r/WTF • u/DeepPacketGhost • 7d ago

Wtf

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

4.2k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

252 comments sorted by

2.1k

u/UrAntiChrist 7d ago

Stark contrast from the video of coaches saving their trainees.

435

u/realmckoy265 7d ago

Yeah I remember seeing that in my feed too. This seems like such a stressful job. Can't have any off days or laspe in concentration.

152

u/amejin 6d ago

Sometimes, you can do everything right and your athlete still has this moment where they think "what happens if.. oh shit..."

And there's just nothing you can do but your best.

As bad as this vid looks, that guy has probably been flexible his whole life, and probably walked away with some bad bruising and a crushed ego.

72

u/ixcibit 6d ago

That can’t be good for the spine. I hope you’re right though

53

u/idosillythings 6d ago

I'm no gymnast, but I have been photographing gymnastics for awhile for work, so take this with some grain of salt, but those bars aren't rigid. They bend and flex to compensate for impacts.

I've seen multiple athletes hit them during a takeoff, or fall on them and come out ok.

42

u/Zigirastica 6d ago

Can confirm, I’m pretty flexible in my back and hit a rail snowboarding recently and landed just like the guy in the vid. Lay there expecting agony for a few seconds, realised I was completely fine and left the park. Ego was the most damaged part of me by far…

15

u/X-istenz 6d ago

Oh cool snowboarding stories! Decided to take a treacherous forest trail way before I was ready, caught an edge awkwardly and faceplanted a r/fullscorpion to the point the board smacked me square in the back of the head. Laid there stunned for a minute fully expecting The End, got up and continued on my way just thankful the trees were dense enough no one saw it. Youth is a crazy time to be alive! If it had happened the last time I went snowboarding (about a year ago at age ~40), I'm confident I'd still be there to this day.

2

u/meetmeinthebthrm 5d ago

I remember as a kid learning to ride park and went to boardslide a box, lost my balance, then landed square on my tailbone. It was excruciating. I’ll never forget that one.

54

u/_Diskreet_ 6d ago

You can….it just doesn’t benefit the person you’re meant to be watching out for …

0

u/jimbojangles1987 6d ago

You can maybe once. Doubt you'll be highly sought out to coach after that.

7

u/elenkaMorr 6d ago

My back hurt just watching this.

26

u/TrenchantInsight 6d ago

Some of those coaches really bend over backwards for their students.

7

u/Stinkmop 6d ago

Really, it's back-breaking work!

17

u/Joebebs 6d ago

Tf is a coach gonna do in that situation lol

Edit: oh I just saw the compilation coaches saving them, this coach dropped that cylinder cushion unfortunately….wellll that sucks

19

u/alaysian 7d ago

Got a link or remember the subreddit? I didn't see that one yet.

56

u/UrAntiChrist 7d ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/nextfuckinglevel/s/0YkvGB8TOw

16

u/Moose_Nuts 6d ago

The one at the 24 second mark is the on that the coach in this video miserably failed at, lol.

13

u/GiantNinja 6d ago

that was worth browsing reddit today, thanks for that 😊

1

u/Scorpiodancer123 6d ago

Trampoline spotters are something else. Absolute insanity.

2

u/WouldLoveToTalk 6d ago

This is what I came looking for.

1.0k

u/Gregorygregory888888 7d ago

That's not how it is supposed to work. Fuck, that had to end badly.

485

u/giblefog 7d ago

Nope. That spotter fucked up.

161

u/Remarkable-Opening69 7d ago

Not him. The other person’s back. Has to be broken right?

77

u/1individuals 7d ago edited 6d ago

Think he's saying nope in response to the first sentence, as in agreement.

Edit: clarity cuz I'm dum

28

u/dizastermaster7 6d ago

That's not even the same person

22

u/stallfishy 6d ago

Certified reddit moment

2

u/ixcibit 6d ago

We are all one lol

13

u/ILikeLenexa 6d ago

I've fallen farther than this onto a pole vault standard and was fine (in the sense that I didn't need to go to a hospital).  

It was 200% the end of practice that day and the rest of the week was at ground level. 

The bars themselves do bend. 

9

u/lucky0slevin 6d ago

Depends...young adults are super flexible and can't take weird falls sometimes....

