Just Because || Anastasia Grishina's A Mad Russian's Christmas

Kenzo Shirai's 3/1 Twisting DLO

I haven't been updating here for awhile so here's a new MAG element. It was rated H! Kenzo really deserved this skill. He's amazing.

China's Gold Medal Performances || Glasgow 2015

I'm happy You Hao came in to win this finals. Depending on your style preference for pbars I think this is the type of exciting pbar routines that should win. I'm seeing him make China's Rio team.

Then there is Fan Yilin. I love her bar routine. It's elegant and pretty. At first seeing this routine for the first time I thought she struggled and had a dead hang after her geinger release skill but no she did good.

Quick Thoughts on Glasgow 2015

Oh man I don't know where to start. I'm a lazy blogger :P.

Overall I liked this world's championships. I liked how they introduced the gymnasts into the competition arena. I was able to watch almost all the competition live. There were many intense moments in MAG team finals and AA. I was thrilled for Japan finally winning team gold and it was nice to see team Great Britain celebrate history winnings for both MAG and WAG.

I loved Kohei Uchumura and Simone Biles showing that they are the bosses. Sometimes I wish the winners didn't make visible errors because sometimes it's anti climatic but it doesn't really matter because it also shows how dominant a team or individual is.

I think this might be the first time that I agree and is happy about all the medal rankings. There were many great gymnastics. I don't even know where to begin with. Check out my tumblr to see the things I liked agymnasticsfan.

One thing that did bother me about this championships was the 4 way tie. I know, I know it's nice to see people tie and it's positive but I honestly think the judges could have tweaked this final a lot better. I mean it's nice and all and it was Halloween but 4 way tie, argh. I know there are possibilities for ties but I suspect tweaking going on. That's just my opinion. I would have place Viktoria Komova the true winner above them all. I know she has her flaws but I prefer hers out of all the other three girls. If anything Fan Yilin was my other favourite except for the dead hang. I really like her elegant bar work.

And of course I was nervous for all my favourites but they all pulled through :). I'm happy Afanasyeva was able to keep her nerves calm and perform her routine to clinch 2nd after the amazing Biles. I just really like Afan. She has this presence like no other that night. She gets away with movements and style. She just has it. Her routine has really grown on me. I like how she moves.

Kenzo Shirai FX QF || Glasgow 2015

My favourite routine to win at worlds.

Afanasyeva's FX QF || Glasgow 2015

I see no gogean leap. I'm happy she will make event finals.

Maria Paseka UB Glasgow 2015 Podium Training

Nice routine and I'm hoping lots of success for her. I hope she medals on vault or even win :)

Afanasyeva's BB & FX || Glasgow 2015 Podium Training

Oh Afan. She is my favourite to watch on the Russian team. Her beam is lacking in difficulty but it's nice to see her helping the team on this event. I had to giggle a bit at her mount sequence. I blame it on her kidney situation :P. I wish she could keep a consistent stable routine. Her composition is always changing and I can see she is doing a 180 leg split turn now. We'll see what she does in qualification.

On floor nothing unusual to report except for the weird music that I only like because I'm bias :P. I still like the way she moves and I can see she was trying to be creative and playful in this routine but somehow it didn't work. I like the short low floor choreo though and she has one of the best double L-turns in the world. Sadly I think she'll get lots of corner deductions and she'll have to hit the hell out of this routine to accomplish something amazing at this championships. I'm not expecting much from her this competition. It's just nice to see her competing at worlds again. I'm wishing her good luck.

Simone Biles || Glasgow 2015 FX Podium Training

Still dislike the music but she is an amazing floor worker. My favourite to win floor and AA titles.

Viktoria Komova Glasgow 2015 UB Podium Training

What a beautiful routine. This is getting me into the spirit of world championships :P.

Ksenia Afanasyeva 2015 Russian Cup BB EF

Not the highest difficulty. I hope she can keep working up to her older connections to get her difficulty up again. I say this is a good start for her since she recently started training beam again. Her past injuries prevented her from training it till now. She looked confident enough. What's new is the 5/2 twists dismount. That was a good idea since her double tuck and pike dismounts looked like they always gave her issues. Oh and not that it matters but she does a split jump mount now. She has a variety of mounts to choose from. I guess doing the same mount can be boring for her so she changes it up. I feel she can do more with her routine so here's to hoping she can keep improving.

