Planet Gym Instructors

The backward roll is one of the most important fundamentals in gymnastics; this skill teaches backward rotation and is a basis for high-level bar skills. The work on this skill begins in preschool classes, and the technique taught to the gymnast will affect the quality of future skills.

The first progression for backward rolls varies by instructor; some coaches prefer to teach a backward roll with straight arms right away as opposed to bent arms. The reason for this preference is due to all progressions after being done with straight arms, therefore, keeping consistency. At the preschool age, the emphasis should be placed on continuous motion and pulling their hips over their shoulders.

Next in the progressions is a straight arm roll to push up position. In this progression, the emphasis should be placed on holding a candlestick shape throughout the skill and reinforcing that continuous motion from the previous progression.

Variations on this skill can include going to a standing pike, which forces the gymnast to open their shoulders more, which is needed in the back extension roll.

When the gymnast is ready, they will start on back extension rolls. This skill is important in developing high-level bar skills, such as a clear hip circle. The emphasis at this stage should be placed on a strong shoulder opening and maintaining a tight body shape from the candle stick phase to the handstand phase.

Forward rolls are often thought of as a preschool skill however this fundamental is used by all gymnasts regardless of age or skill level. From the tiniest of tumblers to the highest levels of team; the forward roll is the starting point of a long line of progressions starting with learning a tuck body shape.

Forward roll

The first step in the progressions a basic forward roll should be mastered before starting any other progressions or variations. In this skill the emphasis should be place on the forward head placement, contracted abs, and standing up with arms by their ears.

Variations/ Progressions

Handstand roll

In this progression the emphasis should be placed on achieving a handstand line, straight arms and a candle stick position in the middle of the skill.

Variations/ Progressions

Dive roll

In this progression the gymnast is adding an element of flight to the skill. Emphasis should be placed on the take off for the skill called a punch, this is preformed by the gymnast brining both of their feet together and pushing off the balls of their feet.

Variations/ Progressions

Front tuck

In this progression the emphasis should be placed on a forward set and a stable landing.

Below you will find a number of progressions and variations for your classes!

A simple yet frustrating skill; the glide swing is an important progression in a gymnasts development in a glide kip. Usually taught in recreational classes the glide is a simple skill that leaves a lot of room for error, with the right drills and corrections each young gymnast can be set up for success.

There are various ways to teach a glide and no two gymnasts will learn the same way, having a few drills on hand is extremely beneficial to new coaches as glide are a great side station. A large emphasis on flat hips and the catch of the bar should be enforced at the beginning of skill development. Below you will find a video that goes more in-depth on glide swing shaping and drills to help achieve these shapes. Keep in mind every gymnast learns at their own pace!

An often forgotten part of beam, a gymnasts beam basics are the foundation of their confidence and comfort on beam. This event pulls heavily from ballet and has deep focus on body awareness and precision.

Mount

A basic beam mount is done from a jump to front support and then swinging one leg over the beam; once this seated position is achieved the gymnast may stand up in a verity of ways most commonly they will swing their legs backward hooking their feet on the beam push into a squatting position and proceed to stand up.

Beam 5th position

When on beam the gymnast should strive to keep their feet in 5th position; this position assists in the gymnasts overall balance on beam by squaring the gymnasts hips. Early reinforcement of this position is extremely beneficial to every gymnast.

Body shape

Standing on the beam is a surprisingly active task for new gymnasts; holding the shoulders down and back and pulling the hips under can be difficult but with constant reinforcement it will eventually become muscle memory. Arm placement will vary during beam basics but three major positions are important for each gymnast to be familiar with including; stretched, round, and overhead.

Below you will find a video of an in-depth warm up and overview of the beam dance basics

Beam Basics Dance

• 5th position
• Arm Positions: stretched, round, and overhead
• Demi plié
• Relevé
• Demi plié Relevé Demi plié Relevé
• Forced arch
• Relevé Forced Arch Relevé Forced Arch
• Relevé walks
• Bourré walks 
• Leg kick toe ball heel to 5th
• Brush kicks to 5th
• Tap, tap kick to 5th 
• Brush steps – forward, backward, side
• Coupé
• Passé
• Coupé to Passé
• Passé walks

The first vault taught in women’s gymnastics the kick to hand stand flat back is a great fundamental not just for vault but for each event in the sport. This skill teaches kids to quickly find the handstand line in a skill and hold onto that line through a drop. The ability to find the handstand line in a skill is an important part of gymnastics that will help each gymnast develop new skills to the best of their ability.

