Biomechanical Analysis of Balance Beam Skills in Gymnastics

Overview

Performing well on the balance beam holds great difficulty due to its small width and challenging skills that gymnasts complete. Even small shifts and changes in body positions can result in failure to keep balance and stay on the balance beam, which will cause significant score deductions and higher chances of injury for the gymnast. Gymnasts learn and perfect skills by verbal communication with their coach and extensive repetition of the skills over long periods. If coaches were able to make their suggestions based on quantitative data, rather than just observations, this would improve the efficiency of the skill development process. The goal of this study is to find a quantitative correlation between gymnasts’ body displacement and the performance on the balance beam. It is hypothesized that the more the center of mass is displaced relative to the beam, the higher probability of gymnasts’ failure is. Videos of Junior Olympic gymnasts, Level 8-10, were taken while they performed the following skills on the beam: aerial, back tuck, and split half. For each skill gymnasts’ body positions were analyzed from a snapshot when the first contact was made with the balance beam. Based on these snapshots the coordinates of the body’s center of mass were calculated and compared with the central axis of a balance beam. Results of this study supported the hypothesis and established the correlations between the body’s center of mass and the success of skill execution on the balance beam.

Competition history

• JSHS 2022 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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