qualitative analysis of the balance beam
Goals:
· Maintain dynamic balance on the beam while standing, walking, and doing stunts.
· Everything is judged on the beam in gymnastics, so you want to maximize points through perfect technique and form.
· Minimize excursions while on the beam. (Indicating forces are unequal causing the gymnast to wobble to find balance)
· Perform the most difficult stunts within your capability to maximize points.
· Avoid falling off the beam.
· Maintain dynamic balance on the beam while standing, walking, and doing stunts.
· Everything is judged on the beam in gymnastics, so you want to maximize points through perfect technique and form.
· Minimize excursions while on the beam. (Indicating forces are unequal causing the gymnast to wobble to find balance)
· Perform the most difficult stunts within your capability to maximize points.
· Avoid falling off the beam.
Biomechanical Factors of the Balance Beam:
· Dynamic equilibrium
o The forces from gravity and the beam must cancel each other out to maintain equilibrium. Even when standing “still” the body is moving about an axis at the ankles and sways slightly.
o When gymnasts change positions (like perform on one leg or flip and land) they need to redistribute their forces so they can be in equilibrium again.
· Base of support
o The beam is very narrow, so it will be less stable than standing on the ground. It will also limit how much we can move our feet to change our base of support.
o Foot size, number of feet on the beam, or other body positions on the beam will change the size of the base of support and how the gymnast stabilizes. For example, the base of support will be different with two feet on the beam, one hand on the beam, and with doing a split and laying on the beam.
· Stability and positioning
o Where the gymnast positions their center of mass in relation to their base of support. So for each stunt or
even different body position, the center of mass needs to be in a slightly different position or angle in relation to the base of support.
o This is why gymnasts are fully standing for some stunts and tucked low for others. They need to realign their center of mass to successfully complete different balance activities.
o The gymnast’s actual height will change their stability because it will change the distance of their center of mass from their base of support. This may be why so many successful gymnasts are short and petite.
o Stability will also influence subsequent skill execution. So if a gymnast starts a skill without perfect stability, the following moves will not be successful.
· The skill’s speed will also increase or decrease ease of balance as well. When landing from a very quick skill, the gymnast has a little less time to get their body in the right position for balancing after the landing.
· Vision, the vestibular system, and proprioception will change balance capabilities because they are the regulatory mechanisms for balance and kinesthesia.
· The actual skill being performed will change the forces acting on the body and will make balance or landing with balance more or less difficult. For example, landing from a front tuck versus landing from a cartwheel will be different because of the body positioning and the forces acting on the body. However, the biomechanical factors listed above will play a huge role in all skills on the beam.
Critical Features to Look For:
· Size of base of support
· Height
· Body positioning (center of mass in relation to base of support)
· Skill difficulty and body positioning of the skill
· Arm positioning for balance
· Speed of the skill
· If I were examining a specific skill on the beam I would make sure they were also correctly completing that skill; otherwise, they may not be able to balance afterwards because their body may not be in the right position.
Observation Plan:
· Frontal and sagittal views to see all angles of the beam and body positioning.
· Focus on their base of support first. Are they positioned correctly? Could their feet be wider? Are their feet completely on the beam?
· Next I would focus on how well they are keeping their center of mass in their base of support. Are they too high or too low? Are they overcompensating when they lose balance?
· Listen to how they land on the beam. You can usually hear landings very clearly.
· Watch the quality of the skill as well to make sure they are successfully doing it.
· Dynamic equilibrium
o The forces from gravity and the beam must cancel each other out to maintain equilibrium. Even when standing “still” the body is moving about an axis at the ankles and sways slightly.
o When gymnasts change positions (like perform on one leg or flip and land) they need to redistribute their forces so they can be in equilibrium again.
· Base of support
o The beam is very narrow, so it will be less stable than standing on the ground. It will also limit how much we can move our feet to change our base of support.
o Foot size, number of feet on the beam, or other body positions on the beam will change the size of the base of support and how the gymnast stabilizes. For example, the base of support will be different with two feet on the beam, one hand on the beam, and with doing a split and laying on the beam.
· Stability and positioning
o Where the gymnast positions their center of mass in relation to their base of support. So for each stunt or
even different body position, the center of mass needs to be in a slightly different position or angle in relation to the base of support.
o This is why gymnasts are fully standing for some stunts and tucked low for others. They need to realign their center of mass to successfully complete different balance activities.
o The gymnast’s actual height will change their stability because it will change the distance of their center of mass from their base of support. This may be why so many successful gymnasts are short and petite.
o Stability will also influence subsequent skill execution. So if a gymnast starts a skill without perfect stability, the following moves will not be successful.
· The skill’s speed will also increase or decrease ease of balance as well. When landing from a very quick skill, the gymnast has a little less time to get their body in the right position for balancing after the landing.
· Vision, the vestibular system, and proprioception will change balance capabilities because they are the regulatory mechanisms for balance and kinesthesia.
· The actual skill being performed will change the forces acting on the body and will make balance or landing with balance more or less difficult. For example, landing from a front tuck versus landing from a cartwheel will be different because of the body positioning and the forces acting on the body. However, the biomechanical factors listed above will play a huge role in all skills on the beam.
Critical Features to Look For:
· Size of base of support
· Height
· Body positioning (center of mass in relation to base of support)
· Skill difficulty and body positioning of the skill
· Arm positioning for balance
· Speed of the skill
· If I were examining a specific skill on the beam I would make sure they were also correctly completing that skill; otherwise, they may not be able to balance afterwards because their body may not be in the right position.
Observation Plan:
· Frontal and sagittal views to see all angles of the beam and body positioning.
· Focus on their base of support first. Are they positioned correctly? Could their feet be wider? Are their feet completely on the beam?
· Next I would focus on how well they are keeping their center of mass in their base of support. Are they too high or too low? Are they overcompensating when they lose balance?
· Listen to how they land on the beam. You can usually hear landings very clearly.
· Watch the quality of the skill as well to make sure they are successfully doing it.
balance_beam_checklist.docx | |
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Evaluation Plan:
· Figure out if the issue is technical or fear related.
· Focus on the correct base of support first. If they are not positioning their base of support correctly they will not be able to balance. Make sure they know how to keep their center of mass in the correct range of their base of support for each skill they complete.
· Practice skill related issues off the beam first to make sure they can master the technical aspects before adding balance back into the skill.
· Build the appropriate strength and flexibility simultaneously.
· Figure out if the issue is technical or fear related.
· Focus on the correct base of support first. If they are not positioning their base of support correctly they will not be able to balance. Make sure they know how to keep their center of mass in the correct range of their base of support for each skill they complete.
· Practice skill related issues off the beam first to make sure they can master the technical aspects before adding balance back into the skill.
· Build the appropriate strength and flexibility simultaneously.