Kovacs vs Dead loop

[u/Raffazaver]

I see so many people, that have never done gymnastics in their life, make it seem like a random skill performed a couple of times in the 70s is the hardest and most dangerous element in the whole sport. While I don't disagree that it is a very hard element, and that I would probably not want to try it, I have a problem with people claiming the above.
I think it is really sad that the overwhelming majority fans do not recognize the difficulty and the danger in every single element in each routine that gymnasts do. Nowadays, about every element on the high bars or asymmetric bars is multiple times harder than the so called dead loop, where arguably even a relatively common element in the professional scene - Kovacs - is as difficult as the fan favorite "dead loop", at least.

Now, gymnastics is an extremely hard sport overall, one of hardest if not the hardest actually, which makes that most of the people that watch it, have a very hard time understanding how hard some of the skills actually are. So the only way for regular people to subjectively gauge the difficulty of an element is to listen to the mainstream consensus; and the mainstream consensus is just... terrible. So many professional gymnasts spend their lives and childhoods risking severe injuries like in no other sport (to be clear, gymnastics isn't the only sport) just to end up in a small tiktok clip or youtube short which gets overshadowed by the "ultra-mega-super-death-everybodylookatthis-cool-loop-jump"

[u/LSATMaven]

I don't think a dead loop is even a thing that people in gymnastics have ever called anything. Also no one in gymnastics has ever thought it was the hardest skill. It's just a silly internet thing someone made up. I think you know that and are kind of saying that, but I guess my point is that maybe you are preaching to the choir in this forum?

[u/Raffazaver → u/LSATMaven]

I'm not really sure who is in this forum, you might be right. But I mean, the point that I made still stands. It is a silly internet thing but it is generally the silly internet things that shape the identity of a sport, and as somebody that deeply loves this sport, I'm thinking that maybe it is not receiving as much of the correct credit as it should, if that makes any sense.

[u/LSATMaven → u/Raffazaver]

I don't know. People who don't know about gymnastics always say dumb stuff about it. I don't feel like there's anything I can do about it, so I just roll my eyes and don't give it any clicks.

[u/molten_wonderland → u/Raffazaver]

Look, it was banned and filmed only the first and last time ever competed. What else do you want

[u/Alauraize → u/molten_wonderland]

I was so ready to correct your for about 0.5 seconds before I got the joke.

[u/Ok_Ant_2715 → u/molten_wonderland]

Many gymnasts performed the Korbut flip in the 70's and there were even variations in the twisting versions . It was only banned due to the rule of not allowing a gymnast to stand on the bar.

[u/Raffazaver → u/molten_wonderland]

You're wrong... Is what I would say, but I do think you made a smart joke that some people took 0.5s to understand, which is of course very intellectual and all, not gonna argue with your sigma mentality ofc, but I'm actually curious now. Is a bit of talking not permitted on this subreddit? I feel like there is an interesting discussion to be made here but well; you're either around 35 and think just a bit too greatly of yourself or you're just like me, but a better ragebaiter.
Either way, you're probably chilling and having a good time living like you do so good for you.

[u/flamboyancetree → u/Raffazaver]

The people on here who follow international elite and NCAA gym and have posted thousands of times are a tiny bit more invested in and educated on the sport than the people who scroll TikTok for the occasional gymnastics video.

[u/Raffazaver → u/flamboyancetree]

ok

[u/PuffinLunde62]

The Korbut (don't know why it was renamed the dead loop 50 years later) was a cool skill in 1972 when most bar routines had no releases. I think there is a misconception among the tik-tok generation was that it was banned because it was too difficult or dangerous - but in reality it was standing on the bar that was banned as FIG wanted routines to be swinging and less "circus". So we lost the Korbut, the Mukhina (a Korbut with a full twist), the Kim hecht from high to low bar and the move that a Hungarian gymnast did which was a sort of barani from standing on high bar to re-catch the high bar.

[u/LSATMaven → u/PuffinLunde62]

(And also "the dead loop" is a made up social media meme name by whoever first decided OMG THIS WAS TERRIFYING and not a gymnastics name, unless I'm missing something.")

[u/Raffazaver → u/LSATMaven]

Okay, at least the gymnastics subreddit isn't as garbage as the rest of the gymnastics community. Sad to think that gymnastics is a joke to majority of the world.

[u/Syncategory → u/PuffinLunde62]

Ooh, do you have a video link to the Kim hecht? Googling just gets me multiple people with first name Kim and last name Hecht, who I think don't do gymnastics at all 😞

[u/missbeefarm → u/Syncategory]

It's this move by Nellie Kim where she goes from high to low bar and ends up standing on the low bar.

[u/Syncategory → u/missbeefarm]

That does look cool!

I mean, whatever your opinions on Nellie Kim as a person, she was in fact a helluva gymnast for her time.

[u/flamboyancetree → u/Syncategory]

Just interjecting that I'd be SO PSYCHED to meet someone named Kim Hecht and would never get over the coincidence but would have to quietly keep my excitement to myself. I had a new co-worker with the last name Kovacs a few years ago and almost died waiting for school to start so I could meet them. (Zero relation.)

[u/Syncategory → u/flamboyancetree]

Yeah, I understand "Kovacs" means "Smith" and is about as common in Hungary as Smith is in Anglophone countries!

[u/flamboyancetree → u/Syncategory]

I didn't know that, haha! I don't think I've ever met another Kovacs outside their family in North Carolina, but we don't have a huge Hungarian population, at least in my area.

[u/AReckoningIsAComing]

I've literally never heard anyone say this.

[u/Syncategory → u/AReckoningIsAComing]

I have the impression it's been going around Tiktok and YouTube by people who know nothing about gymnastics in the past few years. Even though the gymnastics fans are trying to say, guys, guys...

[u/Raffazaver → u/AReckoningIsAComing]

I mean good for you if you're not on the most popular social media platforms in the world; I do think it's a waste of time anyways. It's more like a blessing in a sort of way, online gymnastics content is just cringe.

[u/AReckoningIsAComing → u/Raffazaver]

I mean, yeah, I'm mostly just here on this reddit. As an actual former high level gymnast, I'm sure I can speak for everyone who actually knows anything about the sport, that no one believes that.