Code of Points
The Code of Points is a unique scoring system found in gymnastics that was developed to help rank the difficulty of movements to help in scoring. In order to score well, you must be able to perform tricks with increasing levels of difficulty. These tricks with higher levels of difficulty naturally require a gymnast to have higher power and strength levels to complete them.
Further, to help keep the sport growing and be more competitive, changes in the Code of Points are routinely made, which increases the complexity of routines. This further necessitates the need for athletes to be involved in a gymnastics strength training program. This will ensure the continual progression of strength and power seen in elite gymnasts.
Strength And Conditioning for Gymnastics
The main focus of gymnastics strength training is to increase the body’s performance so that it can easily transfer to improve gymnastic skills. Since a gymnastics routine involves repeated explosive power and maximal force events, a successful gymnastics training program for power and strength must include methods to improve the anaerobic system. By way of several physiological measurements, it has even been shown that the use of the anaerobic system is higher in higher-skilled athletes.
This means being able to increase power, strength, speed, and agility which are all of the attributes need in gymnastics.
How Ground Game Works
Ground Game gymnastics training equipment is a one-of-a-kind training apparatus. Think of it as taking the best of free weights and resistance bands and combining them to deliver a unique training stimulus that can not be duplicated by any other apparatus.
Resistance bands are often used to improve sports performance, but movements are limited as the load gets progressively harder as they are stretched. This makes it impossible to perform some training techniques efficiently as resistance bands just aren’t long enough. While free weights offer a consistent load, they require the athlete to support or hold an apparatus. This can significantly alter natural movement while also adding a distraction to the athlete.
Ground Game fixes all of this. With it’s patented design, gymnasts are allowed to move freely, with natural movement, all while under a constant load. Through the use of pulleys and cords, Ground Game can be attached to the legs, arms, and waist to add the desired resistance through a range of athletic actions with no interference. Due to the multiple attachments and set-ups, gymnastics training for strength and conditioning becomes virtually limitless.
Performance coaches are always on the lookout for new methods and tools to give their athletes an edge. This is why Ground Game is quickly becoming one of the most sought after tools to train their athletes.
Benefits of Gymnastics Training With Ground Game
The Ground Game V8 Platform or Raptor can be easily used in conjunction with gymnastics training to train the variables needed to bring a gymnast to the next level.
• Explosive power- Power refers to the ability to exert more force in an explosive manner. Think of it as your “fast strength”. This is accomplished by improving the neuromuscular efficiency of the muscles. Being able to exert more force with your lower and upper body will make it easier for a gymnast to perform higher-level skills. The resistance from Ground Game does just that.
• Vertical Jump- Improving the vertical jump was one of the first main goals of Ground Game training. Using the resisted jumping enabled by Ground Game, gymnasts can increase their jump height and efficiency. This means higher jumps with less energy spent, which can be used on other skills. Ground Game has even been shown to be more effective than traditional methods such as plyometrics.
• Agility- Gymnasts must be able to take their ability to generate power and translate it into the ability to maneuver their body quickly and efficiently. This is agility. One way of improving agility is through footwork and plyometrics. In the past, coaches have tried to amplify these methods with the use of bands. However, traditional bands are cumbersome and short. With Ground Game, gymnasts can enhance their neuromuscular function by performing agility drills in any direction with up to 45 feet of free movement and constant resistance.
• Speed and Acceleration- The ability to accelerate quickly and reach top speeds plays a large part in gymnastics' several events. The vault begins with an all-out sprint with the goal of reaching the springboard with as much speed as possible so that it will propel them with more force. This same requirement is also seen during floor routines before a big skill is performed. Resisted running has been a proven method to increase speed and acceleration. However, similar to agility drills, the use of traditional bands present many issues. With Ground Game, gymnasts can sprint up to 45 feet out, uninterrupted. Bands can even be attached to the arms to help with the arm pump to generate speed.
• Strength- Pound for pound, gymnasts are the STRONGEST athletes in the world. They make one-legged squats and handstands look so easy due to the amount of strength they possess. Ground Game can be used in conjunction with traditional strength exercises to aid in natural strength-building movements. Pistol squats, pushups, handstands…all can be improved with Ground Game.
• Balance- The extreme levels of balance that gymnasts possess are among the most impressive abilities they demonstrate. Doing a backflip is impressive in it’s own right. Doing a backflip on a 4” wide beam is another level of athleticism. Unilateral exercises for the lower body are one of the best ways to increase balance. This is due to the increased muscle activity and neural expression needed to keep one upright while on one foot. Exercises such as single-leg Romanian deadlifts can easily be performed with the Ground Game. By offsetting connection points, these can even be made for challenging than traditional methods.
With Ground Game’s ability to reconfigure the location of its resistance training bands, gymnasts are able to perform hundreds of training drills to improve power, speed, and jumping performance for virtually any gymnastic movement and thus radically elevate their overall performance.
Strength and power development are important gymnastics exercises because it enables a gymnast to produce, transfer, and absorb force more efficiently. Managing high amounts of force is how advanced gymnasts perform difficult skills and optimize safety over many years.
Ground Game Platforms and Raptors are designed for maximum strength and power development because they never allow resistance bands to go slack during an exercise repetition. Ground Game resistance bands fully retract into the system which means they always provide a useful training resistance when an athlete initiates an explosive training repetition. Conventional elastic bands can’t do that.
The proven and trusted Ground Game technology is used by thousands of professional athletes, Olympians, and amateur athletes, their trainers, coaches, and parents around the world.
