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gymnasts, it is often better not to try tochange twist direction. It may beeasier, instead, to avoid certainproblem skills. You must make thesedecisions on a case-by-case basis.How can I avoid Barani Confusion?I recommend that each club put inplace a policy on twist direction,which must be communicated toEVERY coach, most importantly thepre-school and recreation instructors!We should decide the dominantdirection of twist for each childBEFORE they learn round off! Irecommend that recreation programsencourage practicing cartwheels inboth directions, and DELAY learningthe round-off for as long as possible.Yegor Kolesnikov (former coach ofSharipov) recommends we teach 5cartwheels in series in both directionsbefore deciding which direction toteach the round off. Most gymnastsare taught the round off too soon. Onthe website, you’ll see a “Direction ofTwist” monitoring sheet that I haveposted on the wall of our club. I recordthe dominant twist direction for all ofthe gymnasts training twice / week ormore. This should help preventconfusion and remind coaches to beattentive to the direction of twist.Lastly, I should state that I don’t everteach the “Barani”. Instead I (andmany other coaches) teach a forwardsomersault with a “late” half twist. Irecommend this sequence ofprogressions:• Forward somersault layoutwith late 1/2 twist (in correctdirection)Using this method you will rarely seethe gymnast twist in the wrongdirection. The pike-open prevents thegymnast from initiating the twist fromthe ground, which eliminates anumber of problems including Baraniconfusion. Also, a “late” twist shouldbe initiated when the gymnast canalready see the floor — they are nolonger inverted and, hence, no Baraniconfusion.In SummaryFor advanced gymnastics, I stronglyrecommend a solid groundwork innon-inverted trampoline skills. Oncethe dominant direction of twist isdecided, the gymnasts should learn“roller”, “cradle”, “cat twist”,“cruise”, “corkscrew”, and manyother fun and challenging non-invertedskills. A gymnast with a solidfoundation of twisting experiencedoing non-inverted, challengingtrampoline skills are far less likely toaccidentally twist in the wrongdirection. Trampoline is an excellentapparatus for training gymnasts. Beaware of the perceived and real risks,however. Coaches should be bothcertified and qualified at theappropriate level.Good coaching!• Forward somersault piked• Forward somersault piked, andkick open• Forward somersault piked,open with late 1/2 twist (incorrect direction)Gym Coach Quarterly Page 6 November 2004