Common mistakes

With this skill being so fundamental it is important to correct mistakes early on to avoid frustration for the gymnast later on. For many young gymnasts it is common to see a rounding in the shoulders when falling to flat back; this can be difficult to correct as commonly it stems from a young gymnast being hesitant to “fall” in the skill. Correcting this can be done by making the gymnast feel more comfortable falling either by spotting or the addition of a softer mat.

Common mistakes such as failing to find the handstand line in the skill is something that happens to almost every gymnast at the beginning of this skill. Improper prep work on the handstand is usually the cause of this difficulty and simply working on the handstand by itself is incredibly beneficial. When working on the handstand line coaches should use various techniques and drills to help the student; teaching the gymnast to find the line but not teaching them to squeeze their muscles will not help the student apply this correction to the flatback itself. Having the student hold their handstand shape over a gap or falling to flat back over a gap is a great way to reinforce the tight handstand line.

As the flat back progresses into a front handspring it is important for the gymnast and coaches to think ten steps ahead and view the flatback landing as a front handspring. Instead of falling into a completely flat body shape the gymnast wants to achieve a hollow body shape with flat hips and rounded shoulders. Learning this shape early on will allow the gymnast to be able to block off the vault at the correct angle (above 45°), as well avoid arching in the exit shape. This shape and angle is not only important for vault but for a front handspring dismount on beam as well.

Vault skills build off of each other in a very literal sense, as seen in the image below, making it very important for coaches at the Preschool and Recreational levels to understand and be confident in teaching this skill to avoid ingrained bad habits in their students.

The forward entry on to the springboard for vault is a skill that the gymnast will do for most of their time in gymnastics. A tricky skill that can confuse our young gymnasts there are many different drills and techniques used to teach this fundamental.

When a gymnast hits the board they are expected to take off from one foot and “punch” the board with two feet, in dance this movement is called an assemblé which means to bring together. As seen in the images below the feet should be in front of the body allowing the gymnast to keep their chest up, this is important as the angle of the chest during any front entry vault has a direct affect on the rest of the skill. once the gymnast is on the board their focus should be on swinging their arms up to their ears and straight jumping as high as possible. the straight jump portion of this skill is important as it will help the gymnast avoid reaching down during their future skills on vault.

Vault skills build off of each other in a very literal sense, as seen in the image below, making it very important for coaches at the Preschool and Recreational levels to understand and be confident in teaching this skill to avoid ingrained bad habits in their students.

A tricky skill for new gymnasts to master and a source of frustration for coaches as well; the roundoff is a skill that will be worked on every time they step in the gym. Corrections for this skill are imperative as the roundoff tends to be the start of long tumbling passes, if the roundoff has mistakes the skills proceeding it will not be as strong. As one of the first flight elements a young gymnast learns; mastering the roundoff is difficult and will take time and patience.

Progressions

The skills a student should have been introduced to before starting the roundoff are a cartwheel step in, a handstand snap down, and a cartwheel from their knee. The cartwheel step in will help the gymnast understand the body shaping of the roundoff which is flat hips, arms by the ears, and hollow chest. using the cartwheel step in to gage the ability of the gymnast to pull their chests up quickly at the end of the skill greatly helps the gymnast when learning their roundoff. The handstand snap down or, as many coachers are renaming it a handstand snap up is another great skill to have introduced to the gymnast before starting the round off as it teaches the gymnast to generate power off the floor through their shoulder muscles, a technique called blocking. Blocking off the floor is a difficult skill to introduce to kids but is an important piece of the puzzle that is a strong roundoff, this technique will be covered more in depth in another post. The cartwheel for the knee will help to strengthen the dominant leg and teach the gymnast to drive their back leg around faster creating a more powerful roundoff in the end.

