Suggestions and help?

[Washedup18]

Hello! I’m actually an ex-gymnast and current college cheerleader. My ultimate goal this season is to have a front full step out through to back full. I have been working front full drills for a few weeks now and just figured out the twisting part today (just have to land and get it consistent now). However, I just noticed in watching film that my “good” sided round off goes the opposite direction of the spin of my front full. (I would have to change the direction of momentum to step out on my “good” side round off)

My questions is this: should I work my “bad” side round off to make it better in order to step out and throw the round off- hand - back full or should I attempt to change the direction of my front full while it is still new? Any advice on this would be very helpful, and any tips on a front full are helpful as well!

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Nah, that's not a problem at all.

Most gymnasts who twist to a stepout twist in the direction of their leading hand for the roundoff -- but one of the exceptions is Simone Biles.

Either way can work.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Any advice on this would be very helpful, and any tips on a front full are helpful as well!

I just remembered I never properly answered this last part. I do rather love nerding out about twisting technique, and I'll try to keep it shorter than last time, but let me know if you want more detail on any of it:

For a front full, the exact best drills and progressions to train this will depend on what equipment and space and coaching you have available. Do you have access to a trampoline? (And if so, is it a back yard trampoline on your own, or at a gym with a coach?) Do you have access to a tumbletrak? A loose foam pit? A resi pit? Any of the above next to each other? I may be able to suggest some specific drills, depending on what's available to you.

In general, here's what I consider the best approach to training a front full, and you can take the general idea and fit it to whatever equipment is available to you:

STEP 1: Front layout and front pike, with some specific details getting special attention:

In the front layout, you should be watching the ground for as long as you can while you drive your heels over in a tight, slight arch. Seeing the ground is the biggest key; that visual cue is one we'll be coming back to.

In the front pike, you should be able to pike and then open out to straight body before you land. The two keys here are the height and the kick open. It should be high enough to feel floaty, not rushed, and it should extend to straight body before landing. This floaty front pike-open is the starting point for building a front 1/1. I like arms out wide on this, but I know a lot of very good coaches who teach it with arms in close to the body on this step. Either way can work.

STEP 2: Build a strong front pike-open-1/2.

Front pike-open with the arms out wide in the pike. Then, front pike-with-arms-wide, open-with-half-twist.

Once you are comfortable initiating the twist, the next step is to focus on visual cues. Remember how I said we'd come back to the way you watch the ground in a front layout? Well, when you do your half-turn, try to look for the ground. You should have plenty of time to see it before you land.
(Side note, I think a good clean front 1/2 while watching the ground is one of the most important bedrock pieces of good upper-level tumbling, and time spent on improving this skill is never wasted)

STEP 3: Front pike-open-1/1 and front layout 1/2

Here's where we're bringing it all together.

The pike-open-1/1 should start like an aggressive pike-open-half, maybe with slightly less of a deep pike and a slightly-earlier kick open, and then just add an additional 1/2 right at the end. Again, visual cues are key; you should be able to see the ground pretty much the entire skill. You see it as you take off, you see it as you kick open, you see it as you do your first half twist, you see it as your feet and hips finish the 1/1, you try to watch it all the way until your feet are on the floor.

The front layout half should have exactly the same timing as the front pike-open 1/2, just without the pike open. Arms up on takeoff, then going out to the side and coming down towards the sides of the body during the half twist. Again, visual cues are key: at this point you should be able to see the ground for the entire skill from takeoff to landing.

STEP 4: Tucked and/or laid out front 1/1

You can learn either or both. The key is that you should feel like you are tight and confident all the way through, not having to do the hula to get the twist around. You should see the ground for as much of this skill as possible

STEP 5: Front 1/1 stepout, and beyond

Disclaimer: I have taught all of the skills above, but I have not ever taught or done a front 1/1 to stepout. Below are my first thoughts on how I'd probably go about it, extrapolating from what I've seen work teaching a front 1/1 and teaching a front tuck stepout, but if any of your coaches disagrees with me on any of this, it's probably safest to assume they're right and I'm wrong.

I would first want to see a front 1/1 that over rotates the flip. How exactly to train this would depend on the available equipment setup, but I'd want to do some sort of front 1/1 that's too powerful to stick.

I would then train front 1/1 stepout to either cartwheel or front walkover. Not sure which would be better, that's one I'd experiment with or get opinions from other coaches.

I could see front 1/1 stepout to front handspring reinforcing some good habits, or I could see it being too difficult to be worthwhile. Again, probably worth experimenting with, but no need to continue beating your head against this wall if it's not working for you.

 

[Washedup18]

Thank you for this! This is so helpful. I have access to a few thick crash mats and a tumble track. My cheer coaches specialize in stunts, mounts, jumps, choreography and basic tumbling. I am pretty much learning from YouTube and forums such as these so your response and tips are SO helpful.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Thank you for this! This is so helpful. I have access to a few thick crash mats and a tumble track. My cheer coaches specialize in stunts, mounts, jumps, choreography and basic tumbling. I am pretty much learning from YouTube and forums such as these so your response and tips are SO helpful.

A tumbletrak and crash mats are definitely enough to train this on.

For the front layout, it would be a good idea to spend some time training it to flat back on the crash mats; that will help with control and orientation, and makes it easier to practice watching the ground for as long as possible.

Otherwise... honestly I'd probably just take the whole progression above and do it on tumbletrak; assuming you have room to properly run and punch on it, all of the above is doable on a tumbletrak.

One more thing I should have emphasized more: a front 1/2 IS NOT a roundoff in the air. It should not feel like a roundoff in the air. It should not look like a roundoff in the air. It should not orient like a roundoff in the air. It is absolutely not in any way remotely similar to a roundoff in the air.
I say this, because a lot of people find they can very easily teach themselves a front 1/2 by thinking of it as an aerial roundoff.... and then they hit a brick wall when they try to turn it into a front 1/1, because aerial roundoffs reinforce absolutely terrible twisting technique for anything past a half.
So if at any point you find your front 1/2 feeling like a roundoff, GO BACK AND FIX IT BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE (ideally by working pike-open-1/2 with the 1/2 as late as possible). Because if you build an aerial roundoff into muscle memory, turning it into a proper 1/1 will be damn near impossible.