Viktoria Komova Russian Cup 2015 UB Exhibition

This was the event finals but Komova only performed an exhibition routine since she didn't qualify in qualifications. The reason for exhibition is for more practice and assurance that she can hit a routine. The dbl dbl tuck dismount is back. She is a gorgeous gymnast with beautiful lines and toe point but I hope she keeps getting consistent and confident. This routine was good. I think her height causes her to have some execution problems and I hope she will get used to her new height as she continues to compete. Stay strong.

6.8D + 8.5E = 15.3

 

Maria Paseka 2015 Russian Cup TF/QF VT & UB

In 2012 I was unsure of Paseka. I was kind of a hater but she has really grown on me. She is really improving. Her vault and bars has been getting better each year. Like Afanasyeva said to her, "Masha, don't give up!" Don't give up Paseka.

Nice Amanar and her Cheng improved a lot. Her bar connections are on point! I'm a new fan.

Catalina Ponor's New 2015 Floor Routine

Finally got to see it. Even though it's bad video quality I like her routine. Nothing has really changed (like the 3/1 twists:P) but it's nice to see her again.

Happy 24th Birthday Ksenia Afanasyeva

Max Whitlock Doing Gymnastics in Paul Smith Suit

Cool :)

 

Just Because...All Kohei Uchimura 2014 World Championship Routines

Plus you get to see Yusuke Tanaka's floor routine :P.

I think the only person that can cause an upset to Uchimura is Verniaiev and possibly Whitlock. We haven't seen much of Whitlock but he'll start to compete more in the next coming months. Then there are his own teammates like Kato and Tanaka. Kato recently had a mishap at a college meet but hopefully it's nothing serious and he can resume normal training. Either than that I don't think guys like Mikulak can even make top 3. Well anything can happen but he'll have to over come other guys before even getting close to 1st.

   

Simone Biles 2015 USA Nationals Day 2 AA Routines

Biles is amazing.

  

Aly Raisman 2015 USA National FX Day 1

The main talk about this routine is the split 1/2 after the double pike. It's not well executed and I don't think she even hits 180. Or what kind of leap was that?

One thing I like to note about the code is that this corner rule is kind of a disaster. Basically you get gymnasts just dancing in the corner and nowhere else. Aly basically dances only in the corners. And those additional dance jumps after leaps are one of the most annoying things about floor routines today.

Either than that Aly is very good on floor. I Like how she does DLO as middle pass :).

  

Just Because...Deng Linlin 2011 Chinese National BB

Deng's layout on beam is one of the best in the world. It's high, powerful, straight and exciting. Here is when she did layout 1/1 and trying to connect to Korbut flip. I believe she first tried this in 2010.

 

Ultimate Guide to Gymnastics with Kohei Uchimura | Gillette World Sport

Uchimura explaining the 6 MAG apparatuses.

Just Because...Larisa Iordache's Nanning 2014 TF BB

It's been awhile since we've seen Iordache compete. I'm interested in seeing what she will show this year.

2015 Asian Gymnastic Championships || News Link & Videos

Here are some links to great resources of news and videos from 2015 Asian Gymnastics Championships. It's not easy to find English news of Japanese gymnastics. I like these sites ryohei-kato and peggyswonderland. I know its tumblr but these sites helped me be up to date and once you get the hang of tumblr it's fun and easy.  

Here's Wang Yan's winning floor routine. I like the 3/2 indirect to 3/1 + front punch and of course the tuck dbl dbl at the beginning.

Here's Shirai's  winning floor routine. The triple double tuck always gets me. It's amazing to be honest and for whatever reasons I like the endo roll to handstand. He may only have one double salto but his routine is still exciting. Those twisting combinations are no walk in the park. I'm still dreaming the day he puts in the triple dbl layout that he's been seen doing. Now that would be on whole new level of amazing.

     

Simone Biles 2015 U.S Classics Floor Routine

New choreography and music. Hopefully it will grow on me. I did like the low floor choreography starting at 0:51 mark. Everything else was typical American cheerleader type artistry. Music was not good in my opinion but maybe it will grow on me but I doubt it. Aside from those things her tumbling is amazing but gotta get that gogean leap around.

