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SCMP Reporter

The pommel horse and the parallel bars have for many years been the basic apparatus for gymnasts to learn their sport.

   Jumping over the horse in gym classes used to fill many of us with dread, but with help from the teacher we overcame that fear.

  Most children have tried a simple routine on the pommel. But competitive gymnastics requires some dexterity and strength.

  Did you know that the pommel horse and parallel bars are one of several disciplines in the sport of gymnastics.

  Gymnastics at the highest level has become a form of entertainment, especially during the Olympics where it enjoys a bulk of the TV coverage.

  Ask most people who their favourite gymnasts are and the names like Li Ning, Mary Lou Retton, Nadia Comaneci and Olga Korbut spring to mind.

  Gymnastics is popular in Asia because you do not have to be big to be good - quite the opposite really.

  Small and slender for girls and short and stocky for boys are the norm for the world-class gymnasts nowadays.

  At the Olympics, gymnasts perform a succession of tumbling movements with precision and grace.

  These gymnasts have undergone very strict training, starting when they were very young.

  Hong Kong Amateur Gymnastics Association administrative assistant Amy Wong Lai-kwan said it was not uncommon for potential world-class gymnasts to start learning the sport as young as three.

   This is because some parents push their children in the hope they will become another Li Ning or Nadia Comaneci.

  This is specially true in China, Russia and the United States which have produced most of the world's best gymnasts.

  Not everybody can become a champion gymnast though. Hard work and discipline are just some of the things needed to produce a champion.

  'The life of the world-class gymnast is fairly short as well,' said Ms Wong. 'Most retire before they are 25 or 26. That age might be still young, especially in other sports like football and basketball, but not for gymnastics.

  'Gymnasts have tremendous upper-body strength and as they get older and bigger, they don't have the necessary power to support their weight.

  'These young gymnasts can perform difficult movements because their strength can match their weight. Once they are physically fully developed, they become too heavy. 'That's why a lot of world class gymnasts retire at a relatively young age,' she said.

  Ms Wong recommends gymnastics because it is a good exercise for developing upper-body strength. Quite a lot of strength is needed to perform acrobatics on the rings, pommel horse or parallel bars.

  'Practising gymnastics is a good way for athletes to improve their own sports like the hurdles, because co-ordination and flexibility are required.

  'Body control and flexibility are also needed to becoming a good gymnast.'    Gymnastics has become popular in Asia because the Asian physique is suitable for it.

  'Look at gymnasts like Li Ning [triple gold medallist at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics]. He has a smallish frame, but has tremendous arm and shoulder development,' said Ms Wong.

  'There are a lot of Hong Kong people who might have a similar physique to Li Ning, but gymnastics at the highest level is very hard work,' she added.

  Anybody who wants to become a champion gymnast had better think hard. The hours of devotion and hard work needed are substantial.

  'World class gymnasts usually train between six and eight hours a day. Most gymnasts in Hong Kong can't put in that number of hours of training because of their study commitments,' said Ms Wong.

  'The top Hong Kong gymnasts put in about three hours of practice each day, but that is not enough for them to become world class.

  'There is a big difference between training three hours a day and eight hours.'   Not only do world class gymnasts put in that amount of hard work, they are coached for the same number of hours. Coaches in Hong Kong cannot afford to be with their gymnast for six to eight hours.

  'It's virtually a full-time job,' said Ms Wong. 'Even if you have the right physique to be good in gymnastics and you put in that number of hours of work, it doesn't mean you're on the road to becoming a world-class gymnast.

  'Having the right attitude and commitment are also important.'   Disciplines in men's gymnastics include high bar, vault, floor exercise, rings, pommel horse and the parallel bars. There are four disciplines in women's gymnastics: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.

    Rhythmic gymnastics uses a ball, ribbon and hoop for dance routines.

  And for high-fliers, there is always the trampoline.

 The Hong Kong Amateur Gymnastics Association (HKAGA) promotes the sport in the territory.



Gliding to gymnastic grace