The pike position involves bending at the hips while keeping the legs straight and together, forming a sharp angle between the torso and legs. It resembles sitting upright with legs extended forward, but in gymnastics, it’s often performed in mid-air or during transitions.
Key Characteristics:
- Aligned Body: Shoulders over hips, avoiding rounding the back.
- Straight Legs: Knees fully extended.
- Flexed Hips: Torso bent forward at the hips.
- Pointed Toes: Feet extended to complete the line.
The key difference between pike and other shapes, such as the tuck, is the straightness of the legs, which are extended rather than tucked into the body. While this body shape allows for controlled and graceful movements, it rotates slower than the tuck shape, adding difficulty to skills that require a pike.
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Applications of the Pike in Gymnastics
The pike position is used in several gymnastics events and is integral to various skills and routines. Here are some of the primary applications of the pike in gymnastics:
1. Floor Exercises
In floor routines, the pike is primarily used in flips and saltos. Front and back pike saltos are common, where gymnasts bend at the hips while keeping their legs straight during a salto or flip.
Pike Saltos: A gymnast flips while maintaining a pike shape (legs straight and bent at the hips), controlling the rotation to ensure a smooth landing. This shape is used because it provides better aesthetic lines compared to a tuck, but with slower rotation, making timing and power critical.
Double Pike: For more advanced gymnasts, performing a double pike salto, which consists of two consecutive flips in a pike shape, adds a higher level of difficulty.
2. Vault
The pike position is essential in vaulting, particularly in Tsukahara and Yurchenko vaults, where gymnasts flip while keeping their legs in the pike position. The slower rotation adds difficulty but allows for a more controlled and graceful landing.
Tsukahara Pike: After pushing off the vaulting table, gymnasts rotate with a pike position, which adds complexity to the vault and requires precise control over body alignment for a safe landing.
Yurchenko Pike: Similarly, this vault uses a pike to rotate the body backward before landing. Using the pike in vaults helps gymnasts slow down rotation compared to a tuck, which aids in landing accuracy.
3. Uneven Bars
On bars, the pike position is integrated into skills that require tight body control during transitions and dismounts:
Pike Kip: A pike position is often used in a kip on uneven bars, helping gymnasts pull their legs up toward the bar with minimal energy waste. This is particularly useful for transitions between skills.
Dismounts: Gymnasts frequently use a pike in their dismount to control the flipping motion and create a streamlined, aesthetically pleasing exit from the bars.
4. Beam
On the balance beam, the pike is used in jumps and some flips, adding difficulty due to the tight, controlled movements required on such a narrow apparatus:
Pike Jumps: Pike jumps on the beam involve jumping into the air and bringing the body into the pike position. This skill tests both strength and control, as the gymnast must manage rotation and stability in a confined space.
Dismounts: Pike dismounts are also common on the beam, where the gymnast uses the pike position during flips before landing.
5. Rings and Parallel Bars (Men’s Gymnastics)
In men’s gymnastics, the pike shape is applied in movements on the rings, such as:
Piked Front Lever: In this strength skill, the gymnast holds a pike shape while maintaining a horizontal body position, showcasing both flexibility and core strength.
Piked Swings: On rings, gymnasts may also swing in a pike shape to generate momentum for dismounts.
6. Trampoline
In trampoline routines, gymnasts use the pike position to perform complex flips and twists:
Pike Somersaults: These involve rotating in the pike position, and gymnasts must control their body precisely to ensure they complete the flip before returning to the trampoline for the next move.
Multiple Pike Rotations: In advanced trampoline routines, multiple pike rotations (like a double or triple pike) are performed, adding difficulty and requiring control of the body’s rotation speed and trajectory.
Common Types of Pikes in Gymnastics
The pike position can be adapted in various ways across different gymnastics skills. Below are the common types of pikes, with the addition of the half pike.
1. Single Pike
In a single pike, the gymnast performs one flip (salto) in the pike position. This is common in floor routines and can also be used on the beam for dismounts. The gymnast bends at the hips while keeping the legs straight and together during the salto.
2. Double Pike
A double pike involves two consecutive flips in the pike position. This skill is often seen in high-level floor routines and dismounts from bars or beam. The double pike adds difficulty, as the gymnast must generate enough power to complete two rotations while maintaining the pike shape.
3. Triple Pike
A triple pike is an advanced skill that includes three consecutive flips in the pike position. This is a very difficult move, typically seen in elite-level gymnastics, as it requires tremendous power and precise form to execute three rotations in a tight pike shape.
4. Front Pike
In a front pike, the gymnast flips forward while in the pike position. This is commonly performed in floor routines and can also be used in vaults. The forward rotation while maintaining the pike shape requires good control and body awareness.
