Still Rings Skills Overview

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This video is a nice overview of the named gymnastics strength and swing elements performed on the still rings. The pure strength skills are interspersed throughout the video with the swinging elements. An especially nice feature of this video is that the higher level swinging elements are often shown twice; first at normal speed and then in slow motion.

From a coaching perspective, it is interesting to note that many of the more exotic swinging variations (csollanys, Li Nings, guzhoghys) used primarily in the late 80s and 90s are no longer seen very often in competition due to their long-term potential to permanently damage the shoulders. From their institution as competitive elements, I have always refused to teach these elements to my athletes for this very reason; despite their formerly being worth a great deal of points.

The two Balandin variations (beginning at the 2:50 mark) are amazing 8);

1) from a still hang, using absolutely no swing or momentum but only pure strength, perform a straight-arm pull through iron cross to maltese. Note that he is meticulous in not allowing his shoulders to rise higher than ring height as he transitions from the iron cross to the maltese. This segment alone is maximally difficult, let along adding a butterfly (straight-arm pull-up to iron cross) in front of it!

2) from a still hang, using absolutely no swing or momentum but only pure strength, perform a straight-arm pull through iron cross to inverted cross.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Came across this video some time ago; it is awesome to watch. The Balandins were shocking to see for the first time. I don't know if I have ever seen a better cross pull alone, but to link it to the maltese and invert so smoothly was phenomenal.

too bad they don't do Balandins nowadays, now every elite level athlete seems to go up with an Azarian

+ Li Nings look very impressive and incorporate very weird shoulder positions, it's a pitty that they tear the shoulders up

O'Neill look really great

Chris said:

too bad they don't do Balandins nowadays, now every elite level athlete seems to go up with an Azarian

That's not quite true. Balandin 1 and Balandin 2 is old few years. Competitor Balandin is somewhere cca. 22 years old :wink:

Azarian is old and easier.

Why do they start with azarian?

1.it's simple, because it's one of the most easiest D-crosses.

2.Highest mark for cross is a D-value

3.from Cross you can press to maltese (that risees maltese from D to E value) or press to inverted cross (D piked and straight E, normal inverted cross is just C).

4.The easiest combination of three high ranked strength moves in the row is: azarian; press to maltese; press to inverted. And with that you satisfy to three of 5 hold positions (other two are planche and victorian and you can only hold maximum two same end hold positions with two diffrent elements).

PS:ok there are 7 holds positions, but who counts front lever and back lever (handstand is exempted from this, because handstands are not strength holds)....

I hope I was clear enough

Clear enough for sure :wink:

Gregor is it even normal for an elite to be able to perform Balandins?

No, that's why Balandin got it named after him. It's fairly new, right Gregor?

okay Gregor destroyed my whining well, I get the point that it's very useful to start with an Azarian and progress as you describe, nevertheless Balandin is a very impressive skill, at least I'd wish to see it in a routine or during a gala or something. Do you know what rating if any does a Balandin have?

Thanks Blairbob, i should have realised that haha..

Both balandins are E skills

Yeah, butterfly cross is unfortunately a D just like azarian which is why most people don't do it. Too hard for the rating it's been given.

Blairbob yes

braindx said:

Yeah, butterfly cross is unfortunately a D just like azarian which is why most people don't do it. Too hard for the rating it's been given.

BAlandin is just an E, because you have easier Es, nobody does them. My asumption is that Balandin is very strong on butterfly cross and for him is like doing azarian.

I prefer backroll to maltese, wich is an F, I can do Balandin 1, but for me is easier backroll to maltese. Alot depends from person to perso, someone is stronger on specific positions, other elswhere.

Yeah, probably. The reason we don't see stuff like butterfly cross, baladin1, baladin2, etc. is because of the easier skills at the same letter grade. Kinda sucks.

Do you know why they devalued inverted cross to C? Especially considering such moves as kip to cross, backuprise to cross, back uprise straddle planche are also C skills but much easier than inverted cross.

From my understanding inverted is nearly the same strength difficulty as maltese which is still valued at D?

braindx said:

Yeah, probably. The reason we don't see stuff like butterfly cross, baladin1, baladin2, etc. is because of the easier skills at the same letter grade. Kinda sucks.

Do you know why they devalued inverted cross to C? Especially considering such moves as kip to cross, backuprise to cross, back uprise straddle planche are also C skills but much easier than inverted cross.

From my understanding inverted is nearly the same strength difficulty as maltese which is still valued at D?

Not quite true.

Kip to cross is no longer in code of points, due to F.I.G. understanding aas two diffrent elements in the direct swing move (in this example:cross and inverted cross).

Backuprise to inverted cross is D.

Backuprise to stradle planche is C, because planche is easier then maltese wich is D. Notice that young gymnast who ordinary could not do the normal cross, they usualy do Stradlle planche. Other thing is that stradlle planche could be very wide stradle almost in a split so that makes it very easy.

Depends I manegd to do inverted in two or three weeks time,....ok I was quite strong when I started to learn it, but if you look at my maltese: I nearly spend two years time to make it good. Depends from person to person, but generaly ranking are very thoughtfull ranked.

I wonder if anyone has access to some good video of basic swing development and some pointers to developing the swing. I understand it takes much longer to develop good swing on rings than bars, but have found the process quite frustrating. Also, most of the video I find is well beyond the basics. Inlocates and dislocates are barely there and don't seem to be developing any height. Back uprise is starting to come, but the low swing makes it pretty ugly and muscled (is this normal at first?). Would love to hear from any coaches who've developed the basic skills with their athletes -what errors do you look for, what are the main "stepping stones" you try to develop, what drills work the best?

Thanks!

You may find the following post of mine helpful.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Steve, that thread covers a lot.

I look for errors such as them allowing their head to pull back out of their shoulders in the front swing ( so it looks like a front lever ) and looking forward in the back swing. I want that head in between the shoulders.

I don't teach beginners to pull the rings back at first but merely to swing their body as much as possible and keep their head in. In fact, I don't teach beginners to do anything with the rings but hold onto them with an opposed grip. I could try to tell them to face the ring forward ( so the rings face forward and backwards vs parallel ). Then I coach the ring action of pushing the rings forward and out in the back swing after their swing is hollow and getting near horizontal. Next is the action of pulling the rings back in the front swing.

After that, it's just about learning to swing till you are above horizontal. Sometimes, because of the compulsory routines we have to try to get boys to do inlocates who don't have a decent backward swing. This typically leads to a horrible pikey inlocate that will go nowhere.

kip to cross is still in the code page 76 image 45

deljosque said:

kip to cross is still in the code page 76 image 45

Yes!

At the time I thought this rule is also for kip to cross...

some of my gymnasts have a schoulder inlocation that happens in stages is this a lack of strenght in the rotator cuff muscles or is this normal for some people?

jos

deljosque said:

some of my gymnasts have a schoulder inlocation that happens in stages is this a lack of strenght in the rotator cuff muscles or is this normal for some people?

jos

I don't understand you what do you mean. :oops:

when i help my gymnasts with shoulder flexibility the in and dislocation of the shoulders happens in 2 stages not in one time i'll post a video soon