Mens Choreography Its About Postural Alignment By Nicholas Blanton

1, 2, 3, 4 and - 1, 2, 3, 4 to most boys this repetitive sequence can only mean one thingChoreography. If your male gymnasts are anything like my mine, just mention the word Ballet, or Choreography training, and watch the reactions moans and groans at the thought. Holding onto the bar with their head held low they go through the motions as if they were robots programmed to be miserable. Its these reactions that have prompted me to explore how to incorporate Mens Choreography to be effective and targeted towards the demands of mens disciplines within gymnastics. Dont get me wrong, I am a huge advocate of traditional choreography training for mens gymnastics and I believe some males in the sport do not appreciate the benefits the training provides. We as coaches wonder why this is? The strength, flexibility and stability it provides are enormous. Elements such as the Pli and the Rond de jambe (or Circle of the Leg) assist in the teaching of everything from proper landing position to advanced level flair to handstands on pommel horse. The issue I am interested in is how far does traditional choreography need to go to influence mens gymnastics before its benefits seem more advantageous towards the female side of the sport? My goal is to provide an addition to traditional choreography that is aimed at specific characteristics of Mens Artistic Gymnastics. Understanding the differences between the men and womens disciplines is vital to the formulation of this goal. It should be emphasised to focus the efforts on postural awareness of arm movements, specifically the shoulder area, and the core muscles in the torso region to target the athletic demands the current sport possesses. I am not advocating the lower body be neglected in mens development; this article is set out to work alongside traditional choreography sessions to allow for proper training of the different demands mens gymnastics presents. There are two reasons I believe Mens Choreography should provide an ulterior motive than womens. The first are the demands the two disciplines require. The main distinction between mens and womens gymnastics is that women have four pieces of equipment, three of which are jumping (the vault, beam and free exercises), while the men have six, of which only two involve jumping. (1) The development of the muscle groups from the waistline up in higher-level mens gymnastics is more intensive than its womens counterpart, as two-thirds of the events require a high level of strength in the upper body compared to one-quarter for the women. The second, involves the expressional differences between the mens discipline and womens discipline: Contemporary mens gymnastics is more athletic, while womens is more plastic and expressive, more artistic, even though it is one and the same sport expressing respectively the art of men and women. (1) Womens gymnastics sets out to create more of an artistic and expressive thesis in its aim, where the men stress a more athletic outlook in their objective. The Womens FIG points out during the Components of an Evaluation that The current philosophy for exercise content and combination encourages an emphasis on the mastery of dance and acrobatic choreography, artistically presented. (2)

Forget basic swing, forget routine after routine, forget trampoline for a second and enter the world of Mens Choreography. Perfect alignment is mandatory for high-calibre athletes in order to prevent injury, excel at their sports and move efficiently. (3) How many times do we find ourselves as coaches, spectators or judges yearning to see a perfect line in a handstand, a perfect straight posture when standing up, a balanced gymnast poised and steady on his feet, or hands for that matter? These characteristics are what make a gymnast strong. With them, a solid base can be formed with the structural sturdiness to layer higher-level awareness in the future. Without them, the basic foundation will crumble as the developmental process proceeds. From a coaching standpoint, getting gymnasts to understand - what a straight elbow feels like when the arms are actively pursuing a position, what constitutes the arms being raised straight above the head, where the arms should be when placed straight out to the side, how the pelvic region can be tilted forward etc. are invaluable. Without the conscious understanding of these postural fundamentals, gymnasts progress will be hindered along their development. Whether through lack of strength, or flexibility, this postural non-development will present problems for many elements. There are two categories of positions outlined below, Standing Arm Positions and Body Positions. Both are interdependent on each other to provide the necessary characteristics for postural development. The Arm Positions help to stabilise the shoulder region of the body while the Body Positions help to generate stability of the core muscles of the body in addition to placing load on the arms. Both work hand-in-hand to coordinate proper body alignment and should be incorporated in a mens choreography programme.

