Skill Themes in Gymnastics

1
Chapter 30

• Skill Themes in Gymnastics

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Chapter 30 Key Points

• Chapter aims to foster an understanding of the
  teaching of movement concepts and skill themes in
  gymnastics
  
• Self-testing nature and use of apparatus in
  gymnastics makes it different from the teaching
  of the dance or games
  
• Self-testing challenges allow children to
• Receive immediate feedback regarding the skill
  they are performing
  
• Receive feedback which is personal and not
  dependent on others
  
• Participate in tasks which are natural movements
  to children and where success can be achieved
  without the participation of others.

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Chapter 30 Key Points

• Educational Gymnastics
• Is different from and has different purposes from
  Olympic gymnastics (which is best taught after
  school)
  
• Provides learning experiences that teaches
  children to effectively control and maneuver
  their bodies against the force of gravity both on
  the floor and on apparatus
• Provides a foundation that introduces to
  gymnastic-type activities and increases their
  skills

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Chapter 30 Key Points

• Educational Gymnastics (cont)
• Integrates skill themes (traveling, jumping and
  landing, balancing, weight transfer) and movement
  concepts (space awareness, effort and
  relationships)
• Important to incorporate skill themes and
  movement concepts into gymnastics only after
  children have experienced them in isolation
  and/or in games/dance contexts

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Chapter 30 Key Points

• Educational Gymnastics (cont)
• Are either floor or apparatus experiences
• Floor include movements done on mat, carpet or
  grass
  
• Apparatus include movements done in relation to
  equipment e.g. tables, benches, beams, bars,
  boxes, playground equipment.
  
• Teach for mastery of balancing, weight transfer
  and rolling skills on floor first before
  attempting them on apparatus
  
• Progression from floor activities ? low, large
  surface area apparatus ? higher, more narrow
  apparatus.

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Floor Experiences in Educational Gymnastics

• Precontrol Level
• Balance on different body parts
• Balance on wide bases of support
• Balance in different shapes
• Curve body in rounded shape for
  rolling/rocking
  
• Transfer weight safely on and off equipment
• Control Level
• Roll from different positions and in different
  directions
  
• Inverted balance with an emphasis on body
  alignment and muscular tension
  
• Concept of stillness
• Combine skills and combine skills and concepts
• Introduction to sequencing

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Floor Experiences in Educational Gymnastics (cont)

• Utilization Level
• More advanced and complex sequences of
  movement
  
• Combinations of balances, weight-transfer
  actions, and traveling
  
• Proficiency Level
• Maintain weight on hands
• Take a partners weight
• Focus on the quality of movement execution
• Execute concepts such as acceleration and
  deceleration, strong and light, bound and free in
  sequences
  
• Repeat sequences of several movements
• Mirror or matching a partners movements
• Several students support one anothers weight

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Chapter 30 Key Points

• Teaching Educational Gymnastics
• Sequences in gymnastics
• Require students to memorize and repeat skills in
  order
  
• Can be facilitated for children by having them
  recorder on paper
  
• Can be recorded using notation systems
• Introduce apparatus experiences, after children
  demonstrate mastery on floor experiences and
  sequences
  
• Outdoor playground equipment can be used to
  provide additional/supplemental exploration
  opportunities or when indoor facilities are
  unavailable

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Apparatus Experiences in Educational Gymnastics

• Precontrol Level
• Explore the equipment and discover safe ways to
  get on and off (traveling on it, jumping from it,
  hanging on it, etc.)
  
• Obstacle courses designed from available
  equipment
  
• Control Level
• Continue to explore the apparatus
• Begin to focus on different ways to move in
  relation to the equipment (traveling, balancing,
  jumping, etc.)
  
• Skills that are mastered during the floor
  experiences are attempted on various pieces of
  apparatus

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Apparatus Experiences in Educational Gymnastics
(cont)

• Utilization Level
• Try different ways to get onto, over, and off
  apparatus
  
• Experiment with weight transference and
  nonsymmetrical and inverted balances
  
• Proficiency Level
• Concentrate on the quality of movements as they
  are used repeatedly in sequences (flowing
  movements that are smooth and fluent)
  
• Focus on increasingly complex movements (i.e.
  balancing, traveling, supporting weight)

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Chapter 30 Key Points

• Teaching Educational Gymnastics (cont)
• Safety Issues
• Teachers need to be constantly concerned with
  safety issues related to equipment, class
  organization, management and selection of tasks,
  especially due to the risk taking nature of
  gymnastics

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Creating Safe and Successful Gymnastics Learning
Experiences

• Focus on educational gymnastics, not
  Olympic-style stunts
  
• Always match the students level of development
  with the task (using intratask variation to
  provide for individual differences)
  
• Plan simple to complex skill progressionexperie
  nces should be presented sequentially
  
• Make sure students master each task before
  progressing on to the next

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Creating Safe and Successful Gymnastics Learning
Experiences (cont)

• Never link performance to a grade
• Do not rush the mastery of gymnastics
  skillsits a slow process
  
• Teach gymnastics in an appropriate learning
  environment where children accept responsibility
  for their own safety and behavior
  
• Teach children to move gymnastics apparatus
  correctly and safely
  
• Once children can demonstrate the ability to
  work safely and independently, organize
  gymnastics tasks in stations to make the most
  efficient use of equipment and time