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!
