2023 Xfinity Nationals Senior WAG Day 1 discussion

[MaryClare]

I just rewatched Shilese’s floor routine. Did she almost go OOB with her head?!

 

[flappergirl]

That’s what I saw.

 

[JaJa]

I’d say the majority of elites have at some point? Simone’s was just a one in a million chance at the worst possible time, in the glare of the world’s medi

Exactly. Yes. Thank you MC

 

[rlayt]

I’m surprised it was such a hidden thing to the point that people hadn’t heard about it much. Maybe talking about it is part of a cultural change.

Casual fans still think it’s rare.

 

[makam]

Nile Wilson posted a video about it where he and other gymnasts gave their experiences. His version was that he couldn’t not twist at times. He’d be trying to do a straight layout and the twist would just happen. It was interesting to see the different forms the issue can take.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

As a floor coach for levels 3-10, the twisties happen a lot. Always at the worst time right before meet season starts just to keep me up at night. In our situation typically the kids just haven’t mastered it yet. Although it may look great, after a bit it just gets crazy. Sometimes they are working too many twisting skills at once and need to back up. I try to leave as much time as possible between learning a twisting skill and then adding more. Check on me in Nov when competition is looming lol.

 

[YurchenkoLoop]

she twists later in the routine too, but I think Lepennec had the twisties with this first planned full-out

 

[RichardL]

Yes, very clear that that’s what happened. I’ve coached gymnasts through “twisties” in double saltos that didn’t manifest in single salto twisting. It’s all so bizarre.

 

[gymfan]

With Carey / Roberson Cheng & DTY, it depends on minor details to win a medal. Unless there is a special gift from Jess Gadirova, the Lopez & DTY combo won’t have an edge over the Cheng & DTY combo.

 

[Livi]

I mean, even I’ve had the twisties. I could twist very easily and very fast, especially front twists. And then one day I decided to wonder how I actually did that. Worst. Question. Ever. Lost it completely.

And, funny story. I was a righty in everything, also backwards twisting. So I assumed my front twisting would be to the right as well (yes my twisties were that bad, I didn’t have a clue). So I learned to do a full again, which took very long and felt very weird. Until years later I did a full again without thinking and realized I was a lefty in front twisting. So at that point I could do a full twist both ways. It was crazy. But I never completely trusted my front twists anymore.

 

[MaryClare]

I wonder how gymnasts who are so reliant on twisting manage twisties. Nastia for example

 

[Sasha]

Can gymnasts get the “flippies”, too, or just the twisties?

 

[MaryClare]

In RG it’s normal to go through a stage where your hand eye coordination goes from super human to wondering if you might be dyspraxic, literally overnight

 

[Justagymnast]

I’m a total basic rec adult gymnast, and I’ve experienced twisties when trying to do a back handspring (kept twisting to one side) and trying to flip on a trampoline (completely unaware of where I was in the air - it’s a big black blank, and you’re just spinning and don’t know if you’re going to land on your head).

 

[rlayt]

Three years ago when Skye Blakeley had done a triple back into a pit from a rod floor there were rumors she worked a Cheng. IIRC. Leanne was discussed in the same thread so maybe it was Leanne.

Anyone seen that since?

 

[ruby]

From my experience twisties don’t happen if you carefully build up twisting technique and spend enough time doing the simple drills even when the gymnast has progressed to a high level.
If you’ve learned how to twist mostly because of raw talent or were rushed through the process, you are going to end up with problems down the road.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

Most of mine come from kids who are still learning. One week it looks great and the next its crazy and it needs a reset. In Simone’s case i think she was doing way too much. Its hard to keep all that stuff straight. I prefer her gymnastics now, a little simpler but with more control.

 

[irichluck21]

I forgot who asked about the “flippies” but yes you can get “flippies” in gymnastics and diving.
I had a season long “flippies” block on my inward dives. I could do an inward dive with no issue (and it was my highest scoring required dive. But I developed a huge block on the inward 1 1/2 somi and also an inward somi.
Balked a lot, landed on my back a lot. When I would initiate the inward somi my mind went blank and I had no idea where I was in the air.

Horrible. Never 100% fully recovered from it and it was always a challenge.

 

[Sasha]

It was me, and thank you for the response. That sounds quite awful, I’m sorry!

 

[blake]

I was a gymnast, but for a couple years I dove as well. It really messed with my air awareness. There was a point where I was too scared to do any double flips in gymnastics because I was worried my diving mind would take over and I’d kick out upside down and break my neck. It got better once I quit diving, but even then, I always had the fear that I’d start doing one skill and my mind would override my body and have me do another skill. For me, a lot of it had to do with my at-the-time untreated OCD, but it’s definitely something that can affect anyone.

The head-first entries in diving really didn’t mesh with gymnastics which is why I’m so amazed that Trinity Thomas dove competitively while training elite gymnastics.

As a gymnast, I really struggled with keeping my eyes open and spotting during flips. It’s something I tried to emphasize on basic skills when I coached recreation level kids because having to learn to spot as an older gymnast was super difficult.