Horizontal Bar Jam

1. Horizontal Bar Jam Kelly Crumley Junior National Coaching Staff Buffalo Grove Gymnastics

2. Why the Jam is necessary • Maximize Start Value • Maximizing Start Value requires not one but several similar Jam movements • Connecting In-bar to release moves • The Jam is a basic developmental skill that leads to higher level difficulty • This development is no longer avoidable with the current direction of the event

3. Understanding the Jam A perspective - age 10: • “You first have to go in from being out, then you have to come out from being in.” • “Your shoulders kind of grind around and then you end up with a weird grip.” • “Sometimes, it can hurt your shoulders.”

4. Developing the Jam • It’s ranks with some of the most complicated skills performed in gymnastics. • It requires a complex combination of basic movement, strength, and flexibility. • Involves – Long Hang, In-bar, Dorsal • These basics are not always well prepared due to the extreme and unique application required in performing a Jam

5. When should this development take place? • The Future Stars Program places this development between the ages of 11 and 12. • It’s easier to spot younger and lighter athletes, the bigger and tighter athletes become the more difficult it becomes to spot • Ages 11and 12 are the most appropriate because they have enough HB experience and are still light enough to spot with still enough manageable shoulder flexibility

6. Teaching the Jam • Difficult to teach • Coach intensive • Requires frequent hands on spotting • One on One (Coach /Athlete) • Fulfills In-bar Requirement • Many biomechanical variables • Coach sometimes has to fight with poorly prepared athletes – Its not fun if your shoulders are tight or your pike forward bend is not flat

7. Jam Preparation • Flexibility • Low Bar Drills (Development Prerequisites) • Strength • Awareness Orientation

8. Flexibility and Strength • Shoulder Flexibility – Using Stick / Partner • Pike Flexibility – Using Partner / Wall • Wrist and Forearm Flexibility - Using Stick • Use weights or bungi for shoulder strength

9. Stationary Floor Bar Drills • Dislocate to bridge support from a seated support • Forward and Backward walkover on low bar – establishes inverted support on bar • Stand in pike or panel mat with el-grip and jump to inverted support, pass over the bar to flat back on mat • Hang by legs on PB for inverted support

10. Low Bar Drills • Low Bar (Coaches waist high) • Basket to seated support from glide, basket swings, or drop. (In over grip) • Basket and dismount from glide, basket swings, or drop. (In over grip) “Thread the Needle” • Seat circles (Forward and Backward) • Organize short spotted sequences for learning efficiency – may incorporate kips, hip circle, etc

11. Low Bar Drills - Supported • Using Spotting Blocks • Cast to V-sit, push and dislocate to bridge • Seat Circle to straddle stand and dislocate to bridge • Once orientated, Athlete’s can work this station alone

12. Low Bar Drills - Hanging • Using Spotting Blocks • Emphasizing dislocating rearward or “Out the back door” to straddled stand on boxes • Dislocate should end with 90 degree hip angle and shifted wrists. • Straight line from wrist to hips • Head remains neutral

13. Strap Drills • Same drills may be done in straps • From a long hang swing with under grip in straps, the athlete stoops and dislocates rearward and swings forward • The athlete can work on building swing using both directions • I prefer to use a combination of drills with and without straps, so that the athlete learns these skills with grips.

14. Trampoline Drillswith bar across tramp • Bounce on back in el-grip keeping pressure on bar • Bounce on back in el-grip to full support over the top and bounce on feet back over to back drop keeping pressure on bar • Bounce on seat with bar rearward in under grip and Mana/V-sit to dislocate on back

15. Visual Markers for Coaches • Stooping in • Compression phase • Getting out • Shifting wrists to support position

16. Common Errors • False grip on dislocate • Using arch for dislocate instead of opening shoulder angle • Body too open in basket, not compressed. • Legs not 90 degrees to the bar in stoop and basket - Feet to stand on floor in stoop in • False grip of wrist in decent during stoop in – not maintaining pressure

17. About Spotting • Where to stand • How to do it • One hand on upper back and the other under upper leg - assisting direction and dislocation • Early spotting contact of the leg allows the coach to better control direction

18. Spotting Sequences • Seat circle jam and hop to over grip • Seat circle jam and hop to under grip • Seat circle jam and hop to under grip giant and stoop in • From under grip giant stoop to seat circle and stop in seat support • From under grip giant stoop and jam to hop in under grip or over grip • May combine sequences for learning efficiency

19. Final Comments • There are many drills • No one should have to do all of them • Coach the athlete not the skill • Athletes may require different drill work for a similar outcome • Using the same drill work for every athlete will likely result in different outcomes. • The athletes individual weaknesses need to be address, not a series of coaching methods

20. Questions