Forward Acrobatics ... The long and the short of front tumbling.
Short rolls [FA-10's]
The emphasis in short rolls is on rotation. By changing an athletes shape from large (layout) to small (hollow, pike, straddle & tuck) the distance around on a salto (flip) is reduced by (2 x Pi) x radius. Short rolls lead directly to saltos (flips).
Long rolls [FA-20's]
The emphasis on long rolls is direction, flight, and shape. By adding flight with an inverted landing, the athlete must learn to smoothly distribute the impact of their landing onto multiple body parts using a slow controlled (extended) roll.
Flic-Flacs [FA-30's]
The emphasis is in learning how to transition body shapes (hollow to arch & arch to hollow) during jumps and landings. Mastering a series of skills connected by pass-over landings on both hands and feet is what making multiple tumbling skills possible.
[FA-10's] Short Rolls
- [FA-10] Tuck forward roll (from 2-feet),
- Straight then Tuck then Straight
Short roll
- Start and finish this roll in a straight stand with arms up.
- Squat down to small compact tuck with feet and knees together,
- The roll is completed quickly without stops or hesitations,
- Use the hands on the floor (only while inverted), to support and protect the head and neck.
- Feet and knees remain together throughout.
* This early skill is a base skill to build on (nicknames: tiny tuck, short roll). Our best athletes can make this roll seem to spin in place (like a car's wheel spinning on ice).
Challenge skill for the athletes bucket...
- [FA-11] Hat roll (key points: no hands, from 2-feet...)
- Challenge skill (Core strength)
FA-11 .. Hat Roll
- Straight stand with arms crossed over head (hat),
- Squat down to place crossed arms (hat) on floor,
- Rounding the back while rolling maintains momentum,
- Only athletes with strong abs can roll to feet,
- Great helper drill for beginner (non-rollers). Great challenge skill for advanced athletes also.
*The hat roll: (grasp elbows over head). The roll, placing the hat on the floor (without steps), encourages the athlete to get rounded shrugged shoulders (shoulders to ears). This skill will help to shape the athletes for the roll. Putting the hat on the floor, elevates the hips, which helps the head duck under (The hat protects the head & neck). Only the gymnasts with strong abdominals can keep their feet and knees together and roll smoothly to stand athletes.
[FA-20's] Long rolls
- [FA-20] Extended Tuck forward roll (from 2-feet),
- (slow controlled)
Extended Roll
- Head remains between arms throughout skill.
- Extends body through a hollow candlestick shape (r-2).
- Skill is completed without stops or hesitations.
- Use hands only while inverted to support head and neck.
- Feet and knees together throughout skill.
* Another base skill (nickname: Extended roll). Advanced athletes will use this version to enhance (add lines and extension) their execution of a simple skill. Shoulders shrugged to ears, head and neck contained and reinforced by arms (basic shape, Candle... used by dozens of skills).
[FA-30's] Flic - Flac skills
- [FA-30] Kip to bridge from basket,
- [FA-31] Kip to bridge from headstand
- * both are important
Neck kip or Headspring to Bridge
- Head remains between arms.
- Pike to hollow to arch.
- Smooth without stops or hesitations.
- Arms straighten to bridge (head stays slightly back).
*This is the first skill to use the hollow body to arch transition. Athletes need both strength and flexibility to perform this skill. Athletes should use a soft mat to land this bridge-up. Only strong & flexible athletes can maintain the backwards push to the bridge. This hollow to arch, body shaping is the key to forward tumbling. See video:
Forward Acrobatics Skill Sets for Level 3's & 4's
- [FA-04] Step-Lunge-Handstand Forward roll...
- from 1-step, bent arms allowed (level 4 skill),
Handstand forward roll
- [FA-04 a] Partial handstand to roll
- [FA-04 b] Nominal handstand to roll
- [FA-04 c] Nominal handstand to straight arm roll
- [FA-04 d] 2-sec. hold - straight arm roll.
- Toes and knees remain together throughout.
