ABSTRACT

Coaches, gymnasts, medical staff, physiologists, biomechanists and psychologists interacted with manufacturers, each from their respective point of view in order to improve not only the safety of the practitioners but to ensure a parallel evolution of the equipment that equals the increasing gymnastic difficulties. Working with younger gymnasts has a crucial advantage from a technical versus body composition point of view. Young gymnasts are typically lighter and shorter than older gymnasts. This slender physique has biomechanical advantages in performing high risk acrobatic skills common to contemporary gymnastics. One of the main areas where biomechanists, coaches and physiologists interact effectively is the "invention/design of new skills". Key elements that physiology provides in order to avoid these health risks are: overload and progression, individual response, readiness and periodisation. In addition, physiology provides some tools to assess the progress of the gymnasts before raising the load stimulus versus stage and readiness.