Gymnastics or Acrobatics: more beneficial for Body-Flow?

[cecil]

I have the chance to train with a gymnastic coach and a professional acrobat, but I don't have money to train with both. I've discusssed this with both guys and they consider it two different realms. Gymnastics is more ariel and acrobatics more control and coordination. In an earlier thread called "Body-Flow as Sport" I found to be cool two movie clips which demonstrate the way I see gymnastics and acrobatics separately.

Incredible gymnastic display (long clip but worth it) http://download.consumptionjunction.com/multimedia/cj_13798.wmv

Incredible acrobatic display (about 40 seconds into clip) http://home.student.uu.se/l/lifr7531/robotdance.wmv

I'm looking for overall health but also for performance in grappling and MMA. In your opinions which should I take, and which is more challenging to me in a beneficial way? Antoher question just out of curiosity, which is more like Coach Sonnon's Body-Flow method?

[bob_stra]

Which is better - French food or Italian food?

Personally, I'm more interested in acrobatics. It *seems* you have more avenue for exploration with acrobatics. (circus stunts, tumbling, unicycle, juggling, trapeze, trampoline, contortion, weird feats of strength, rope climbing) as opposed to gymnastics (floor, horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, horizontal bars). I also get the impression that acrobatics / circus training is a shite load of fun. Again, having never done much of either, it's purely conjecture on my part.

However, you can bet your hiney that when the '04 Olympics are on, I will be staying up late to watch the mens gymnastics. (yes, I'm just that gay ;-) The men's floor routines are AMAZING. Ditto parallel bars.

As for your last question, that's something you'll have to decide for yourself.

PS: Have you read this? Probably you have, but just in case -

http://www.girevikmagazine.com/eight/gymnastics.htm

Also, there's breakdancing, capoeira, contact improv, ginastica natural, contortionism, yoga, rock climbing, trampolining, ..... have fun ;-)

[Tyler]

bob_stra,
Don't worry, watching gymnastics is not gay. It's an incredible display of athleticism. I definitely don't feel gay, but sometimes I feel like a dirty old man watching the 15 year old world champion girls;-)

In the time that I have been doing gymnastics, I have only become more impressed by the depth of the sport. I originally thought that simplicity was the way to go and that gymnastics had too much stuff going on to meet that requirement. But since I started actually participating in gymnastics, I have been amazed at how integrated it is.
I have also found the instruction to be evolved beyond anything I have ever seen in martial arts. I think it is perhaps because there are so many styles of martial arts and only a small minority of them are ever tested. Whereas in gymnastics, you can judge a routine very objectively, so the coaches know what works and what doesn't. As a result, the training methods are very good, IMO. They are based on non-linear, branching progressions. You start with something simple like a forward roll and you evenutally find it showing up on every apparatus and evolving into new forms. But everything is as error-proof as possible. Things start out simple and you make baby steps forward in working towards a new skill. I learned to do a standing back flip in under a week thanks to a teacher putting me through a good progression.
The best thing about gymnastics is that it is about pure movement. You learn to express power and control in every possible way. There is no other type of athlete in the world that can control his body through space as well as a gymnast. And because I think gymnastics is so pure, you could branch into break dancing, capoeira or martial arts fairly easily. The gymnasts that I work out with are stronger, more flexible and vastly more coordinated in their movement than anyone I have ever seen performing katas or forms from any style of martial arts. I have all the respect in the world for Wushu guys, though. Their swordplay and partner/group routines are incredible.
If developing all-around athleticism is your goal, I think gymnastics would be the better choice. Just make sure that the instructor is good and someone that you will get along with. If the acrobatics instructor is better, then you would probably want to gravity towards him. But there is no better place to play than a gymnastics facility. There is such a variety of equipment and surfaces to play on.
And lastly, I'm not talking about combatives here when I refer to martial arts. I am referring mainly to the performance oriented styles of which there are many. Of course they all claim to be deadly:-)

Tyler Hass
www.powerathletesmag.com- Power Athletes Magazine