WAG Front Layout and Front Layout fulls

[swalker_22]

I was just wondering if anyone had good drills or advice for front layouts and front fulls. Another coach and I have had a few descrepancies between these skills. How do you begin teaching it? Do you teach it to arch all the way through, or tight arch then hollow?

 

[gymdog]

...neither, hollow takeoff (bottom in, hips open, rounded upper body), head and chest release to tight arch through the top.

 

[SuperGirlmlm]

For layouts, stand on your knees, arms up in a "setting" position. Then, fall/roll forward, and shoot your arms out to the side. That gets a good layout position.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

...neither, hollow takeoff (bottom in, hips open, rounded upper body), head and chest release to tight arch through the top.

that ^^^

 

[iwannacoach]

Just adding to the pile of good information........

Kids seem to think they're ready to start twisting front layouts almost as soon as they can land a layout in good posture because their vestibular system has a little more to work with.....they know more about where they're at in the air. The front layout needs to be treated with the same respect as the back layout, as it's importand to burn the set into muscle memory and not just a matter of knowing where you are.

I've had pretty good results with a 400 rep minimum of well landed layouts as an indicator that the kid has any business twisting the skill.....unless the 400 reps are spred out over too long of a time period. Figure 8 weeks minimum and 14 weeks as a good time frame for concentrating on getting the set and rotation basics established.

I like the idea of using the release into the tight arch (over the top) as a timing point for the twist, and letting the posture of the twisting position replace the tight arch position.

 

[gymdog]

I like the idea of using the release into the tight arch (over the top) as a timing point for the twist, and letting the posture of the twisting position replace the tight arch position.

Actually yes, there is a great series of drills (forget the coach who put this out there) with a very specific breakdown for the front layout. It's fantastic. The kids start on track/tramp with a hollow front salto (stretched but hollow all the way through). When they can do that, they add the head and chest release as the body lines up at vertical. When that's proficient (still on track/tramp) the vertical release point is the twist.

Another from Enrique Trabinino (think this goes to him) is to use the handstand trainer for bars and set two blocks close to the height of it with space in between (think like P bars blocks). Then a cheese or something in front. they have one arm extended on each block with head/neck in between, shoulders should be on or they'd fall. They use the bungee to bounce up to a "handstand" and fall over on the cheese (they have to kind of kick at first to get going). When they do that proficiently, as they fall they can roll with arms in the twist position. That's not really exact in terms of when you want to twist, but it's a good way to encourage a later twist and some awareness of positions.

Personally I have had the best luck with front pike open bounce (arms up), then twist with the opening (half then full). This usually translates well to layouts for most kids. The kids who cannot coordinate the correct opening and then half twist out of the front pike are not ready. They need to work on orientation drills (back drop, half twist to stand on tramp). I have even seen a great coach who is a biomechanics expert use a front headspring onto a cheese wedge (pike going in, and then open), then had the kid open and do a half to their stomach help them understand and correct a vestibular problem. You have to think about how you can prevent the kid from doing the wrong thing, so this was a great idea because the kid was forced to turn upside before twisting. Obviously this drill must be heavily supervised.

As they get more proficient with layout twisting, they can twist earlier to accommodate 1.5/double technique. Usually it's better to start later, then go back and add the twist with the vertical release point.