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Gymnastic Balance Beam
The Balance Beam is a gymnastics apparatus only used by
female gymnasts.
Leaps, acrobatic skills, turns and dance elements are performed
without music.
Some people think that the reason why men don't compete on this apparatus
is the danger of
injuring the testicles.
However, it often happened that boys
competed on the balance beam at high school level in the U.S.
You can find balance beam techniques at gymnastics
main.
Technical details: Gymnastic Balance Beam
- The balance beam is 125cm high and 5 meters long.
Originally the10 cm wide beam was made of wood wood.
Since the 80s, balance beams are covered in leather or suede.
- Balance beam routines can be between 60 and 90 seconds.
After 80 seconds a ring tone warns the gymnast.
If the athlete doesn't finish the routine within 10 seconds after the signal,
points are deducted from the total score.
- Balance beam routines consist of leaps, acrobatic skills, turns and dance elements.
The gymnast must mount and dismount the beam on her / his own.
A typical technique used to dismount the balance beam is a frontflip layout with a full rotation.
( landed in a stuck landing - on mats )
Mounting the balance beam with the help of a springboard is ok.
In this case the coach is allowed to enter the competition area to remove the springboard.
- There are special shoes for the balance beam ( similar to ballett shoes ) .
But most gymnasts compete barefoot.
Trainer advice: Gymnastic Balance Beam
- When you learn new skills, you can lower the beam and surround it with mats.
Also practice your skills on the floor. ( draw a 10 cm wide line )
- Over the time more and more gymnasts inculded tumbling skills in their balance beam routines.
At the early beginnings routines consisted mostly of dance elements.
Later handstands an rolls were added, and in the 60s the most dificult move on the beam was the back handspring.
Now gymnasts show short tumbling sequences and flips.
Related topics: Gymnastic Balance Beam
Videos: Gymnastic Balance Beam
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