WAG Drills for more powerful tumbling

[gymnast4]

So I am an xcel gold gymnast and my two tumbling passes are round-off back handspring and front tuck. These don't fit the requirements for floor but I am a horrible tumbler so my coach allows me to compete because I have the requirements for all other events. I used to be able to do these passes ok but now I have absolutely no power for them. When I try to do my round-off back handspring I end up stopping after the round-off because I have absolutely no rebound. Just a few weeks ago I was able to get a 2+ feet rebound. For my front tuck I always end up traveling about 10 feet across the floor but barely getting any height so I never land it. Are there any drills, conditioning, advice you can give me to help? Thanks! (Note: I always get answers that say "your coach should be helping you" but it's a difficult situation because my team has almost 40 girls and we only get 4 hours a week of practice so it's hard to have time to get individual attention)

 

[SuperGirlmlm]

As far as at-home stuff goes, leg conditioning is the way to go.
For gym, I have a couple drills-
for round offs: set up a folded panel mat, and put your hands just before the panel mat so it gets you to block up so your feet land on the panel mat.
The second one is also with a panel mat. Start with one foot on the floor, the other on the edge of the panel mat. Then reach as far as you can when going into the round off, then block off and land on the other side of the panel mat.

For your front tucks, just make sure you go up first and your not whipping it around, because that makes it harder.
Good luck

 

[iwannacoach]

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but a 4 hour training week with 40 team mates sharing a few coaches isn't going to get you very far.

You can improve your chances for progress by doing strength and flexibility at home. You should be able to get your coach to tell you what sort of exercises would be best to start with.

 

[All Chalked Up]

Get your chest up in your punch for the front tuck

 

[gymgurl]

Sounds like you have to go back and learn a proper round off. Every round off should have a rebound, it is a prerequisite for round off flicking (BHS).

Something has changed in your round off and you need to fix your round off before you start trying to fix your round off flic. Ask your coach for some drills some that I see the younger girls doing and that I do with gymnasts when I coach them are round offs down hill (start on a little box and hands go on the box feet land on the mat after the box on the ground), round offs up hill (once they're good) - do them up onto a crash mat. Round off up hill onto higher box to kneeling focusing on shoulders up round off over a box (hands in front feet behind) and then jump back to crash mat landing on back.

Drills for flics: stack some mats to a bit below hip height and stick a wedge on top, practise the first half of a flic on those. Korbut snap downs, handstand on spring board or box and snap your legs down mimicking the second half of a flip.

Front saults: do lots make sure you jump up not dive forward. I don't know many drills for front saults but do them up hill, will make you work harder.

For leg strength: Box jumps, long jumps, squat jumps etc

 

[raenndrops]

Actually, for Xcel Gold, your passes DO fit the requirements! We have three girls competing the same passes.
I would try working power round-offs... Round-off, jump 1/2 turn to immediate round-off, repeat...

If the front tuck isn't working, do you happen to have a front handspring step out that you could do into a round-off? That is another acceptable pass.

Also, you should join the Xcel Social Group on here Lots of support for Xcel gymnasts there!

 

[Kiwi]

When I try to do my round-off back handspring I end up stopping after the round-off because I have absolutely no rebound. Just a few weeks ago I was able to get a 2+ feet rebound.

Something has changed in your round off and you need to fix your round off before you start trying to fix your round off flic.

If you were rebounding before and now you aren't then something has changed in your round-off so this is what you need to work on.

 

[Liv...]

I think you would need to go back and fix your technique as everyone has said.
For roundoffs try them from your knee, it will make you more aware of the area's you need to strengthen/correct tehnique.

For front tucks I find this drill really helpful

 

[gymnast4]

Actually, for Xcel Gold, your passes DO fit the requirements! We have three girls competing the same passes.
I would try working power round-offs... Round-off, jump 1/2 turn to immediate round-off, repeat...

If the front tuck isn't working, do you happen to have a front handspring step out that you could do into a round-off? That is another acceptable pass.

Also, you should join the Xcel Social Group on here Lots of support for Xcel gymnasts there!

Really?? My coach told me that to fit the requirements I have to do a roundoff bhs x2. I am able to do a front handspring step out into a roundoff but I don't think my coach would let me :/ Thanks for letting me know about the Xcel Social Group!