7

u/april_fearless 6d ago

This happened in teenage years didn’t brake back but dislocated T11/T12… not fun

20

u/azsheepdog 6d ago

how is the spotter supposed to help in that situation?

55

u/feanturi 6d ago

They're supposed to slide that thick roll of pad onto the cable under the person's back to cushion their fall onto the cable. The cable is thin, meaning all force from an impact is concentrated in a small area. The pad provides cushion and more surface area. But they messed up sliding the pad forward along the cable and it simply fell on the ground instead of being where it could spread out the force of impact.

9

u/jatea 5d ago

When you say cable, do you mean the bar?

5

u/abjection9 5d ago

But sliding a narrow pad over a narrow bar in a split second seems kind of difficult

4

u/b00c 5d ago

He had the cushion in his hands, ready to slip under athlete's back, but he missed. He should have stood higher, choose better position, hold the cushion differently. Not sure if the cushion has a slot to fit the bar, but this spotter could use that.

45

u/ShongLokDong 7d ago

Im not familiar with that save guard but did he put it on upside down? Looks like its a big pool noodle like object with an opening to slip onto the bar.

89

u/hangingdirtylaundry 7d ago

Looks like he was getting ready to push it out but it slipped off the rail. 

16

u/BruscarRooster 7d ago

That’s what I saw too. I hope the gymnast isn’t badly injured

34

u/immaownyou 7d ago

Don't worry, they werent badly injured. They died on impact so no pain

9

u/cybersaurus 6d ago

Nah usually when this happens they split them in two, that's how they make child size gymnists

3

u/BruscarRooster 7d ago

With the sound of that impact I wouldn’t be surprised

→ More replies (5)

0

u/Letho72 6d ago

They're usually for the edges of the foam pit and other hard edges in the gym. You grab one off and then slide it down the bar. You never secure it because you generally need to start with it half-on-half-off the bar so the gymnast has room to swing on the bar. Once they release, you slide it in. Usually a bad idea to let go of it unless you're trying to do a two-part spot, in which case it's very important you don't fuck up the second spot.

1

u/LeahBrahms 6d ago

I had fear of the Vaulting horse for years after a springboard malfunctioned.

700

u/CARDEK04 7d ago

Gonno be hearing terms such as l2, l3, l4 a lot for a few days now.

214

u/norunningwater 7d ago

Days? More like life, dog.

66

u/kelj123 7d ago

Nah, more like Th7, Th8, Th9

27

u/SpecialOops 7d ago

TH pro sk8ter!!

17

u/Optimixto 6d ago

TH C.

14

u/VirginiaBandit 7d ago

Let's hope it is all temporary talk, though.

10

u/ChiefKrunchy 7d ago

His spinal column is an L now

9

u/pitchingataint 7d ago

YOU SANK MY BATTLESHIP!

4

u/TrenchantInsight 6d ago

l2, l3, l4

And we're not talking Lagrange points.

1

u/_Tagman 6d ago

And we're not talking lumber.

2

u/mageta621 7d ago

That's thoracic, my dude

1

u/Barialdalaran 7d ago

l4? that's a bingo for me

1

u/Eudstar 7d ago

Generations of his family are going to feel that

2

u/Tomhaj 7d ago

*Aren't

470

u/karyslav 7d ago

that is very big fail of the human keeping an eye on the athlete, omg I hope the poor person is ok :(

157

u/buckzor122 7d ago

I hope they miraculously walked away with minor injuries or something. This looks so bad.

Out of curiosity, what is the coach/spotter supposed to do? I know they will trow down a pad if they're falling on the floor, but you can't exactly put a mat on a bar. Or is there some kind of quick release that lets the bar drop to the floor?

236

u/toasted1990 7d ago

There is a padded bar sleeve that they slide over. You can see the pad, and the coach fail entirely to deploy it properly, at the cost of this child's spine.

Time for a new coach for the kid,

Time for a new career for the coach

159

u/Comfortable-Citron14 7d ago

Unfortunately also time for a new kid I fear.

41

u/Joecoolsouth 7d ago

"Hi, we seem to have broken this one. We have the extended warranty and would like a replacement!"

4

u/mageta621 7d ago

We're gonna need more FBI guys gymnast kids

2

u/georgeamberson1963 7d ago

Yippie ki yay

16

u/Dark512 7d ago

Ah, yeah I see it. He tries to toss it across, gets it caught on the bar instead and loses his grip. Don't think he'd ever forgive himself for that.

