Gymnastics Training Article: Giant Swing on Uneven Bars

Gymnastics Training Article: Giant Swing on Uneven Bars
By Karen Goeller, CSCS

The gymnast must think of the skill as a giant swing OVER the bar. Here is the sequence of thoughts or cues for the coach and gymnast… Perform the cast handstand, push through the shoulders on the fall, look at the low bar, kick her feet under the low bar to open the hips and squeeze the buttocks. See the floor, wall, and ceiling, then kick (tap) as aggressively as possible over the bar and toward towards and then the wall behind the gymnast. That is so much different than what many gymnasts think and do during this skill.

With young girls they are often not strong or powerful enough to tap at the same time as an elite male gymnast would tap, so they must tap later than when a powerful gymnast would tap so that she gets over the bar. Many female gymnasts are not strong enough to hold the correct position for the length of time from the tap at the bottom to the time she begins to fall for the next giant. The young female gymnast may need to tap when her belly is facing the ceiling when she begins to learn the skill. As she gains strength and speed she will naturally begin to tap earlier. Girls often must learn giants a differently than boys because the center of gravity with their bodies is often at their hips, their lack of power, and they must consider the body positions to pass the low bar. Make sure you are considering all of these factors when you train your gymnast.

The gymnast should be performing tap swings and giants on the straps to become comfortable with speed and high numbers in each set. She should be able to generate a giant from a tap swing on the straps before she learns the skill on the uneven bars. The coach should then spot the gymnast for a minimum of 3-6 giants in a set on the uneven bars for at least 4 sets during each workout so that she becomes more comfortable with the skill. If the gymnast only performs 1-3 giants in each set she may never develop the speed and power necessary to progress to more advanced skills.

Many gymnasts need more handstand work and planche drills than they currently perform. Many coaches do not offer enough conditioning that helps with that last portion of the shoulder movement to open the shoulder angle. The wall climb exercise works wonders for cast handstand strength. That drill is explained at the end of the article.

A common issue regarding the timing of the giant is that some gymnasts flick their wrists too early. This often causes the shoulders and core to open into an arch and that results in a fall from the bar. Another common problem with this skill is that many gymnasts think they should stop in a handstand at the top of a giant. When they attempt to stop in the handstand, which is not correct, they end up stalling and falling because they did not make it to the top or over the bar.

One great way to learn and practice giants is to perform them in a tuck position as a warm up. The gymnast usually begins to understand that she must tuck her buttocks under and kick her knees and shins over the bar. There is a pelvic tilt exercise in the book, Handstand Drills and Conditioning Exercises. Once a gymnast understands that she must kick over the bar rather than stopping at the top she can perform the skill more consistently. Once she is comfortable she can begin to open her tuck, but remind her that she must keep her buttocks under from the time she taps until she kicks her feet under the low bar for the next giant or her dismount.

Another great way for gymnasts to become more comfortable and efficient with the skill is to perform more than 5 each time they are on the bars rather than the 1 or 2 at a time. A coach should spot the gymnast for long sets of giants. She should try to see if she can add one more giant to the long set each week. By the time a gymnast can perform 10-12 giants with spot she should be able to compete 1-3 in a routine. Giants lead to many different skills on bars, just as the back handspring leads to more advanced skills on floor such as the double back. It is important to remind any frustrated gymnasts not to give up. They will become more comfortable with the skill over time.

The drills in the book,  Handstand Drills and Conditioning Exercises help with the shoulder strength necessary to perform a strong and efficient cast handstand. There is information on the handstand book at www.GymnasticsDrills.com.

By Karen Goeller, CSCS
Gymnastics and Fitness Author