International Gymnast - July/August 2010

Trivia Time

1980 U.S. Olympic team

Why flexibility matters!

Tra c e e T ala v era, K ath y
Johnson, M arcia Frederick, Luci
Collins, A m y Koop m an, Julianne
M c N a m ara, B eth Kline (altern ate)
BartConner,Jim Hartung,Peter
Vid m ar, Ron Galim ore, Phil Cahoy,
L arry G erard, M ik e W ilso n (altern ate)

THE photo below depicts a relatively simple skill for a world-class gymnast, but Italy’s Elisabetta Preziosa makes this split handstand on balance beam look special.

Buy why? The reason is because her legs are perfectly straight and in a complete 180-degree split. Preziosa, a beam finalist at the 2010 European championships in Birmingham, England, where this photo was taken, is blessed with “passive” flexibility. This split handstand is easy for her, because her splits can actually go beyond 180 degrees when she trains them on the floor.

The opposite of “passive” flexibility is

COACHING
CORNER

“active” flexibility. Active flexibility is when you must exert force to reach a desired position.

Try this flexibility test: While standing at a ballet barre, swing your leg up in front of you as high as you can. This is active flexibility. If you can slowly lift your leg to the same height and hold it there, you possess passive flexibility.

As a beginner, it is important to work on your flexibility every day, but also be sure to do your core conditioning, as well. If you don’t, you can actually become too flexible—like a noodle!