Kinetic and Kinematic Analysis of Landing during Standing Back Somersault Using Three Technical Arm Swings in Artistic Gymnastics

The crucial criteria when assessing technical performance in artistic gymnastics is the higher elevation of the gymnast’s body and a stable landing (i.e., stick-landing). The purpose of this study was to compare kinetic and kinematic parameters during the landing phase of standing back somersaults (SBS) following three technical arm-swing performed during the preparatory phase in high-level male gymnasts. The three different arm-swing pertain to three “gymnastics schools”, i.e., Russian, Chinese, and Romanian. Six high-level male gymnasts participated in this study. Three arm-swing with different angles (i.e., SBS_270°, SBS_180°, and SBS_90°) were randomly performed. A 3D kinetic and kinematic analysis was conducted. Results showed significant variation in the landing angle (p = 0.009) across the three arm-swing techniques. The SBS_90° arm-swing resulted in the closest angle to the vertical. Additionally, the SBS_90° arm-swing technique induced the lowest horizontal and vertical force values upon landing compared to the other arm-swing techniques (SBS_270°: p = 0.023 and 0.009, respectively; SBS_180°: p = 0.004 and 0.080, respectively). The same was noted for the horizontal velocity (p = 0.021) with the lowest values noted for the SBS_90° arm-swing technique. However, the best opening angle was observed during the SBS_270° technique, since it presented the best vertical displacement. In conclusion, the SBS with a SBS_90° arm-swing seems to favor a better absorption of the ground reaction force upon landing by reducing the intensity of the impact with the ground and by affording a landing angle closer to the vertical in high-level male gymnasts.