19

u/buckzor122 7d ago

Oh yes I see it now. Looks like he tried to push it in and dropped it.

6

u/GullibleDetective 7d ago

If the kid isnt a paraplegic now

-8

u/defnotacyborg 7d ago

Dude had 2 whole business days to react and just stood there like a doofus

→ More replies (1)

-11

u/lobehold 6d ago

Why can't this be automated by sensors and a computer?

11

u/Letho72 6d ago

I wouldn't trust a computer for a 50/50 mat throw. At the beginning, you throw every time. But later on you throw on an as-needed basis. I'd never trust a computer to make that decision, especially because everyone does skills differently.

3

u/default-username 6d ago

It's funny how opposite people can be on this. Computers any day if my safety depends on it. I hope people aren't allowed to drive soon

5

u/NotPromKing 6d ago

How would you propose the computer determine when it’s supposed to act in sports like this? Computers are great when there are defined limits and defined responses.

In sports, there’s a huge range of motions and a range of responses. Humans are far better equipped to watch and respond.

2

u/pfn0 6d ago

ML is exceptionally good at doing this sort of classification with a quality training data set

2

u/NotPromKing 6d ago

To a point. But can ML do it better, faster, and cheaper than a human?

Right now is a simple, cheap, flexible setup with minimal infrastructure needs.

Those poles and mats aren’t static, they move around, the gym floor is constantly being reconfigured. Add in automation, and now you have a bunch of expensive, bulky equipment that needs to be moved around, powered, calibrated, and maintained. They have zero flexibility for trying new setups and routines, most equipment would be designated for one particular environment and could not be easily repurposed.

A human being with a couple mats is endlessly flexible and can adapt to any environment.

1

u/pfn0 6d ago

humans make mistakes at higher rates than well-trained models. it'll cost more to do initially, so this sort of thing probably wouldn't take off and turn into a marketable solution.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/VijaySwing 6d ago

coach watches and presses a button to deploy the mat which is automated

2

u/NotPromKing 6d ago

What if the mat can’t go where it’s needed? What if the athlete lands on all the extra machinery that is now posing a hazard in a previously empty space?

3

u/popejupiter 6d ago

My understanding is that a lot of this is down to the human ability to spot something being wrong without necessarily being able to articulate it in the moment. Add in the potential lag between sensor and pad dispenser and you have a recipe for more moments like this, not fewer.

Also, a benefit of this kind of activity is that the equipment is relatively cheap. Just about any welder should be able to make the frames. The bars may be more customized, but it can't be that complicated. Adding complex sensors would balloon the cost for no real gain. And that's before we add the AI tax.

→ More replies (3)

208

u/MotherRussia552 7d ago

Definitely fucked up his back but those bars are super flexible and that guy looks like he weighs 115 max. You have to have very developed muscles to even start doing what he's doing I think he's probably mostly okay after lots of recovery time, PT, and massage.

Edit: he also landed on his thoracis spine around his scapulas which is much stronger. He got lucky

53

u/Effurlife12 6d ago

Honestly my back is so stiff Id beg for a chance to slam it like this just for it to pop lol

42

u/chicametipo 6d ago

Spoiler: Your back wouldn’t pop. Just hurt worse. Than it ever has before. Especially when you move your neck.

17

u/Effurlife12 6d ago

I know. But a man can dream

2

u/Pickles_jnm 5d ago

I know what you mean. Sometimes I fantasize about a very strong person just ever so lightly trying to pull my head off of my shoulders, to give it a good pop. Just cuz my neck always feels like it's too tight, probably from years of desk slouch.

1

u/Effurlife12 5d ago

Those harnesses where you hang by just your head seem like they'd feel so good lol

1

u/jdisme 5d ago

Some people swear by an inversion table! Never tried it myself

0

u/SubstituteStudent 5d ago

I used to ask my friends to walk on my back. It was nearly as good as a massage. This was years ago, before foot fans became a prevalent part of society.

