BIOMECHANICS OF THE LONGSWING PRECEDING THE TKACHEV

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the longswing preceding the straddle, straight and full twisting Tkachev with the central aim of establishing whether a Tkachev specific longswing exists that can be used for the development of different versions of the skill. Twin video images of Tkachevs (straddle n=6; straight n=10; and full twisting n=2) were collected at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, digitised and analysed using DLT techniques. The functional phases (Irwin and Kerwin, 2005) were determined from hip and shoulder angular velocity profiles. Differences between the angular positions of the gymnasts during the functional phases highlighted that a generic Tkachev preparatory longswing did not appear to exist and that more specific preparatory drills are required to develop complex versions of this skill.