What's wrong with this picture?
(Property of USAG)
Give up? Alicia Sacramone, who's closest to the camera, isn't all the way down in her splits. She's probably at 165-170 degrees. In the air, that wouldn't be a split; on the floor, it isn't one either. I love A-Sac even more than the next person, but there are several other pictures of Alicia not hitting her splits around the internet. And she isn't the only elite either.
I'm not even talking about having active flexibility in jumps, I'm just talking being able to go all the way down in the splits! If you're training 40 hours a week, there is no reason you should be unable to go all the way down in the splits. Flexibility and strength are the foundation of gymnastics. In my eyes, if you can't hit the splits, all the way to 180 degrees on the ground, that's almost as bad as being unable to hold a handstand.
I disagree with the TOPs coach in this video who says, "Girls, I'm telling you now, you need to get your splits all the way down. Unless you've got a double-double on floor, there's no excuse."
There's never an excuse.
(Property of Heather Maynez)
Is it just one leg or is it both?
ReplyDeleteBoth, but her right side isn't NEARLY as bad. She's much, much closer.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.athleteswives.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Alicia-Sacramone-split.jpg
Do you really think Asac is training 40 hours per week on three events? I don't! I bet she is doing more like 25-30/week.
ReplyDeletei noticed that too in her straddle... Aly's straddle wasn't down all the way either
ReplyDeleteEhh, I'll give you the left split, but her right split looks pretty much all the way down. I think with her musculature (she's obviously a lot more built than just about all the girls), it may not be physically possible for her to get much lower, if at all, on the right leg split.
ReplyDeleteShe admitted in some interview I was watching that she basically couldn't completely do the splits on the ground b/c she really wasn't flexible. She said she's able to hit them in jumps b/c of her strength.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the poster above in that Asac fully admitted in a recent interview that shes not flexible at all and only gets things done based on her strength.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with another postet above re Asacs training. In following her twitter it has seem obvious the past year or so that she only semi-trains. Meanings works out (strength & cardio) in Colorado and then goes back to Boston for a week to train skills This definitely was possible in 2010/2011 but given the depth of team usa I dont see this being wise heading into london. Who knows, once shes recovered maybe she'll rework her schedule.
What's one thing that would surprise people about you as a gymnast?
ReplyDeleteI'm really not that flexible. When I do my jumps for gymnastics, I only get into those positions because I'm relatively strong. It has nothing to do with flexibility. I can do splits and touch my toes, but for a gymnast, I can barely move. It's always been a struggle. Believe me, I work on it. Nobody understands how I cannot be flexible and still have great jumps. Saddlesplits, oversplits, legs past the ear ... I watch little girls with envy doing this and think, "God, I wish I could do that."
Quote from an article
http://espn.go.com/espnw/body-issue/7054005/alicia-sacramone
I've seen that quote before. It doesn't change the fact that I can't stand that her splits aren't all the way down.
ReplyDeleteshe is the freaking world champion on vault for 2010. if she uses her strength to get her splits to hit in the air then so be it. you can't have it all! i expect your next terrible tuesday post to be about cheng feis uneven bar skills.
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of myself. I totally noticed that about Alicia.
ReplyDeleteAt first glance I thought your question "What's wrong with this picture?" was about the picture of Marta. I was going to respond, "Nothing."
ReplyDeleteThis totally explains the ugly upside down split on beam... I do like Alicia, I really do! But That... should've been cut from the routine years ago.
ReplyDeleteI agree with anonymous, if she has to use strength to get her splits in the air, oh well. Here's a pic from 2010 beam finals:
ReplyDeletehttp://cheng.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/2010-Worlds-Rotterdam/G0000AySodeaMeKU/I0000ijiKSIpy_Ws
Now, I'm not a World Class gymnast or anything, but as I got older my ability to go all the way down in my splits got harder and harder. I was a TOPs gymnast growing up, and could complete all the flexibility challenges, but once my body changed it was nearly impossible for me to make all my splits while streching. Alicia and I have very similar bodies and I assume that's what happened with her as well. At least her hips are square. I'd rather see a gymnast with square hips, but not all the way down than someone who is all the way down with their belly-button facing an opposite wall which happens all too often in elite gymnastics.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather see a gymnast who hits 180 in the air, since that's what they're being judged on anyway.
ReplyDeleteI've definitely noticed some weird contradictions in this, besides Alicia. On the flip side you have Lauren Mitchell. She's clearly very flexible, as evidenced by her switch ring leap (see Visa commercial), but she almost never gets anywhere close to 180 on any tour jeté skill.
How Hard Do you push people ?
ReplyDeleteBecause my daughter wants to start,
but i don't want her hurting herself and
doing things she dose not feel comfortable doing ?
Splits are taught at Level ONE of gymnastics.
ReplyDeleteIt's like walking. You can't walk but you fake walking by quickly switching from one foot to the other to prevent falling. It's not really walking, isn't it? It's more like hobbling.