Corrections

As the roundoff is a fast moving skill it is difficult for new coaches to spot the mistakes to help develop the roundoff, however there are some very common mistakes that gymnast will make that are fairly easy to catch. Frequently a gymnast will make the mistake of using the incorrect hand placement for their roundoff, either using cartwheel hands of the roundoff hand placement used for beam. This mistake can either be corrected verbally or with drills however this mistake is hard for the gymnast to fix due to it being habit and will require consistent reminders. Early on in the skill development coaches will notice the gymnasts hands still on the ground when their feet land, this is due to several factors including not blocking off the ground or leaving their chest down, even not reach far enough out in the beginning of the skill can cause the gymnast to leave their chest down. Newer coaches should also use the resources available to them by asking a more experienced coach to watch the skill and attending any trainings offered by the gym to assist in their development as a coach.

Below you will find a video introducing the roundoff and a few beginner drills. Keep in mind that each gymnast learns at their own pace!

An important artistic element in gymnastics; jumps are preformed on both floor and beam. Jumps are also performed in other programs at the gym suck as Rocket Cheer thus being beneficial to every student we get in the gym.

Straight Jump: The basis for all jumps, also called a stretch jump by USAG. The gymnast jumps up while pulling their arms up to their ears holding a straight body shape the whole time.

Tuck Jump: At the very top of the jump the gymnast pulls their knees up in front of their body keeping their shins in front. The arm position for this jump is up and by the ears. The shaping for this jump is the same as a front and back tuck.

Straddle Jump: Also used for a toe touch in cheer; This jump tends to be tricky for most kids as it involves them rotating their legs at their hip flexors. It is very common for gymnasts to split their legs right off the floor however this affects the height of the jump and the gymnast’s ability to land with their feet together. In gymnastics, the arm position for this jump is stretched out towards the toes. This jump will be covered more in-depth in the video below.

Split Jump: A very common jump used in competitive gymnastics; the gymnast must split their legs at the very top of their jump keeping the height of both legs even. It is very common for gymnasts to split their legs right off the floor however this affects the height of the jump and the gymnast’s ability to land with their feet together. This jump will be covered more in-depth in the video below.

Beam

Jumps on beam have more prep work to them; the gymnast must pass through a locke position at the beginning and end of the jump. Below is a video that goes more in-depth on the specifics of jumps on a beam.

The first bar mounts a young gymnast will learn and one of the most frustrating skills, the pullover is a necessary part of every uneven bar lesson plan. As a long-term skill; the pullover will only be mastered over the course of many hours in the gym leading most gymnasts to feel frustrated over what seems like little progress. Due to the frustrating nature of the skill adding side stations for the development of the skill is important for the gymnast over time.

An important thing coaches should keep in mind is the two different types of pullovers. The first style of the pullover is a chin-up pullover where the gymnast performs the skill from two feet and brings their chin to the bar first, this style is a requirement in compulsory gymnastics and is easier for younger gymnasts to perform. The second style of the pullover is performed with a step and has the gymnast bring their sternum to the bar, this style of pullover tends to be easier for the older gymnasts to achieve. Each style of this skill continues with the gymnast pulling their hips to the bar and finishing in front support ready to cast. Knowing the difference between each style of the pullover is important for each coach to know and understand to help each gymnast be successful in the sport.

Below you will find examples of each type of pullover as well as drills for the development of the skill. Keep in mind each gymnast learns at their own pace!

A vital uneven bar skill; the cast is the transitionary skill in every bar routine.  This skill is used to provide power and momentum to the following skill, such as a back hip circle or a squat on. Mastery of this skill takes time and a large emphasis on shaping is important in the early stages of skill development.

Shaping

Lean: The gymnast should be leaning forward over the bar allowing them to effectively push down on the bar.

Contracted abs: When the gymnast is getting ready to perform a cast they should start by bringing their legs forward under the bar in a piked position squeezing their abdominal muscles in the process.

Hollow Body: When the gymnast is at the top of their cast they should be able to push down on the bar achieving a push-up position.

Neutral head: During all bar skills the gymnast’s head should remain in a neutral position, instructing the gymnast to keep their eyes on the end of the dismount mat will help in this correction.

Below you will find an in-depth explanation of the cast and a beginner drill. Keep in mind that each gymnast learns at their own pace!