5. Back Pike
A back pike involves a backward flip while keeping the body in the pike position. This is often used in floor exercises, vaults, and dismounts from the beam or bars. The backward motion while holding the pike shape requires strength and proper technique to ensure a smooth and controlled landing.
7. Half Pike
The half pike is a transition movement where the gymnast goes into the pike position during part of a skill but does not remain in that position for the entire element.
For example, in certain vaults (like Yurchenko or Tsukahara vaults), a gymnast might start the skill in a straight or tucked body shape and transition into a pike halfway through. This transition helps the gymnast control the rotation speed and achieve a smooth landing.
Execution and Technique of the Pike Position
The pike position is fundamental to many gymnastics skills, and executing it with precision is critical for both performance quality and safety. Here’s a breakdown of the key technical elements required for a clean and effective pike:
Execution and Technique of the Pike Position in Gymnastics
The pike position is fundamental to many gymnastics skills, and executing it with precision is critical for both performance quality and safety. Here’s a breakdown of the key technical elements required for a clean and effective pike:
1. Body Position
Legs: The gymnast’s legs must be kept straight and together throughout the movement. The knees should not bend, and the feet must remain pointed, contributing to a streamlined and aesthetically pleasing shape.
Torso: The gymnast bends at the hips, bringing their chest as close to their thighs as possible. The degree of hip flexion determines how tight the pike shape is. A clean pike shows a distinct angle at the hips, usually around 90 degrees or slightly more, depending on the gymnast’s flexibility.
Arms: In many pike skills, the arms are extended forward, creating a straight line with the upper body. This helps maintain balance and control, especially in tumbling passes or flips.
2. Core Engagement
One of the most important aspects of executing a strong pike is core strength. The gymnast must engage their core to maintain the pike shape and prevent their lower back from arching. A weak core can lead to poor execution, where the back might curve or the legs may drop during airborne skills.
Exercises like V-ups, L-sits, and hollow body holds are commonly used in training to strengthen the core and improve the gymnast’s ability to hold the pike position for extended periods.
3. Leg and Hip Flexibility
Flexibility in the hamstrings and hip flexors is crucial for achieving a deep and clean pike. The closer the chest comes to the legs while maintaining straight legs, the better the pike.
Regular stretching, particularly focusing on the hamstrings and lower back, is necessary to develop the range of motion required for high-level pike skills.
4. Control in Rotations
In flips and saltos (e.g., double pike or front pike), controlling the body’s rotational speed is key to a successful landing.
A pike rotates slower than a tuck due to the extended leg position, so gymnasts must generate more power during takeoff to complete the rotation. The gymnast’s ability to maintain the pike shape while also controlling the rotation speed determines the success of the skill.
5. Landing and Dismount
When performing skills like pike dismounts from the bars or beam, the gymnast needs to open out of the pike position at the right moment to prepare for landing.
A common mistake is opening too early or too late, leading to under-rotation or over-rotation. Proper timing, body awareness, and core control are essential in managing the transition from the pike to landing.
Most Difficult Pike Moves In Gymnastics History
Here are some of the gymnastics world’s toughest pike moves:
1. Yurchenko Double Pike
Gymnast: Simone Biles
Event: 2021 U.S. Classic, officially recognized at the 2023 World Championships
Description: The Yurchenko Double Pike The Yurchenko Double Pike is one of the most difficult vaults in women’s gymnastics. It starts with a round-off onto a springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the vaulting table. The gymnast then performs two full backflips in a pike position.
Simone Biles was the first woman to successfully land this move, which has since been named the “Biles II” vault. It has a difficulty score of 6.4, marking it as one of the most challenging vaults performed.
2. Silivaș – Daniela Silivaș
Gymnast: Daniela Silivaș
Event: 1988 Olympic Games
Description: The Silivaș is a floor exercise move named after Romanian gymnast Daniela Silivaș, who won multiple gold medals at the 1988 Olympics. The move involves a double back salto with two full twists, usually performed in a tucked position.
It is still regarded as one of the most difficult floor moves, ranked at the H-level in the Code of Points due to the immense strength and precision required.
3. Triple Back Somersault – Valeri Liukin
Gymnast: Valeri Liukin, Luke Whitehouse
Event: 1987 World Championships (Liukin), 2023 European Championships (Whitehouse)
Description: The Triple Back Somersault is a rare and highly difficult skill performed on the floor exercise. It involves three full back rotations in the tuck position, making it one of the most visually impressive and technically demanding pike-style moves.
Valeri Liukin introduced the skill at the 1987 World Championships, but only a few gymnasts have successfully performed it since. Luke Whitehouse recently brought this move back during the 2023 European Championships, marking it as one of the toughest skills in men’s gymnastics.