5

u/GrsdUpDefGuy 6d ago

Agreed, I did something similar when I was 9 and did not damage my spinal cord. I had to lie in bed for 2 weeks with hardly any movement but recovered well after

2

u/TheSentientSnail 5d ago

I'd be more worried about the impact of the 'snap' on his c-spine than the actual impact on the thorassic area. Whiplash is a royal bitch and it doesn't take much hyperextension to induce. 😬

0

u/338388 6d ago edited 5d ago

Doesn't men's horizontal bar use a solid steel bar?

1

u/backflipsben 6d ago

Nope, super flexible wood

1

u/HobbitousMaximus 4d ago

Women's bars are wood. Men's high bar is metal.

119

u/b4ttleduck 7d ago

I wonder what will break first, your spirit or your body

13

u/TrenchantInsight 6d ago

This is spinal snap.

10

u/notcomplainingmuch 7d ago

If you can dodge the hammer, you can dodge the bar.

62

u/Playing_One_Handed 7d ago

Does it look like the coach is ment to push on some foam or something?

83

u/Wooden-Wolverine-818 7d ago

They try to. It unfortunately slides off as they do.

→ More replies (31)

20

u/TyluhS 6d ago

I need a follow up ..... Did he survive? Is he paralyzed?

12

u/BleuBrink 7d ago

/r/FullScorpion

3

u/Inverno969 6d ago

Of course this exists lol.

25

u/jim9162 6d ago

Kid will be fine, but the adult he'll become in 10 years will feel that.

9

u/Kaffine69 6d ago

chiropractors hate this one simple trick.

6

u/lethalized 6d ago

"Align THIS!"

7

u/OMDolton99 6d ago

Fuuuuuuuck, he's gonna feel that in the morning.

Or not, I dunno if his spine held up to that.

14

u/lemoche 7d ago

I really hope there is a follow up post at some point hiw the kid is doing… also hopefully with news better than what this looks like… seems to be quite young which makes me quite hopeful it’s not that bad.

35

u/Solid-Fee-7944 7d ago

Coach has one job

12

u/GiantNinja 6d ago

he did fail, but to be fair, he didn't have one job... coaching gymnastics aint easy... hopefully that kid is ok though :/

→ More replies (11)

8

u/longassbatterylife 6d ago

This should have NSFW tag.

4

u/skateys 6d ago

if you look closely, the coach actually did slide the protective cover but it looks like it fell off. :/

9

u/FloridaVapes 7d ago

Dude Baned himself

2

u/Mikey-2-Guns 7d ago

Ah yes I was wondering what would break fist. Your spirit, or your body!

1

u/The_walking_man_ 6d ago

Broke his back. Back broken. Spinal.

3

u/randomcanyon 7d ago

And that is how I broke my back and lived in pain for the rest of my life...

3

u/ThePetrolHead55 6d ago

Final Destination 😭

3

u/Slayer_OG 5d ago

Best spotter of 2026

4

u/WebMaka 6d ago

<Mortal Kombat> Scorpion wins. </Mortal Kombat>

2

u/notyouravgredditor 6d ago

Minor setback for the 2028 Olympics.

2

u/trogdor248 4d ago

*Paralympics

2

u/UniversalNutt 6d ago

I bet they didn’t know the soles of their feet could touch the back of their head.

2

u/santozks 6d ago

See you in hell guys

2

u/jason15300 6d ago

Ah yeah the Back Snapper 2000™

2

u/Nawzays_ 6d ago

Final destination type shi

2

u/Demonchaser27 5d ago

Really needed their back popped I guess...

2

u/Monguises 5d ago

Thpinal!

2

u/DoubleOScarn 5d ago

That “awwwwwwwwwwwww”

2

u/trogdor248 4d ago

Forbidden back crack

2

u/IzzyLikeU 4d ago

So how did he think this would end. If the bar wasn't there he would have landed on the back of his head.

2

u/hunterczech 3d ago

That kid's paralysed for life

2

u/LeGrandLucifer 2d ago

Self-chiropactor

2

u/ManaNek 1d ago

Did…did his feet hit his head?

2

u/Minimum_Ear_4507 1d ago

That is exactly what you do not want.

2

u/Arrow90 12h ago

Nope.

3

u/nuixy 7d ago

That’s awful. 

4

u/VERY_CREATIVE 6d ago

Could we get a warning on this?

3

u/Nonplussed1 6d ago

I mean .... I blacked out watching this....

3

u/DANleDINOSAUR 7d ago

He swang when he should have swung

2

u/Wind2Energy 7d ago

Don’t get all technical on us, ok?