It's going to be hard to beat Biles in AA and floor finals at worlds.

Jossimar Calvo HB Gold @ Pan Ams 2015

Calvo made it to two HB world championship finals in 2013 and 2014. I'm looking forward to seeing him make it to Glasgow and Rio finals. He has very good difficulty and generally I like this guy.

 

Ellie Black BB & FX Gold @ Pan Ams 2015

Good routines from Black. She looked so confident on beam. I really like her beam routine. She made beam finals at last year's world championships. I'm looking forward to her making the beam finals this year in Glasgow. She should be able to make it, she is that good. And you never know what can happen in this crazy sport, she could medal or win :P.

I like her floor routine too. She is capable of more difficulty. She can do DLO and her signature combo of 5/2 twists indirect to 3/1!

Jorge Vega Lopez FX Gold @ Pan Ams 2015

To me this is a heartwarming moment in gymnastics.

Manrique Larduet & Jossimar Calvo HB AA @ Pan Ams 2015

I love the stuck 3/1 twisting DLO dismount from Larduet and I really like Calvo's routine. Exciting routines to me.

Ellie Black AA Routines @ Pan Ams 2015

I love that she won. I haven't been paying much attention to Pan Am Games since life is hectic and my internet is crap.

It's great she won on home soil. Woohoo!

Polina Fedorova FX Gold @ Universiade 2015

Underrated Russian gymnast Fedorova won the floor exercise. I love her well controlled spins. Good routine.

Paseka VT Gold & Kramarenko UB Gold (D-score) @ Universiade 2015

A lot of unflattering leg separations but still very good first vault. I hope she keeps staying consistent for Russia.

And here is Kramarenko's bar routine. I like her composition. I like that she has two shap 1/2 variations in her routine. Sooo pretty. The only thing that takes away from this routine is the pak salto. It has always been like that. It's good to see Kramarenko still sticking around.

Stalder 1/1 +  Stalder Shap 1/2 (D+E) 0.1CV
Toe 1/2 + Jaeger (C,D)
Pak salto (D)
VLW (E)
Toe 1/1 + Tsuk (D+D) 0.1CV

3.3 + 0.2CV = 3.5 + 2.5CR = 6.0 D-score

Maria Paseka VT QF @ 2015 Universiade

Good vaulting except for that huge pre-flight leg separation. She has been doing very good lately. Russia needs these vaults.

 

Just Because...Flashback Friday || 2013 Universiade Routines

Here is Afanasyeva's wonderful routine if you can overlook the awkwardness of the gogean leap :P.

And Yang's Gold winning vaults. Hopefully we get to see the Yang (FHS 3/1) as he's not been doing his namesake vault for awhile since he's been battling injuries. I hope he can compete his vault again one day. Also he might plan to compete the Kas 5/2. He's been the first known gymnast to successfully compete it. He's been trying to get it named after himself for awhile now.

Kenzo Shirai FX 69th All Japan Apparatus Championships D-Score

7.6D + 8.85E = 16.45

Bwd 7/2 + Fwd 2/1 (E+D) 0.2CV
Ri (G)
Endo roll hstd (C)
Fwd 1/1 + Fwd 3/1 (C+F) 0.1CV
Bwd 5/2 + Fwd 5/2 (D+E) 0.2CV
Somi 1/1 (C)
Bwd Quad (F)

4.6 + 0.5CV = 5.1 + 2.5EG = 7.6 D-Score (video might be deleted/removed soon)

Giulia Steingruber (SUI) FX EF European Games Baku 2015

I've finally got to observe and examine the routines of Mustafina and Steingruber. I've read that Mustafina did not get credit for quad turn and Steingruber should of gotten 0.3 oob deduction. IMO Mustafina did complete the quad turn but overall I preferred Steingruber's routine. Looking at her feet I can see the 0.1 oob but not the 0.3 oob. It's not unusual for someone to win with an oob deduction.

At the end of the day the judges also preferred Steingruber's routine. The things that bothered me about Mustafina is her spin combo at the beginning, then she tried to do the Memmel at the end again and was unsuccessful. Too many spins imo. I love spins but in this actual case she did way toooo many. Another thing is her music and choreo. I thought I could like it but I can't. She is still a pretty mover but this routine really takes the cake for background music. It felt like she was not listening to her music. It felt weird. I'm impressed with her new DLO debuts though :). I bet she will have different music come Glasgow. This might have been a testing competition for her.

