Sports & Gaming
Uneven Bars Advanced
Lesson time 12:17 min
Simone demonstrates and explains advanced skills on the uneven bars, including cast to handstand, giants, and more.
Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars
Topics include: Cast to Handstand • Half Pirouette • Toe Hands • Giants • Maloney Half • Release Combination • Tuck Double Double Dismount
Teaches Gymnastics Fundamentals
Gold-winning Olympic gymnast Simone Biles teaches her training techniques—from beginner to advanced—so you can practice like a champion.
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SIMONE BILES: Over the years, I've really struggled on bars, and there are some days where I didn't want to come in and work on it. But, you know, I kept pushing and working on my fundamentals and advanced basics. And in 2018, I really started to believe in myself and have confidence with my swing, and that resulted in a world silver bar medal. I feel a lot more confident these days swinging bars, and I'm also a lot happier. Even though I'm an elite gymnast, I still work on my basics and my advanced basics for my fundamentals so that I can swing the way that I do. Sometimes it's OK to go back to the fundamentals once you realize you're struggling and your coaches will always help you. Then, you can start more advanced basics, such as cast handstands, pirouettes, circles, giants. Once you master all of those, then you get into the more advanced skills, such as the ones I'm going to show you. A cast to handstand is another fundamental skill that you'll use throughout your gymnastics career. On this skill, you're combining drills we've already covered-- the glide, kip, and small cast to 45. More simply, you'll kip and cast to handstand. To connect skills or repeat the drill, you have to maintain the position of your arms out of the handstand. Then, drop the rest of your body until it's in a plank parallel to the ground. Gravity is going to pull you down. So while you pack your legs, swing under the bar and then straighten out to a glide. From there, kip and cast to handstand, remembering to press the bar down. It's really important that your body swings up to handstand. You don't want to muscle up. Half pirouettes, add a half turn onto your handstands. [UPTEMPO MUSIC] First, you'll Kip and cast to handstand like on the last skill. Only before you reach the top of your handstand, initiate a twist through your feet, followed by your hips, and then your shoulders. You should end on a handstand and finish the pirouette while you're still vertical. Otherwise, it will be difficult to add on other skills, and you'll receive deductions. For example, you can see I'm rushing on this one. I start my pirouette a little early, which means I've finished slightly arched and not quite over the bar on the handstand. I compensate by adding another half pirouette. It's good to learn how to cover up your mistakes in order to keep flowing through your bar routine. [MUSIC PLAYING] Circle skills are a base fundamental on bars. Every routine usually requires one of three types of circle elements, so I do two handstands. To do a toe circle to handstand, remember-- kip, cast, handstand. Make sure to keep your shoulders behind your hands, stretching away from the bar on the toe circle to increase your momentum. From there, push away from the bar and round your back, allowing your hips to initiate the movement backwards. As you drop down, pull your toes in and swing under the bar in a pike position. Then, when you release your toes, pres...
About the Instructor
At 22, Simone Biles is already a legend. With 14 medals, including 10 gold, Simone is the most decorated World Championship American gymnast of all time. Now the Olympic gymnast—part of the gold-medal-winning USA gymnastics "Final Five"—breaks down her techniques for vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor. Discover how Simone performs under pressure, learn to practice like a champion, and claim your competitive edge.
Featured MasterClass Instructor
Simone Biles
Gold-winning Olympic gymnast Simone Biles teaches her training techniques—from beginner to advanced—so you can practice like a champion.
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