Pommel Horse A Skills

A SKILLS

Numbers and focus on technique are the keys to circles.
1/2 circle to counter-turned rear support on floor dome.
Lots of tight stretched circles on a floor dome.
Do more circles. Be sure that you are extended, don't get lazy.
Don't start with your hips too high. This is a common mistake and will cause the circle to drop in the front. Be sure to start with your hips low.
Use a piece of chalk on the floor and draw a clock. Have the gymnast place both hands in between the numbers three and nine (chest facing twelve). Slowly from number to number stress the shape of hips, shoulder postition (lean) tightness of body (thighs, butt,abs,arms). This drill if done repeatedly will ensure that bad swinging habits never develop. After this drill can be seen by student w/out a coaches instruction (student automatically knows what postion body should be in at the calling of the number on clock)then it is time to move to a mushroom and bucket. The clock should still be drawn on the floor under the mushroom. Never stop correcting form and timing of hands.
Work circles in a bucket with a soft cone between then hands. Height of the cone (or stack) is determined by the arm length of the gymnast. This forces the gymnast to extend and push away. Arms must remain straight and close together.

Start by doing good counterturned circles and straddling a little bit. As you straddle more the motion will begin to change, eventually developing into the flair.
A common error is to kick the legs up in the front. This causes the flair to be piked and should be avoided.
Be sure to drive the left heel back as the flair passes through the front.
As with circles do lots of em.

Take the pommels off the horse to start working this skill. The pommels can be intimidating and will cause the gymnast to break form.
Focus on the front of the loop being about 20deg before the horse not directly in-line with it.
Work a lot of front loops on a floor horse if available.

Work these skills in a bucket if available.
Keep tight and extended as you shift to the left pommel.
Don't rush the skill, let the swing do the work. Just keep tight and supported.
Even though the skill is turning with the circle be sure to counterturn so you can maintain support.

A solid rear moore will aid in learning this skill.
As the circle continues through the front shift your weight so that your hips are almost directly over your right hand.
Work to reach under yourself with your left hand to get to the pommel/leather as soon as possible to establish a support.

Take the pommels off the horse to start working this skill. The pommels can be intimidating and will cause the gymnast to break form.
Focus on the front of the loop being about 20deg before the horse not directly in-line with it.
Work a lot of rear loops on a floor horse if available.
The rear swing should just barely clear the pommels (unless the gymnast already swings huge). If the rear portion of the swing is too high then the swing will drop in the front.

Having a good stride swing is essential to a good scissor.
A good conditioning drill for scissors is a side support leg lift. Hold a side support on one arm with legs together. Lift the top leg towards the celing and lower.
On the stride swing the hips should be turned towards the direction of the swing.
An aggresive kick of the rear leg at the bottom of the swing is needed to carry the swing to the proper position.
A good drill is to do a stride swing to straddle side support on the horse. The front leg will come to rest on the horse with the rear leg lifted as high as possible. Once this dril is performed adequately a scissor is simply finishing the switch of the legs.
Working false scissors well makes a larger improvement to scissors than working scissors. A false scissor is a scissor without bringing the rear leg forward, finishing in a rear straddle swing.

The gymnast should have a solid scissor that is fully supported throughout.
As the swing reaches it's peak the right hand reaches over as the left hand blocks off causing a small hop.
The left hand should reach back for the pommel to continue the swing.
A natural tendency is to let the skill drop at the end, be ready for the support and continue the swing. Always do a scissor or false scissor immediately after the scissor half when working this skill.

Travel downs are reasonably easy if the gymnast has a strong circle.
Be sure that your left hand is on the rear portion of the pommel to allow your right to grab the front.
As you step down to the end of the horse be sure to extend your left arm to the horse rather than waiting till you fall towards the end.
The motion of the circle should not change as you move to the end of the horse.

Very similar to the travel down except the skill needs to be initiated with an aggresive push of the right hand and quick shift to the support on the left hand.
Extended, well supported uphill circles are crucial.