The art of Yulo
(First of a series)
There are six apparatuses in men’s artistic gymnastics. And while Carlos Edriel Yulo is gearing up for all six as he prepares for a second Olympic appearance, there will be three he will pay close attention to: Floor exercise, parallel bars and vault.
Yulo ruled the floor exercise and the vault in the world championships on separate occasions and consistently threatened the finest competitors in the p-bars.But his stunts continue to be a work in progress for a medal grab in the global Summer Games in July in Paris.
FLOOR EXERCISE
The floor exercise requires a rigorous technical expertise which Yulo should execute in 60 to 70 seconds. Acrobatic skills such as tumbling and flips and jumping maneuvers to demonstrate balance, power, strength and flexibility will be the basis of points awarded by the judges.
To maximize those points awarded, Yulo will throw in nonacrobatic skills, including press handstands, circles and scales, to name a few, throughout the performance.
The two-time world champion Filipino prefers to hold his cards close to his chest for now and will unveil his performance in the Olympics.
Here are some of the stunts Yulo performed during the floor exercise in previous high-caliber tournaments:
1. Tumbling pass—running nearly half the length of the floor to gain speed and power before performing a series of somersaults and twists.
2. Salto—a flip or somersault. An acrobatic move in which the body makes a complete 360-degree turn, heels overhead.
3. Full twisting—an advanced move that combines flipping and twisting simultaneously in 360-degree rotation.
4. High double pike—A pike is a type of position in which the gymnast keeps their legs straight and bends forward at the waist. This specific movement consists of two consecutive saltos in a pike position.
5. Double twist—Breaking from a powerful run, a gymnast propels himself from a back handspring in preparation for a tight twisting position that allows two full 360 twists before landing safely.
6. Triple twist—With more space to build momentum and generate power, a gymnast launches himself for a twisting position that enables three full quick twists prior to landing.
7. Triple back pike somersault—a somersault performed thrice in a backward direction with the legs leading the rest of the body in a pike position.
8. The Nagornyy triple pike—named after Russian gymnast Nikita Nagornyy, the Nagornyy is the completion of three consecutive saltos in a frontal pike position after breaking into a fast run to generate power.
These varieties of stunts and movements are then combined for a fluid and explosive routine designed to impress the judges.
(To be continued)
