Circles on Mushroom

The circle on the mushroom is a basic drill for learning circles on pommel horse or beam. The gymnast should start learning circles early on in their career. This will help them develop higher quality circles with the proper technique because gymnasts can perform more repetitions overall if they start a younger age. To do this drill, the gymnast must first place their hands on the horizontal line across the mushroom. During the performance, the athlete should not change this position of their hands. They should start in front support with their shoulders leaned slightly forward. They should face their hands forward with their fingers spread for better support. Next, they should step to the side opposite of their desired circle direction. The athlete does this opposite move, jumps in the desired direction, and closes their legs to start the circle. The entire circle should be performed with a completely straight body. There are several universal points that the gymnast should follow:

• Maintain a completely extended circle with an open chest at the first and third quarter;

• The arms and legs should remain tight, no exceptions;

• At the first quarter of the circle, the base arm pushes the mushroom identically with the direction of the circle. In that quarter, the leading part of the body should be the hips. During the second quarter, the gymnast should put their other hand down, and finish the quarter in rear support;

• In the third quarter, the gymnast should switch the support hand and start pushing down on the mushroom in the opposite direction from the circle trajectory. The leading part of the body during this phase are the heels;

• In the fourth quarter, the gymnast should put their first hand back down on the mushroom and finish in front support. In order to assure continuity, the body should not touch the mushroom, and the shoulders should lean forward;

• In the fourth quarter, the gymnast put the first hand on the mushroom and finishes in front support. In order to assure continuity, the body should not touch the mushroom and the shoulder should lean forward.

• During the execution of the skill, the shoulders lean in the opposite direction from the legs;

• Developing a faster circle can help the gymnast lean less from their shoulders, maintain a straight body position easier, and raise their body higher above the mushroom (essential for performing floor circles, circles on the pommel horse, and beam).

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Circles on Top of Mushroom

Place the top of the mushroom on the floor. In order to perform the circle on it, the gymnast should learn to do them much faster. This will help them to raise their body above the ground. Circle speed can be increased by pushing down on the mushroom from the hands and raising the hips up through the first quarter.

Circles on the Floor

The next step is to perform a circle on the floor. In addition to having a fast circle, the gymnast should perform it with an exact straight body. Before attempting circles on the floor, the gymnast should ensure that their starting position is correct. They should begin with their feet far away from their hands but not so far that they cannot lean on their shoulders. They should also start with their hips down towards the floor, slightly arched. If the gymnast starts with a piked body it will be difficult to begin the floor circle, as their body will not be parallel to the ground. If the athlete is having trouble at first, they could perform a step by step progression. They could start by walking themselves through a circle, holding each quarter with the proper body position. They should do this while keeping their hips up, in order to avoid piking. The next step in the progression is jumping to the first quarter, leading with their hips. The last step in the progression is jumping to a half circle.

Russians on the Mushroom

This skill should start and finish in front support. There should be a 360-degree turn in one circle. This should be accomplished with no more than four hand placements. Starting from one or several circles, the first arm should reach the third quarter. The second arm then reaches quickly to the second quarter. At that moment, the gymnast should finish the first half Russian circle. The next half of the skill is the same as the first, finishing the Russian in front support with a total 360-degree turn. The first-hand places at the first quarter, and the second hand places on the fourth quarter. This skill could start with a 1⁄4 stockli circle. In this case, there should be another 270-degree turn, finishing in front support with a total of 360-degree rotation. Both techniques are acceptable. During the performance, the body position should be slightly arched. The arms should push away from the mushroom and the legs should be raised above it.