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Gymnastics
Revolution
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THE SPLIT
By: Brian
Bakalar
Gymnasts
around the world are known for their flexibility. Although
the rhythmic gymnast is historically more flexible than the
artistic gymnast, both athletes are among the most limber in
all sports. One skill, one pose, one element seems to be the
benchmark of flexibility, and that skill is known as the
split.
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Although often referred to as “the splits,”
each single held position should properly be called a “split.”
There are several types of splits that a gymnast (or any
flexible person) can perform. When the left leg is held in front
of the body, and the right leg is behind, that athlete is
performing a Left Leg Front Split. When the legs are switched,
the result is a Right Leg Front Split. When both legs are held
out to the sides, the athlete is in a Side Split, or more
commonly, a Middle Split.
Many children perform a split in play, and many gymnasts
practice their splits at home. However, it is important that
parents and friends do not try to coach or “help” the athlete in
the areas of flexibility. People will rarely hurt themselves
when stretching alone, but when an excited parent, or a joking
friend forces a stretch to go farther than it should, injuries
could result. Most gymnastics coaches have training and years of
experience with the musculature of the human body, so do not be
fooled into thinking that you can do the same thing as a coach:
you don’t want to hurt anyone!
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In order to perform a split, the gymnast must have excellent
flexibility in several muscle groups. Her hip flexors,
hamstrings, groin, and quadriceps must be very limber. When
performed properly, a front split has “square hips.” This
requirement, important as gymnastics skills often require a
split position, means that the pelvis should not be turned in
any direction, but rather kept perpendicular to the legs. Ballet
allows for the hips to turn out, which can permit the legs to
extend beyond the 180 degree requirement of a split, but
gymnastics most often demands square hips, to prevent the body
from moving laterally in those harder skills. (In other words,
if her hips aren’t square, that split leap on the beam might not
LAND on the beam!)
Gymnasts rely on a split position, whether front or side, for
countless skills. As mentioned before, the split leap is an
extremely common skill. The back walkover contains a split
position when performed well. Even common tumbling skills like
round-offs and cartwheels can be improved with a better split
position. And who among fans of gymnastics can’t picture Holly
Vise in her famous split on the Balance Beam?
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Development of a good split happens in a number of ways. Over the
last several years, gymnasts have moved away from “static”
stretches, where a gymnast simply sits in a split position,
allowing her legs to stretch. Instead, a more dynamic approach
is becoming more common for developing flexibility in the split
position. In dynamic stretching, the gymnast must allow her legs
to go to their most stretched position, and then, using those
same muscles, she pulls (contracts) her legs back, and then
relaxes, allowing them to stretch further. This motion is
repeated several times, and the muscles and ligaments will
slowly become more flexible. A few other factors exist: warm
muscles are more elastic, and therefore can stretch better than
cold muscles. Muscles can be warmed with the body’s own heat:
cardiovascular exercises will bring the body’s temperature up,
or with outside heat: the same effect as feeling your muscles
relax in a hot tub. Ideally, both of these conditions are
applied to those muscles.
Gymnasts also use the stretching properties of an “over-split”
when stretching. An over-split, in gymnastics, is that position
that extends a split beyond 180 degrees. Gymnasts who can
already perform a split find that an “over-split” helps their
muscles continue to stretch.
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At Gymnastics Revolution, our gymnasts use these, and some other
methods for attaining their splits. However, a far more
important aspect of the development of flexibility lies in the
mind of the gymnast. We challenge and motivate our athletes to
develop flexibility on their own time. There simply isn’t enough
time in the gym to work on every single skill every single day.
We have found that engaging the gymnasts in a challenge, or
sometimes just clearly requiring the work, has produced very
good results in flexibility. Gymnasts who take their careers and
training seriously are willing to do the work required, and this
includes their flexibility. The concept that can be derived from
this situation is quite simple. One of the strongest tools a
gymnast can have when she begins developing her flexibility is
motivation. A gymnast who WANTS to learn a split will put in the
time and effort required to learn a split. |
Unlike many elements in gymnastics, a split is an attainable goal
for anyone. With patience and determination, even the tightest
of muscles can be stretched. Whether you want to just improve
your leg flexibility, or impress your friends with a 180 degree
split (all the way down), or you are a high-level gymnast, who
needs her split to pass 180 degrees for full credit on a leap,
split flexibility is something you can accomplish and improve!
The information contained in this article is only to be used for
informational purposes. This is NOT a training regiment, nor is
it a prescription for better flexibility. Remember, only a
certified, professional gymnastics coach should be training a
gymnast to improve her flexibility. Undoubtedly, these methods,
and many others, will be employed in the development of a split. |
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Tel: 203-798-8651