for a maximum of 2 ½ minutes per exercise.
• Improves motor abilities, physical abilities, cognitive abilities, social skills, and body management skills.

Trampoline and Tumbling (T&T)

• Includes power tumbling, trampoline, synchronized trampoline, and double mini.

Other Ways to Participate in Gymnastics

• Team gym, Free G, artistic cycling, and parkour.

History of Gymnastics

• Introduced in early Greek civilization to facilitate bodily development.
• Romans used gymnastics as military training.
• Decline in civilization shifted it to entertainment.

Johann Bernhard Basedow

• Included physical exercises with instruction at his school in Dessau, Saxony.

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn

• Developed the side bar, horizontal bar, parallel bars, balance beam, and jumping events.
• Known as the "Father of Modern Gymnastics".

1896 Olympics

• Gymnastics appeared and was revitalized by Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
• Events included rope-climbing and club-swinging.

Tie Gymnastics into Playground Activities

• Teach safe landings.
• Develop strength for bodyweight movement.
• Learn to balance on new surfaces/heights.
• Develop spatial awareness through inverted hangs.
• Practice swinging skills using bars, rings, or swings.
• Give children opportunities to locomote.

7 Cs of Resilience

• Competence
• Character
• Confidence
• Contribution
• Connection
• Coping
• Control

Motivating Activities

• Originality
• Affective component
• Meaning
• Openness
• Dynamic

Keeping Participants Active

• Challenges
• Transitions
• Line-ups