I love Steingruber's gogean leap and think the straight 3/2 jump was cool.

 

Aliya Mustafina AA UB @ 2015 European Games

Her best score of the night 15.5! I still think she will have a 7.0 routine by Rio :). I believe in Aliya.

 

Oleg Verniaiev VT Prelims @ Baku 2015

Nice stuck Dragulescu and very aggressive Kas 2/1.

 

Komova BB Prelims @ Baku 2015

Oh Komova. She still has that lovely line. Lot's of wobbles but she fought and that is a very good sign. She made no finals but she got to win team gold as prelims was also used as team finals.

I really like the camera angle around 0:33 . It captures the standing Arabian, leap series, 180 split turn, and front tuck. I like the angle because it shows how well balanced a gymnast is. These athletes are daring and strong.

Seda Tutkhalyan BB & FX Prelims @ Baku 2015

Tutkhalyan is slowing growing on me. I like her floor routine and her beam has lots of potential. She qualifies first with 14.600 on beam.

Mustafina & Komova DLO FX @ Baku 2015 Prelims

Mustafina and Komova both debuted double layouts for the first time. It's exciting to see these new upgrades from them. I suspect that they will get better at performing DLO's as they keep training and consistently compete them.

I was most surprised that Komova did the DLO. I have heard in the past she trained it but I have never seen videos. Mustafina on the other hand. The gymternet has known that she's been training DLO's and in my mind I had suspected that she would one day debut DLO. It was nice to see it here.  Her new floor music is slow pace which will help her with endurance. I'm not sure if I like her routine yet as it's new music and skills. Hopefully it will grow on me.

I'm not too convinced with the scoring on floor. I know comparing scores from say this year's European Championships to European Games is kind of moot. Since different judges and maybe different rules but I can't help but compare scores from other competitions from this year and try to understand what the judges are doing. I love Mustafina but in my personal opinion her score should be lower even with the -0.3 deduction. I know I might sound negative and I was not planning to put my opinion about this but it doesn't matter. At least I'm saying what I feel. It's nice to see Mustafina back again though. Team Russia really needs her.

 

Viktoria Komova European Games QF UB

It's good to see her again at a more major competition. She upgraded pak + vlw and brought back the toe piked Tkatchev. A bit messy on the vlw and other areas but it's nice to see her back in action. I hope she keeps getting better and more confident again. I like Komova a lot.

 

Mao Yi Team/Qualification FX - 2015 Chinese Nationals (D-score)

This routine is popular around the gymnastics community. Mao is a very good twister. Very hard first pass 7/2 (3.5) + tuck front.

7/2 Twists + Front tuck (F) 0.2CV
5/2 Twists + 3/2 Twist (D+C) 0.2CV
Split leap 1/1 (C)
3/1 Twists (E)
3/1 Turn (C)
Switch leap + Switch 1/2 (C)
Double Tuck (D)

3.1 + 0.4CV = 3.5 + 2.5CR = 6.0 D-Score

 

Anastasia Dmitrieva FX Torino Trofeo 4 Nazioni 2015

One of my new favourite seniors out of Russia.

 

Rare Ksenia Afanasyeva UB @ 2010 Japan Cup

In 2010 Afanasyeva won the 2010 AA Japan Cup. I've seen her beam and floor routine but not her vault and bars. Here is her bar routine:

 

Some Yang Hak Seon News Update

He competed at a recent Korean gymnastic championships. It will prepare him for the Universiade competition that will be held in Gwangju this July. There is also a small clip of him promoting Universiade.

I wish him all the best of luck. I'm still a fan of Yang.

 

Team Russia - Montpellier 2015 Montage

By: RUSGymnastics

Sae Miyakawa FX D-Score @ 69th Japanese Championships

Wow. Watch it before it gets taken off. Usually Japanese footage gets deleted from youtube.

DLO 1/1 (H)
Fwd whip + Dbl front (B+E) 0.2
Switch leap + Split leap 1/1 (B,C)
DLO (F)
1/1 Turn (A)
Dbl Dbl (H)

3.5 + 0.2CV = 3.7 + 2.5CR = 6.2 D-Score 

I think she can even upgrade her dance elements. She can upgrade her turn and one of her leaps. Also maybe she can stag out of her double front. Maybe she can get around 6.5/6.6 difficulty.