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* After a 1-sec. handstand, arms bend and the body hollows to pass through a candle shape. The best athletes will show a quick, last second tuck, to get the feet under their center of gravity and roll to stand. Athletes that tuck their legs too early will appear to bounce as their hips reach the floor (nick named: cannon ball roll-outs).
- [FA-05] Straddle Forward roll (from 2-feet),
- (level 4 skill)
Straddle roll
- Start and finish in straddle stand,
- Maintain straight legs throughout,
- Smooth without stops,
- Passes through straddle-L position.
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- [FA-06] Long roll
- learning rolls with flight.
2-Foot take-off
- Arms and head snaps forward as Legs jump.
- Body rounds to hollow shape and catches floor near handstand Kick-Lunge- to nominal (1 sec.) handstand.
- Roll (after HS) is completed without stops or hesitations.
- Maintains straight arms throughout entire skill.
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*The straight arm round hollow shape is an important skill to master. Athletes use, arms, neck, shoulder and rounded back (core strength) to form a long hollow curve to roll smoothly. This is not a dangerous skill, yet it is one of the most risky skills in the Level 4 routine. The Floor-score is at risk... no handstand -1.0, step-down the wrong way -0.5, bent arms (up to 0.3).
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- [FA-06] Handstand to a Bridge,
- From 1-foot, with straight arms
Handstand to Bridge
- Head remains between arms throughout.
- Momentary handstand.
- Straight arms.
- Shoulders on top of hands.
- Momentum rocks weight towards feet.
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* This is the 2nd skill to develop the important (Hollow to Arch) body shape transition. Athletes with tight shoulders can go slow and may substitute a headstand to bridge until they have developed the needed shoulder flexibility and strength to perform the bridge from a handstand. It's no fun for an athlete to crash over and over.
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- [FA-09] Front headspring (from 2-feet),
- (level 4 skill)
Headspring or neck kip to stand
- Arms and body hollow forward through headstand.
- Torso transitions from hollow to arch through vertical.
- Pass through arch with late arms push off.
- Stretched body with forward rebound on landing.
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* Important early dynamic tumbling skill. This is an attempt to balance the number of 1-foot and 2-foot take-offs. Gymnasts may use an elevated mat (for head) and soft landing (for feet), to make the skill easier to perform correctly. Front-tumbling landings (hollow to arch) are blind in that the head and arms should be held back in an arch when the feet first reach the floor. Athletes need to use their arched-flexed knee limber strength to stand up with head back between arms. We are trying to create a smooth (pass over) landing, not a stable (stick) type landing.
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- [FA-10] Tuck stand jump & pike to Handstand
- (level 5 skill).. from 2-feet,
Pike up to handstand
- Head remains between arms throughout.
- Knees are straight (pike) before feet leave the floor.
- Pike up to Handstand without stops or hesitations.
- Maintains straight arms throughout entire skill.
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* This can be a very difficult basic skill to learn. Most of the forward arriving handstands in Men's gymnastics will use this body shaping transition (especially P-Bars and High-Bar).
[FA-11] Run and jump into Dive forward roll.
Front handspring
- Straight body or slightly arched during ascending flight.
- Chest height or better at peak.
- First touch on floor in roll near handstand.
- Roll out is smooth, extended and controlled.
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If the dive roll is too long or the gymnast tucks their legs for the roll (too early), the tumbler will have a heavy landing (cannon ball) and may bounce during the roll to stand. The best athletes will pass through a near handstand and roll through the candle-stick shape before they tuck their knees.
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[FA-12] Front handspring (from 1-foot),
Front handspring
- Arms up on hurdle.
- Pass through deep lunge with head between arms.
- Transition from hollow to arch through vertical with hands held back.
- Stretched body with forward rebound on landing.
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*Advanced tip for coaches: Center of gravity (hips) must rise from lunge (the lowest point) through the handstand and arch when the hands release floor (higher). The best tumblers will continue to rise (10-15 inches) from their shrugged shoulder block. The chest-head and arms should still be held back and still rising when the each foot reaches the floor. Our goal is to create a pass-over block and landing that is both still rising and gaining forward momentum (as in running) with knees flexed in readiness to jump.
