Female gymnasts who perform sheep jump on beam beautifully

Talk Gymnastics With Us!

Join Today... Members See FEWER Ads

Iminhanoi

Active member
Joined
Sep 14, 2024
Messages
115
Reaction score
77
The sheep jump on beam is one of most technically challenging yet undervalued skills in women gymnastics at the moment.

From 2006-2016, this dance element had a D-rating in the Code of Points. However since 2017 it has been downgraded to C by FIG.

Back then when it was rated D, sheep jump was a staple for Russian, Romanian and Chinese female gymnasts

Some female gymnasts who perform sheep jump on beam beautifully.


Viktoria Komova
Her feet touch her head, very few gymnasts can do so.
287c6335b2ebb90f87556ab857497bb7.jpg




Nastia Liukin
Even back then when it was rated D, sheep jump wasn’t much a thing for US gymnasts. Not many US gymnasts do it (Nastia Liukin, Alicia Sacramone).
dec10985daea6ff163b9f51d3182983f.jpg

IMG_1843.jpeg



Sui Lu
sui9.jpg

IMG_1816.jpeg





Li Shanshan: she is overlooked and forgotten because she fell at BB event final in Olympic 2008. However she’s truly a great beam worker.
On her sheep jump, her feet very close to touching her head.
IMG_1817.jpeg

IMG_1818.jpeg


chinas-li-shanshan-competes-in-the-womens-balance-beam-final-of-the-artistic-gymnastics-event.jpg



In World Championships 2007, Li ShanShan’s feet touched her head
IMG_1865.jpeg

U397P6T12D3159431F44DT20070909233046.jpg





Cheng Fei
IMG_1892.jpeg




Deng Linlin:
IMG_1872.jpeg

IMG_1819.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Carly Patterson
sheep9Kopie.jpg





Fan Ye
IMG_1824.jpeg




Ana Porgras
IMG_1832.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Sheep jumps are an interesting one. I haven’t taught them for a while, since they are out of fashion, coaches rarely request them of the dance teachers.

When I first began coaching, I was in England and it was asked for all the time. For some reason, certain elements are treated as mystic sorcery in British gymnastics and as a result, are rarely performed by British gymnasts. Sheep jumps, and the more complicated leaps and jumps generally fall into that category. I mean pre Beth, an entire apparatus fell into that category.

Anyway. Sheep jumps are not difficult because they require a high level of flexibility. They don’t. The majority of elite level gymnasts can do a decent sheep jump off a spring board. Let’s be honest, Carly Patterson was never known for her back flexibility. Or any sort of flexibility.

But doing a sheep jump on the beam is entirely different. Because you can’t rely on leg power. Let’s be honest, Nastia Liukin was never known for her leg power. Or any sort of power.

It’s a highly technical jump, that requires extremely accurate technique and timing.
 
Sheep jumps are an interesting one. I haven’t taught them for a while, since they are out of fashion, coaches rarely request them of the dance teachers.

When I first began coaching, I was in England and it was asked for all the time. For some reason, certain elements are treated as mystic sorcery in British gymnastics and as a result, are rarely performed by British gymnasts. Sheep jumps, and the more complicated leaps and jumps generally fall into that category. I mean pre Beth, an entire apparatus fell into that category.

Anyway. Sheep jumps are not difficult because they require a high level of flexibility. They don’t. The majority of elite level gymnasts can do a decent sheep jump off a spring board. Let’s be honest, Carly Patterson was never known for her back flexibility. Or any sort of flexibility.

But doing a sheep jump on the beam is entirely different. Because you can’t rely on leg power. Let’s be honest, Nastia Liukin was never known for her leg power. Or any sort of power.

It’s a highly technical jump, that requires extremely accurate technique and timing.
Because FIG downgraded its value to C. If FIG bring it back to D; it will be popular again, Chinese, Russian and Romanian gymnasts will still do it.
 
Because FIG downgraded its value to C. If FIG bring it back to D; it will be popular again, Chinese, Russian and Romanian gymnasts will still do it.
I don’t think it’s purely down to grading, but how jumps are now judged
 
I don’t think it’s purely down to grading, but how jumps are now judged
Since FIG downgrade its value to C, most gymnasts denied to do it, they do “switch split leap”, “split jump with half turn”, “tuck jump with full turn” instead.

Guan Chenchen, Tang Xijing , Zhou Yaqin, all don’t choose to do it.
 
Last edited:
2014 Worlds - Yao Jinnan
Sheep Yao Jinnan.png


2015 Worlds - Wang Yan
Sheep Wang Yan.png


2016 Nationals - Zhu Xiaofang
Sheep Zhu Xiaofang.png


2016 Olympics - Fan Yilin
Sheep Fan Yilin.png


2018 Asian Games - Zhang Jin
Sheep Zhang Jin.png


2021 Worlds - Ashikawa Urara

Sheep Ashikawa.png
 
Last edited:
Back when Sheep Jumps were still a thing, one of my biggest pet peeves were gymnasts who did them with a closed hip angle. They look so ugly to me; the line is ruined and it is infinitely worse for your back to do it that way. Shang Chunsong was the biggest offender, but Porgras and Li Shanshan also have somewhat closed hip angles in those pictures above.

If anyone wants to curse this thread and post images of Fragapane and Shawn Johnson's sheeps jumps, I'd be most obliged.
 
What are the deductions on them? As busybody as ring jumps? Like, your big toe was at nose height but your little toe wasn't so you lose .5 kinda thing?
 
Back when Sheep Jumps were still a thing, one of my biggest pet peeves were gymnasts who did them with a closed hip angle. They look so ugly to me; the line is ruined and it is infinitely worse for your back to do it that way. Shang Chunsong was the biggest offender, but Porgras and Li Shanshan also have somewhat closed hip angles in those pictures above.

If anyone wants to curse this thread and post images of Fragapane and Shawn Johnson's sheeps jumps, I'd be most obliged.
CFA0A1DC-5B34-448F-A273-A07B70F3DAC7_1_105_c.jpeg
 
Back when Sheep Jumps were still a thing, one of my biggest pet peeves were gymnasts who did them with a closed hip angle. They look so ugly to me; the line is ruined and it is infinitely worse for your back to do it that way. Shang Chunsong was the biggest offender, but Porgras and Li Shanshan also have somewhat closed hip angles in those pictures above.

If anyone wants to curse this thread and post images of Fragapane and Shawn Johnson's sheeps jumps, I'd be most obliged.
Li ShanShan’s sheep jumps are fine.

In 2007 World Championships, her feet touched her head
IMG_1865.jpeg


U397P6T12D3159431F44DT20070909233046.jpg
 
Li ShanShan’s sheep jumps are fine.

In 2007 World Championships, her feet touched her head
View attachment 11306

U397P6T12D3159431F44DT20070909233046.jpg
Touching the head with the feet is not the only requirement of the jump. You can clearly see in the first picture she is not extending though her hip flexors, there is a clear angle. That is a deduction specific to sheep jumps.

It crunches your lumbar spine significantly more and ruins the line.
 
Shantessa Pama also had one. I can't find the picture now, but a photoshoot she did had her doing a lovely one.

344AF136-7827-44CC-A1B7-F684070DC1EA.png
 

Talk Gymnastics With Us!

Join Today... Members See FEWER Ads

Upcoming events

Back