 

Ryohei Kato Interviews @ 69th Japanese Championships

I'm not sure these clips will stay up for long but here is some news about Kato.  

Uchimura @ 69th Japanese Championships Day 2 News Clip

He competed Shewfelt vault this time (Yurchenko 5/2)

 

69th Japanese Championships MAG Results

Original results & Google translated results

Day 1 & 2 scores are combined. In the results you can see the scores of each apparatus. 

1. Kohei Uchimura 92.150 + 90.550 = 182.700

2. Yusuke Tanaka 90.100 + 90.450 = 180.550

3. Ryohei Kato 90.050 + 89.950 = 180.000

Kohei Uchimura's Li Xiaopeng Vault @ 69th Japanese Championships QF

 

Training News on Uchimura & Shirai @ 69th Japanese Championships

And QF results top 3: Full google translated results

1. Kohei Uchimura 15.75 + 15.1 + 14.95 + 15.0 + 15.45 + 15.9 = 92.150AA 
2. Yusuke Tanaka 15.3 + 13.75 + 14.8 + 14.8 + 15.8 + 15.650 = 90.100AA
3. Ryohei Kato 15.45 + 14.6 + 14.6 + 14.8 + 15.600 + 15.00 = 90.050 AA

 

Claudia Fragapane Silver FX @ 2015 European Championships

I like that she is gutsy. I think that was the best 1/1 DLO I have seen from her? I couldn't see from the live feed that she did a wolf jump after her DLO dismount. This girl is definitely entertaining :P.

6.3 + 8.333 = 14.633

 

Ksenia Afanasyeva Gold FX @ 2015 European Championships

6.3 + 8.433 = 14.733 I'm very happy she won. I find that her best floor routines are always underscored. Yes she won and I'm no expert but her floor e-scores are always confusing.

Overall I enjoyed this European Championships. I liked that the live stream worked for everyone and no vpn extensions :).

 

Just Because...

Afanasyeva's 2015 European Amanar gif. I'm always surprised she can do it. Good for her.

(Source: flippyflippynutella)

Maria Paseka VT Gold @ 2015 European Championships

There is now proof that she can do the Cheng vault. A bit messy but she did it. Paseka is improving a lot. Well deserved gold medal.

 

Just Because...Verniaiev & Belyavskiy @ 2015 European Championships AA

Verniaiev 1st & Belyavskiy 2nd

Maria Kharenkova AA - BB & FX @ 2015 European Championships

Kharenkova is growing on me. The more she competes the more I see that she is getting better. She came in 2nd AA.

Thanks to susanw1984 videos.

Giulia Steingruber AA Floor @ 2015 European Championships

I completely missed this competition but know that Steingruber won AA. I like her Gogean leap. Very nice floor work.

 

Ksenia Afanasyeva FX @ 2015 European Championships Prelims

I like the new split jump 1/1 ring. She is second behind Steingruber.

Giulia Steingruber VT & FX @ 2015 European Championships Prelims

Ksenia Afanasyeva // Frozen Silence Montage

By: SuperGymmie

Aly Raisman FX Jesolo 2015

The floor Olympic champion is back. If she gets everything credit her D-score is 6.4. I still dislike some of her style but her difficulty is exciting. I like how she replaced her 3/1 twists for DLO.

Edit: boo, the video has been deleted.

 (photo edit source: giveuslifeagain)

Just Because...Simone Biles @ Jesolo 2015

Catherine Lyons - Floor 2015 British Gymnastics Championships Jr AA

Not the most difficult routine but very beautiful. I wonder if she'll upgrade some skills.

 
 

Phan Thi Ha Thanh (VIE) Gold BB EF @ Doha 2015

Kenzo Shirai FX Final || 2015 Cottbus Cup

Not the best quality but it's nice that mkjgt353 is sharing.

7.6 + 8.85 = 16.45 (Gold)

 

CoP - Tip of The Month

Lately on floor I've been noticing many gymnasts quickly doing an extra dance jump out of another turning leap. This new trend really helps the gymnast to get her difficult leaps credited.

