And a way to avoid injuries to the elbow, that is fairly obvious, is to use thicker landing mats, and to get expert training in how to fall properly. For males, injuries to the wrist have been identified as being caused by training on the pommel, because "the wrist is exposed to repetitive forces of up to twice body weight during this activity."
Exercises using the plyometric strategy are very useful for gymnasts; plyometric exercises are the "rapid deceleration and acceleration of muscles" that in turn help create a stretch-shortening cycle," according to www.specialolympics.org.These kinds of exercises train the muscles, and train the nervous system to carry out in an effective way the stretch-shortening cycle, which can improve the performance of a gymnast. Drills using plyometrics also help the athlete develop "rhythm, speed, power and even muscular endurance," the Special Olympics site explains. All plyometric exercises must be carried out on a flat soft surface, and for example, doing the "Exploding Harvards" plyometric exercise builds stamina and muscle strength by doing 10 jumps on each leg.
Juan Carlos Santana (www.performbetter.com)(Med, CSCS) describes plyometrics as an "explosive-reactive" kind of power training, involving "powerful muscular contractions in response to a rapid stretching of he involved musculature." The plyometric muscle contractions have an extremely high degree of central nervous system involvement; an example of a plyometric exercise that Santana recommends is the jump off a 6 to 12-inch box, and then a quick jump up to a 24-inch box. The smaller box "loads the legs quick enough," Santana explains, to "create the stretch reflex needed..." For this kind of training.
Core exercises build abdominal, pelvis and back muscles; they can be performed using no equipment except a flat soft surface. One core exercise requires the athlete to lie on the back on the floor near a wall, hands folded across the chest, feet propped against the wall (forming a square box), head up off the floor; hold this for a few seconds five different repetitions, according to the Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com).
Works Cited
Daly, R.M., & Bass, S.L., & Finch, C.F. (2001). Balancing the risk of injury to gymnasts: how Effective are the counter measures." British Journal of Sports Medicine. Vol. 35, 8-19.
Mayo Clinic. (2006). Core exercises strengthen abs and other core muscles. Retrieved 9 March, 2007 at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/core-strength/sm00047.
Micheli, Lyle J. (1996). Types of Sports Injuries and How They Can Be Prevented. Retrieved March 2007 from Conference Notes / Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Family and Community Health, Division of Prevention, Injury Prevention and Control
Program
http://www.nyssf.org.
Santana, Juan Carlos. (2006). Plyometric Training Part I: What it is and what it's not. Perform Better, retrieved 8 March 2007 at http://www.performbetter.com.
Special Olympics. (2005). Plyometrics Training. Retrieved 8 March 2007 at http://www.specialolympics.org.