Standing Arm Positions There are five positions associated among this group. Meticulous detail must be given to the postural alignment of each of the positions. Chin up, stomach in, pelvis rotated under, arms straight, fingers straightened - all must be maintained throughout to achieve effective alignment procedures. If this attention to detail is overlooked, the corresponding incorrect position will almost certainly present itself when performing higher-level elements. The gymnast should become so familiar with these shapes that in the training of an element the coach could call a command and the gymnast would automatically be able to respond accordingly. For instance, when instructing gymnasts I have worked with in the past to begin twisting a straight bodied somersault, I would often use the command Position 2 on take off, show Position 3, then perform the subsequent twist A gymnast must be so used to the association between the body positions and the corresponding number system that consciously they can create an automated physical response. This physical response can be a powerful mechanism for a coach when trying to relate the proper pedagogical techniques to his gymnast. A simple game to play to help gymnast begin to memorise the Arm Positions is called Numbers. The coach calls out a certain number, or sequence of numbers and the gymnasts must arrive at the positions accordingly. Body Positions Body positions are exercises that enforce the mid-section to tighten up in order to facilitate the pelvic region, in this case the lower back, the abdominal regions and upper thigh areas, to allow for postural alignment. They serve as a useful progression for the muscles in the lower torso region to conform to a straight line. Often times, gymnasts are not sufficiently strong enough to perform such postural demands. Body Positions aim to combat this lack of strength and provide useful exercises to incorporate in the training of choreography. One common reaction when explaining the concept of pelvic rotation is confusion, frustration, or the amusing response of its not possible. A simple exercise is to instruct the confused participant to lay down flat on his belly and try and lift the belly button off the floor. The gymnast must rotate the pelvic region forward in order to raise the stomach off the floor. The pelvic tilt, as it is commonly referred to, is a standard component to the three shapes involved with Body Positions. Effort must be made to try and squeeze the hands towards the feet when statically holding these shapes. In other words, do not let the hands and feet slide outwards. To do this, the exercise must be performed with the toes pointed so the floor is in contact with the top of the ankle, rather than the balls of the toes.

The Practical Relationship of Mens Postural Alignment Many gymnasts spend their entire life practising handstands with the common goal of acquiring a straight alignment from the hands on the floor, to the feet in the air. An effective way of training this process should start at a very early age from choreography and postural alignment. The beauty of progressing this way is that the exercises are simple, all you need is a wall, or a floor, and you can perform them. Below are illustrations and explanations of only three exercises to begin the path to proper alignment. The exercises deal with the opening of the shoulders necessary to work a proper handstand. There are many more, be creative and come up with some. Exercise 1: Shoulder Raises

Lying flat on the stomach, with the chin hanging off of the surface you are lying on, raise arms parallel to the floor. This exercise can be performed with weights in the hands to increase the difficulty. It must be stressed that the arms remain shoulder width apart and the elbows remain straight. Exercise 2: Shoulder Presses with back to wall

Standing with heels on the wall and the entire back pressed against the wall (particularly the lower back), raise arms above head and try to hold hands to the wall. Arms must remain straight and shoulder width throughout static hold. Exercise 3: Shoulder Presses with stomach to wall

Standing with nose and toes in contact with the wall, raise arms off the wall without arching the back. Arms must remain straight and shoulder width apart throughout.

Choreography Routines Utilising the positions previously outlined coaches can begin to incorporate certain movements into a choreographed routine. An example of a routine is as follows: Starting position 1
Rapid arm swings upwards and downwards between Positions 1 & 2 Rapid arm swings, arm one going up to Position 2, one arm going down to Position 4

Starting position 2
Small, fast arm circles in both directions Large, slow arm circles in both directions

Starting position 3
Small, fast backwards arm circles Large, slow backwards arm circles Small, fast forwards arm circles Large, slow forwards arm circles

Starting position 4
Small, fast arm circles in both directions Arms swing upward to Position 2 and downward to Position 4

Starting position Body Tightners

Moving up and down from starting position, to hips on floor

The routine provided is meant as a guideline and can incorporate countless variations and advancements. Utilising hand weights, maximising the repetitions, and many other creative changes can bring highly challenging workouts with prosperous results. Again these movements are intended to go hand-in-hand with traditional choreography routines.

Conclusion The differences in mens and womens gymnastics should also influence a difference in the delivery of choreography. I believe choreography is essential to developing strong, healthy gymnasts. It is vital then to understand the demands mens gymnastics present and develop choreography routines to combat these demands. Mens Choreography can be an effective way for gymnasts and coaches the opportunity to train postural alignment. Performing choreographed routines daily before the start, or at the end of each workout can be very beneficial. You will begin to see much better lines in your gymnasts, which will correlate into much better fundamental building blocks to work with. I think this area in gymnastics development is often over looked and needs to be addressed. Many times we as coaches encounter problems in the pedagogical process of our gymnasts, many of these issues can be resolved with the fine tuning of postural concepts to facilitate proper advancements. Making postural alignment the cornerstone of development will continue to bring Mens Artistic Gymnastics delivery safely, progressively and most importantly aesthetically pleasing.

References 1. L. I. Arkaev & N. G. Suchilin. How to Create Champions The Theory and Methodology of Training Top-Class Gymnasts Oxford: Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2004 2. FDRATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE (2007) Code of Points Womens Artistic Gymnastics. Available from: http://www.fedintgym.com/rules/docs/06-code/02-wag/codewag0701-e.zip 3. Ellen Barrett (2004) Straighten up! Four steps to great posture. American Fitness. Available from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0675/is_3_22/ai_n6057269/pg_1