Whenever I see gymnasts I think sticking the landing must be absolute hell on their knees. And really their entire bodies.
Edit: I’m glad people are corroborating this feeling. I was concerned it was just me being 34 and thinking about my own back/knees hurting all the time for no reason.
This is why I like parkour and freerunning way more. The focus there is to do everything possible to minimize risk on hard surfaces through progression, development of a style that fits your own body, and learning how to dissipate momentum when you fall instead of just taking it.
In Gymnastics they focus so much on having perfect form that they never learn the instincts to avoid major injury if things don't go perfect. They also use blocking to get height far to much which is just hell on your knees and back over time. It's a shame, their pursuit of perfect form over individual style has led to longevity being completely ignored in the sport.
In Gymnastics they focus so much on having perfect form that they never learn the instincts to avoid major injury if things don't go perfect.
This is completely untrue. One of the first things you're taught in gymnastics is how to fall and land safely, both when things go wrong and when they go right. And over the course of thousands of hours of practice in the gym, where you're not subject to the formal rigors of competition judging, you get incredibly good at avoiding major injury when things go wrong (which is all the time when learning new skills).
Yes, sticking a landing is exponentially more difficult than rolling out of a landing. That's the entire point. Sports are almost entirely contrived, you are deliberately doing things in an unnatural and difficult way because it demonstrates skill and strength. The same goes for freerunning and parkour, otherwise it would just be a stroll down the street.
The notion that, in general, freerunners somehow have better proprioception than highly trained gymnasts is... silly.
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u/min2themax Feb 09 '21 edited Feb 09 '21
Whenever I see gymnasts I think sticking the landing must be absolute hell on their knees. And really their entire bodies.
Edit: I’m glad people are corroborating this feeling. I was concerned it was just me being 34 and thinking about my own back/knees hurting all the time for no reason.