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- [FA-13] Front handspring step-out (from 1-foot),
- (level 6 skill)..
Handspring step-out
- Head remains between arms throughout.
- Legs are straight landing 1 at a time
- Maintain forward momentum.
[FA-14] Front handspring step-out into another skill (from 1-foot),
Front Handspring step out...plus
- Head remains between arms throughout.
- Legs are straight landing 1 at a time
- Maintain forward momentum.
* The connected skill can be another front handspring or even a round-off.
Again, a pass-over shoulder block, will allow the best athletes to be accelerating forward and still rising when the first foot touches on the step out.
[FA-15] Run and jump to tuck front flip (from 2-feet),
Front tuck salto
- Feet and knees are together throughout.
- Flip show tight tuck (opening at vertical).
- Flip at chest or shoulder height.
- Forward momentum is maintained through take-off and landing.
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[FA-15-B] Run and jump to pike front flip (from 2-feet),
Pike front salto
- Legs are straight and together,
- Flip at chest or shoulder height,
- Forward momentum is maintained through take-off and landing.
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The pike salto is a bonus level move for level 6 boys. Execution and good landings are more important than risking injury or repetitive large deductions for bad landings.
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- [FA-16] Front handspring from 2-feet (fly spring),
- ...Level 7 skill
Fly spring
- Take off is from two feet (slight arch to hollow)
- Hollow to arch transition through vertical (handstand).
- Arched landing, maintaining forward momentum (rebound).
- Body shaped to connect next skill.
* Fly spring (Arabian handspring) should have the same pass over tempo as when the athlete tumbles backwards.
[FA-17] Front layout through boxes (from 2-feet),
- Take off is from two feet (arch to hollow)
- Hollow to arch transition through vertical (handstand).
- Arched landing, maintaining forward momentum (rebound).
- Layout fronts should travel and not be too high.
* Tempo style front layouts are intended to replace front handsprings in a forward tumbling series.
[FA-18] Barani (from 2-feet),
- Take off is from two feet (arch to hollow)
- Hollow transition toward vertical (handstand).
- Twisting 1-shoulder forw./down, other shoulder backw/upw.
- Body hollows down to get feet down underneath to get a backward rebound.
* Tempo style skills are slightly lower with the intention of getting back to feet without loss of the tumbling momentum.
* As a rule (with exceptions), I will ask the athletes to learn their Barani twist to resemble their bad-side round-off. In other words, I want all tumblers to do front and back twisting skills in the same direction. See twisting conundrum for detailed discussion.
[FA-18] Two-Skill combo (from 2-feet),
- Take off is from two feet (arch to hollow)
- Hollow to arch transition through vertical (handstand).
- Arched landing, maintaining forward momentum (rebound).
- Layout fronts should travel and not be too high.
* Tempo style front layouts are intended to replace front handsprings in a forward tumbling series.
[FA-19] Front with Full twist (from 2-feet),
- Take off is from two feet (hollow to arch)
- Arms and head establish the height and direction of flip,
- Arch should begin after vertical (not before).
- Salto can be tuck, layout preferred but must land upright.
* Forward landing salto can not be under-rotated.
[FA-20] Rudi - Front layout with 1+1/2 twists (from 2-feet),
- Take off is from two feet (arch to hollow)
- Arms and head establish flip shape and direction,
- Arms set the twist to be in the middle of the flip,
- Odd twisting fronts can finish hollow with flexed knees.
[FA-21] Front layout W/ Double twist (from 2-feet),
- Take off is from two feet (arch to hollow)
- Arms and head sets and wraps the twist (not early
- Twist exists equally on both sides of vertical (not early-not late).
- Even twisting layout fronts should be upright (not pike) to land,
[FA-22] Double Front Tuck (from 2-feet),
- Take off is from two feet (arch to hollow)
- Hollow transitions upward into tightly tucked salto,
- 1-flip up and 1-flip down,
- Flexed knee landing with torso upright.