Front Layouts

[MoonKid]

I was wondering which position (tight arch or hollow) in front layouts is better for eventually twisting.

I've been training both and I really, really want to learn to twist but I can't seem to figure it out. In my case this will only be done from a trampoline onto a mat in the pit and maybe some day on the tumbletrack.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Technically, the ideal position to twist a front layout is completely straight. No hollow or arch.

In my opinion, the best way to train a front layout, though, is a tight arch, but the reasoning is a bit counterintuitive.

In a front layout, in order to generate rotation, there is a brief snap to hollow on takeoff, even if you are doing an arched front layout. The body then snaps from there back to an arch to drive the heels over. So a tight arch front layout actually uses both positions.

When you twist it, you still snap hollow on the takeoff to generate rotation, but rather than snapping from there to an arch, you snap to a straight body. The second snap is still necessary when twisting, and it is more similar to an arched front layout.

So I would train a tight arch front layout.