Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2009 January 25

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January 25

Strange behaviour by gymnastics coach

My wife always watches the gymnastics whenever it's on TV, and I've noticed something that intrigues me. When a female competitor is performing on the asymmetric (uneven) bars, shortly into the event, her coach comes on to the floor and approaches to within a few feet of where she's spinning around the bars and reaches out his hands to her, as if he's preparing to catch her. Then he goes around to the other side of the apparatus and does the same thing. Then he moves away. What on earth is the purpose of this? He's done all he can to prepare her for her routine; and now the best thing, surely, is just to let her get on with it. She must be able to see him, and it must be a great distraction during such a high-risk routine when she needs all her concentration. Nothing similar happens in any of the other disciplines. Presumably there's a logical explanation for this, but can anyone please enlighten me? Pavel (talk) 19:28, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Probably to catch her if she falls. I've seen them do that at other apparatuses too. Clarityfiend (talk) 20:45, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

The coaches of male gymnasts do the same thing when their competitor is on the High Bar. They even adjust the mats under the bar while the routine is going on. AnyPerson (talk) 23:49, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

And I doubt it's a distraction. They're probably so focused on their routine, the bars, and what their body is doing that you'd have to fire a gun to distract them. Dismas|^(talk) 03:08, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Plus, if the coach always does that, it's not a distraction; they expect it. --Anonymous, 04:47 UTC, January 26, 2009.

Would the coach be able to do anything if the gymnast did slip? Julia Rossi (talk) 22:26, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Maybe. The coach will know the routine extremely well so will know exactly what the gymnast is going to do when, which should mean they know exactly where they need to be to catch them. That may be why they sometimes move from one side to the other - they know which parts the gymnast is liable to make a mistake on so position themselves accordingly and then move once that part is done successfully. --Tango (talk) 22:42, 28 January 2009 (UTC)