drills & conditioning for front tumbling

[kgymn]

I'm looking for some drills and conditioning myself and my adult class classmates can do to better our front tumbling. Most of us are working on FHS and/or front tucks and I though it would be nice if I could bring some things in we could do as a group, or two groups with FHS people in one and front tuck people in the other. I found some great conditioning for BHS which most of us are also working on in another thread.

We need things that don't require a spot, as our coach is smaller than all of us. She can spot me in my BHS but I'm really the only one. She's a good coach but she's used to coaching small(er) girls and we're, of course, adults, and there's also mostly men. So we'll need to do things a little differently!

Anyways any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

~Katy

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[gymch34]

FHS- 1. lots from a stand off a long panel mat- reach hands to end of panel mat and push off- concentrating on looking @hands and snapping feet over fast. You can also do from you knee- one foot in front in a lunge position when you are really good- this helps develop a quick push off both legs.
Also, reg FHS reaching over a sting mat- the longer the reach the better the FHS. Also lots of flysprings using same method and TT work if you have one.

Front tuck- from a stand off a raised surface into a pit until you make it to your feet- use your arms for a quick snap to initiate the flip. Also lots of punching up to raised mats- and then when you are proficient at both drills, flipping up to 2 8 inchers. I always intro the front tuck this way, and have the athlete flipping up then working down to the floor and have had good success!
Hope this helps!

[kgymn]

Thanks! Definitely helpful I haven't started working on my tucks yet (I can only do so much in an hour and a half!) but I suggested to one of the guys last week to punch up to raised mats. That plus seeing one of the other guys really setting up in his front tuck also helped him.

I'll definitely have to try those FHS drills. Mine are so weak right now I hate it. I fall onto my butt half the time.

~Katy

[BlairBob]

For conditioning, I would say Handstand hold against wall with shoulders in ears eventually at 1minute+. Handstand shrugs and handstand pushups against the wall. If you can't do them against the wall, try with your feet elevated on a height and your hips piked. Either hands on floor, elbows in when pushing preferably better off with doing them on parallettes.

I had a tumbler last year who wanted to get her front handspring to turn over to do a front handspring step out to round off series. Unfortunately, she just lacked strength in pushing off to turn it over. Her technique was good but basically she couldn't generate enough push and turnover. She never did end up turning it over enough, mostly I think a lack of upper body conditioning.

[gymdog]

I usually start with front handspring off something (usually a wedge mat with mats behind it) because I think it's much easier to get the open upper body that way. It depends on what equipment I have because one of the gyms I work at is new and doesn't have a lot yet, but then I've moving to tumble track with a panel mat opened at the end of the tumble track (to where the red strip ends) and then a folded panel mat horizontal on the resi right behind that, although it just occurred to me that perhaps lengthwise would be better. I'll have to experiment myself although I'd worry about some of the kids I work with missing their hands on that one. For stronger gymnasts who just need refinement it might be a better visual cue to reach out. I unfold the panel mat to make the track more controlled for those relatively new to hurdling on tumble track, and because then I tell them what foot to put in each of the panels on their hurdle. Then I spot the second part. Then I will move to taking the panel mat away and putting the hands at the end of the track (on the unfolded panel mat) and landing on the resi.

When there is a trampoline, lots of donkey kicks (from knees to hand and feet to hand) working on a good stretch into and out of the HS and ability to do multiple repetitions, then flyspring on trampoline.