The November 2014 code update states: "When there is a jump/hop, or leap with turn directly connected to another element from the COP and in the first element the turn is not completed exactly (but the gymnast is able to continue into the next element), the first element will NOT be devalued or recognized as another DV from the COP."

An Example would be split leap with 3/2 (1.5) turn + split jump 1/2. Basically if the split leap 3/2 was not fully rotated but the gymnast was able to directly link it to another jump/hop or leap then the split leap 3/2 will be recognized as D element.

Video Example:

Ksenia Afanasyeva - split leap 3/2 + split jump 1/2 split leap 3/2 is credited

MyKayla Skinner - switch leap 1/1 + sissone switch leap 1/1 is credited

*My personal opinion is that I dislike this new rule. A lot of leaps has become so unrecognizable and unattractive. But difficulty is the name of the game.

Ksenia Afanasyeva 2015 Russian Championships FX EF

I like the music and the way she moves. Arm waving queen. Simple movements and still artistic.

In team finals she successfully competed 5/2 twists + 1/1 twist. That pass was last seen in Beijing 2008. It's not an easy pass for her so that's why I'm excited. Also she is doing a new split jump 3/2 (D) at the beginning of her routine. She's trying really hard to upgrade. With what she has been showing at this national, if she adds back the Y-turn after her 2/1 L-turn she can go up to 6.6D-score!

It's a far stretch but if she can do 1/1 DLO she can be at 6.8. This girl really needs a skill named after her. Maybe a 3/1 Attitude turn or even 3/1 L-turn :P? She has a good balance of difficult acro + beautiful dance elements. Not many can achieve this.

 

Simone Biles 2015 American Cup Podium Training

Amazing tumbling! Biles is amazing. I love all her passes. Normally I don't act like this but all hail Biles!

 

Daria Spiridonova 2015 Upgraded UB QF || Russian Championships 2015

Spiridonova now connects her Pak into VLW (Van Leeuwen)

6.6 D + 8.767E = 15.367

 

Seda Tutkhalyan DLO || 2015 FX QF Russian Championships

Nice DLO and she's also using some of Ekaterina Kurbatova's old floor music :).

5.5D + 8.067E = 13.567

Afanasyeva's New 2015 Russian Championships FX QF

Looking good. First pass most likely DLO. Damn corner rules are weird.

6.1 D + 8.6 E = 14.7

 

Tokyo 2020 To Have Lesser Team Members?

News Link

I'm finally jumping on the bandwagon and thinking noooooooooooooo. What I am getting out of this is that its not official and I am hoping nothing changes the current 5 member. I'm almost afraid that in the distant future there will no longer be a team final event at the Olympics. I hope they can find another solution to allow more diversity while still keeping at least 5 members on a team. Anything less than 5 is not a team anymore. It was already hard to get use to 5 team members. Now I'm afraid to see what the final decisions will look like.

Just Because...Catalina Ponor's 2012 European BB QF

I'm hearing she is considering a comeback if everything goes well. I hope she can make it. I really like her switch leap + Omelianchik combination.

 

The Bretschneider Rated "H"

The first "H" skill in MAG. Other new MAG skills here.

(Source: frangymnasticsfan)

Ksenia Afanasyeva's Oscar Win :P

Well not really but recently at Round Lake some of the gymnasts played a guessing game. Afanasyeva was the winner and her prize was an Oscar statuette :p. Video of the gymnasts playing the guessing game.

Just Because...Uchimura's 2014 HB EF

Ah the Cassina + Kolman (swoons)

 

Carlotta Ferlito New 2015 Floor Exercise (D-Score)

Despite using a pop song I like the artistic idea of this routine :).

Gogean Leap (D)
Tsuk (E)
3/1 Twists (E)
Fwd Aerial
Switch Ring + Split Ring (C,C)
Memmel (D)
Ferrari Leap (D)
Dbl Pike (D)

3.2 + 0.0CV + 2.5CR = 5.7 D-Score if everything gets credit.

Happy 20th Birthday Viktoria Komova

One of my favourite bar routine from her, London 2012 team finals.

 

Kenzo Shirai & Kohei Uchimura || 2015 First National Training Of The Year

Here you can see Shirai doing the triple double layout and Uchimura doing a double front 1/2 dismount off PB. Via mkjgt353