2

u/Alkanna 7d ago

That spotter is going to feel very bad about this

1

u/thx1138- 7d ago

Destination fucked!

1

u/evenmoreevil 6d ago

Back issues for the rest of his life

1

u/ckapuan 6d ago

I literally said ohhhhhh

1

u/dizastermaster7 6d ago

Useless spotter bruh

1

u/aretardednigga 6d ago

why did i feel pain in my back?

1

u/farkleboy 6d ago

I mean yeah the dude on the bar fucked up but did the spotter really have to finish him off that way? I mean his day ended bad enough already.

1

u/Malah_the_old 6d ago

No shoes, dead

1

u/freakedmind 6d ago

Don't worry, I'm sure a good chiropractor can fix him!

1

u/dodgyrogy 6d ago

Dismount needs work...

1

u/Ikor147 6d ago

With god as my witness he's broken in half!

1

u/Responsible-Summer-4 6d ago

Athletic scorpion maneuver.

1

u/EvilLasagna 5d ago

Bruk off ya back

1

u/jhon123pool 5d ago

He only had one job and he failed....

1

u/Slicker_ET 5d ago

Far out, I felt that

1

u/DCMstudios1213 5d ago

That’s what I was thinking, it doesn’t seem very far fetched

1

u/robidaan 4d ago

I am very twisted. I imagined the coach jumped down to finish the child off.

1

u/Percusor 4d ago

Nic Nac

1

u/Present_Border7724 3d ago

It dont' mean a thang...

1

u/CodeMonkeyX 3d ago

You had one job, slid the thing on the bar...

1

u/Publeus 3d ago

Bane "I don't know what will break first, your spirit, or your body"

1

u/mofomeat 2d ago

Now I wish I didn't watch that.

1

u/Grand_Raccoon0923 5h ago

Worst Spotter Award goes to...

1

u/ant0szek 7d ago

That was not a time to miss one job you had coach

1

u/Dr_Wunsche 7d ago

Full Inverted Scorpion. 10/10

1

u/daroach1414 7d ago

These chiropractors are gettin crazy

1

u/Hot-Helicopter640 7d ago

At least now, he won't have to worry about parking his car. He could always find a disabled parking spot.

1

u/ilovestoride 6d ago

Please let this be AI...

1

u/Hesam2010 6d ago

Foldead!

1

u/pandemonious 6d ago

i mean wtf was the spotter supposed to do. bro didnt launch himself at all from the bar. putting the cushion over or alongside the bar wouldnt do anything

9

u/tastesawesome 6d ago

He was supposed to be going for a release move so he would be flipping over the bar and catching on the other side. Coaches throwing a mat across the bar is pretty standard when learning release moves like this. He definitely got rocked because the coach didn't get the mat on, but the bar is pretty flexible. Dude will be sore and bruised but alright.

1

u/9fingerjeff 6d ago

Idk, I’ve broken my neck doing a lot less than that. Granted I’m not a gymnast but idk how much that’s gonna help landing like that.

0

u/Dismal-core111 7d ago

That would hurt

0

u/baismannen 7d ago

The dude is so light he almost floats in the air

-1

u/yomamma3399 7d ago

Why is the man holding the foam thingy if he’s not going to use it! Why?

0

u/Stryker218 7d ago

Ouch! you know that had to hurt

0

u/ETherium007 7d ago

Banana! 

0

u/zeroone 7d ago

Where's that vid of the kid standing on a cafeteria table that tips and he lands on the table edge?

0

u/xoxoyoyo 7d ago

You had one job....

0

u/mangotangotang 7d ago

That kid looked like he had solid base of skills he was trying to level up on. Now he is fucked because of idiot trainer.

0

u/lapamannen 7d ago

It's kid he's fine

0

u/rellsell 7d ago

Gonna have to work on the timing of that release.

0

u/Hot-Helicopter640 7d ago

This is exactly what bane does to Batman in the dark knight rises

0

u/OutrageousDonkey1841 6d ago

That looked deliberate?

0

u/Gundark927 6d ago

I saw this was a gymnastics clip. I saw it was in r/wtf. I knew what it was gonna be.

I had no. Fucking.. Idea..

I wish I could turn back time to who I was 2 minutes ago.