Video Critique And Questions

Hi.

I'm new to gymnastics and just got the coach's book. I videotaped my early attempts to do some of the warmups suggested here and several of the basic moves. I'm hoping you can critique of my form and answer a few questions.

In the video below I do

1) 60 seconds of plank

2) 60 seconds of reverse plank

3) 60 seconds arch hold (superman?)

4) 60 seconds hollow holds

5) A beginners flat tuck planche for a few seconds

6) Rough L-Sit done on the ground for a few seconds

7) Handstands

8) 60 seconds Hanging? Not sure what this is called.

9) Few seconds L-Sit PB tuck and L-Sit PB low with chairs

1iyM5y52_aE

http://youtu.be/1iyM5y52_aE

Besides my desire to have you point out any form issues, I'd like to ask a few questions

1) On hollow holds, should my chest be coming up more? It's hard to tell in this video, but it is slightly raised. However, I have a weird knobby tailbone that often gets bloody/bruised from doing situps/crunches, and when I raise up too much it becomes an issue.

2) Is it ok to be trying to do L-sits on the ground? If it is, is my first posture, with my feet crossed to support each other, an ok beginning position? Any suggestions

3) I'm able to do 60 seconds in frog stand and advanced frog stands and so I'm trying to move on to flat tuck planche. So far this is as far as I'm able to come off the ground, and it's pretty draining. I'm wondering if my form is ok. I feel like my arms are angled too much. Any feedback on this position is welcome.

4) In L-sit PB low, do I bring up knees up first, as in PB tuck, and then try to extend my legs forward, or do I attempt to keep my legs completely straight and just raise them?

5) I used to be fairly good at handstands when I was doing them for yoga, but my form probably has some flaws. Is the goal to be straight up and down. How about spine curvature? I tend to curve the spine a bit, which helps with balance.

6) Anything else I should know?

Thanks in advance.

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1. Only your lower back should be flat on the ground. I have the same issue with the back, and if it hurts, I think you have to flatten out your lower back more.

2. L-sit on the ground is much harder than doing it on an elevated surface. Try balancing the L-sit on either paralletes or a stack of books and tuck your legs in, not cross it.

3. Your hips should be in the same level as your shoulder. Also, the progression after an adv. frog stand is the tucked planche (back rounded).

4. Either method is okay.

5. Your back should be slightly hollow and you need to open your shoulder while shrugging them into your ears.

The hold you're questioning is called a support hold.

Keep it up, man. Your work will pay off in the end.

phken4343 said:

3. Your hips should be in the same level as your shoulder. Also, the progression after an adv. frog stand is the tucked planche (back rounded).

Thanks for your reply.

I'm not sure I understand how I can get into a rounded back without increasing my strength through practice. Is it ok to be doing them like I'm doing them with the end goal of pulling up more/having the rounded back, or is there something fundamentally wrong with my form that I need to address.

Well, if you say that you can do a 60s adv. frog-stand, you should have most of the strength to work tucked planches. Also, everyone needs to keep on doing strength work. The tucked planches are for warm-ups.

2) l-sit on the ground is ultimately ok, but for where you are at right now you should find something higher to give your legs more clearance. The posture you are using with your feet crossed is not ok, your knees need to be together otherwise you are strengthening a very different hip position than an actual l-sit, and there wont be nearly as much carry over to the l-sit as there would be if you were in a tuck position.

3) I'd like to hear someone's opinion who is more knowledgeable, but i don't think you are ready to be doing tucked planches yet. The transition from advanced frog stand to tuck planche can be very hard for some people, you should either spend more time in your advanced frog stand and work on trying to rest your knees on your elbows as little as possible, or do planche leans: Elevate your feet on something, until they are at shoulder level, and lean forward into a "planche position" only far enough forward so that you are still able to hold the position for at least 20 seconds. whatever you do for for your planche, make sure that you are pushing forward and extending your shoulders as far as possible.

4) I've never heard any specifics regarding this and I don't think it matters very much. Just make sure that when you are in the static position your knees are completely locked out.

5) In your handstand your hands need to be shoulder width apart, they are much to wide right now. Make sure your elbows are locked out as well. You have quite a large arch in your back right now, which is caused by your shoulders being very closed. Do lots of shoulder stretching so that you can really get your arms up by your ears in your handstand position. On top of the stretching there are lots of good active shoulder flexibility drills on this site to help with that as well (look up wall extension, and dislocates). The body position in your handstand should essentially be the hollow body position you are working on holding with you other statics (the plank hold and the hollow body hold), you should strive to have no arch in your handstand. Also push up through your shoulders are far as you can, you should literally be working toward trying to squeeze your ears between your shoulders. And finally, when you kick up to your handstand, right now you are bending your leg and trying to find the wall and then tapping off to handstand. You should really try your hardest to kick straight up to your handstand, and then use the wall to tap off only if you over shoot. Feel free to start your kick up much closer to the wall too.

6)

- Feet together on all exercises. separating your feet slightly is actually making your static holds a little bit easier which is not what you want.

-In your support hold (position 8 ) push down with your shoulders as hard as you can, and try to generate some inward tension on the chairs that you are using as well, on solid objects you can push away and still maintain a support position, but on the rings you will need to keep the rings squeezed in towards your body.

-Toe pointing is optional, but most people do prefer it aesthetically, it helps generate a little more body tension which is important, especially in the more advanced static holds, and it actually shortens the muscles of the posterior chain slightly (glutes, hamstrings, calves etc.) which means your pike will be more flexible, and you will be able to get your legs slightly higher in your l-sit.

-In your plank and reverse plank positions, find something to elevate your feet on to shoulder height, it will make the holds slightly more difficult.

Good work overall, a lot of these things are just slight changes, your positions do look pretty nice. your handstand is quite solid too, well done

Thanks for the lengthy response. Much appreciated.

Form follows function, keep toes/feet pointed, body should try to stay hollow, shoulders fully extended(as if you were reaching for the sky).