 

[raenndrops]

Really?? My coach told me that to fit the requirements I have to do a roundoff bhs x2. I am able to do a front handspring step out into a roundoff but I don't think my coach would let me :/ Thanks for letting me know about the Xcel Social Group!

The Acro Requirements on Floor for Gold are:
A series with a Minimum of 2 flight elements... and a round-off counts as flight.
A second series with a minimum of 2 flight elements OR a Salto... either isolated or in another series.

I would suggest talking to your coach about the FHS-RO series. The worst that can happen is the coach says no...

If coach claims that it doesn't work/ isn't allowed, refer to the following link:
http://usagym.org/PDFs/Women/xcel/2013faq_100113.pdf
Specifically, in the Floor Exercise Section, under Silver/Gold See #2:
2. Q: Please give an example of 2 “different” acro series that would fulfill SR #s 1 and 2.
An example that would work is round--‐off, back handspring for one pass and front handspring, round--‐off, back handspring for the second pass. These are 2 different acro series.

In this example, both back handsprings have the same entrance and exit. So the second back handspring receives no VP credit. However, the second pass can count toward the SR because the front handspring, round--‐off connection is a different connection.

I have helped choreograph 10 Xcel Gold routines and am the "Xcel Expert" at the gym. HC comes up to me for ideas if something isn't working. Early in the process, if I didn't know for sure about something, I emailed the person who is now the National Chairperson for the Xcel Committee (but I had been in touch with her long before she took that position).

Good Luck!

 

[kibby]

The Acro Requirements on Floor for Gold are:
A series with a Minimum of 2 flight elements... and a round-off counts as flight.
A second series with a minimum of 2 flight elements OR a Salto... either isolated or in another series.

I would suggest talking to your coach about the FHS-RO series. The worst that can happen is the coach says no...

If coach claims that it doesn't work/ isn't allowed, refer to the following link:
http://usagym.org/PDFs/Women/xcel/2013faq_100113.pdf
Specifically, in the Floor Exercise Section, under Silver/Gold See #2:
2. Q: Please give an example of 2 “different” acro series that would fulfill SR #s 1 and 2.
An example that would work is round--‐off, back handspring for one pass and front handspring, round--‐off, back handspring for the second pass. These are 2 different acro series.

In this example, both back handsprings have the same entrance and exit. So the second back handspring receives no VP credit. However, the second pass can count toward the SR because the front handspring, round--‐off connection is a different connection.

I have helped choreograph 10 Xcel Gold routines and am the "Xcel Expert" at the gym. HC comes up to me for ideas if something isn't working. Early in the process, if I didn't know for sure about something, I emailed the person who is now the National Chairperson for the Xcel Committee (but I had been in touch with her long before she took that position).

Good Luck!

Hi Raedrops, my daughter has problems with her front handspring. She is gold but due to not being able to consistently do her aerial, she was not able to compete floor in her first gold meet. Her first tumbling pass is a ROBHS, is there more 'flight skills she could be besides a front HS step out to a RO. Could she do another RO with a back roll or can you not have the same entry for the 2nd acro pass, or would the problem be that a backward roll isn't considered a flight skill. Or could she do something like first pass ROBHS, second pass ROBHS step out ? Thanks for your advice !

 

[raenndrops]

Hi Raedrops, my daughter has problems with her front handspring. She is gold but due to not being able to consistently do her aerial, she was not able to compete floor in her first gold meet. Her first tumbling pass is a ROBHS, is there more 'flight skills she could be besides a front HS step out to a RO. Could she do another RO with a back roll or can you not have the same entry for the 2nd acro pass, or would the problem be that a backward roll isn't considered a flight skill. Or could she do something like first pass ROBHS, second pass ROBHS step out ? Thanks for your advice !

She could TRY the RO BHS Stepout for the second pass for now (the worst that will happen is she will have a lower Start Value out of a 9.5 instead of out of a 10.0). What about doing a straddle jump out of the first RO-BHS too... just so they could maybe make a case for them being different?
Is she close to an aerial or a front tuck? I know it sounds Funny because of a direction change, but could she do a standing back handspring - roundoff?
Last Season, a dive roll counted as a flight skill, but they changed that this year.
The only flight skills I can think of that involve hands on the ground are round-off, front handspring, and back handspring...
Everything else is no hands: Aerial, Back Tuck, Front Tuck, etc.
Good luck to your daughter.