Why don't male gymnasts do leaps?

[OnoNoKomachi]

Why don't men do leaps?

Men's gymnastics doesn't look to the women for guidance or ideas, while women's gymnastics has elements of artistry that men might excel at.

www.businessinsider.com

Article by Dvora Myers.

Written after Australian Heath Thorpe posted a video of himself doing a leap (shown in article).

 

[Jack]

Dance elements have really ruined WAG FX and to a lesser extent BB in the last 20 years. While I would love to see them in MAG (I’m obsessed with the above), I don’t trust the the powers that be to make their inclusion worthy.

 

[onodian]

I mean it could easily be an option to substitute for these weak ass double twist side passes. If they do a nice, big leap, like the one in the vid they can get a C once. And if they do a full-twisting crotch smash a la produnova I’d give E credit

 

[blake]

Most MAG don’t have the split flexibility for most leaps, and at least in the US, split flexibility is not a point of emphasis for MAG. So many top level 10s, especially in my region, cannot do a proper split to save their lives, but it doesn’t have much impact on the skills needed to be successful. Haven’t had a chance to read Dvora’s article, but at least in the US, it’s definitely got something to do with homo/femme-phobia. Most people in the US still consider gymnastics a “women’s” sport, and male gymnasts in my experience tend to double down on the macho-ness as a result.

I agree w/Jack. The WTC has been emphasizing difficulty in dance skills, when they should instead be evaluating them based on originality, flexibility, and connection to the routine/music. If they were to be incorporated into MAG, we’d just see them prance across the floor for a tourjete with as many revolutions as possible, split position be damned. Unless done like Thorpe, it’s not going to make MAG FX anymore aesthetically appealing.

 

[OnoNoKomachi]

In the US I doubt many men would do them.

 

[KristyJ]

Since as I noted elsewhere today I consider gymnastics to celebrate the art of movement, in general, I would love this to be an option. However I agree that the emphasis on making everything as hard as possible while making it useless to do non-counting easier skills make it unlikely that would end well. Men’s floor may be the most eggregious recent example of this, with four passes back-to-back and almost no additional skills now the norm. I love watching the creative routines from the 80’s when artistry was encouraged.