All coaches are aware of the concept of progression – the step by step paths we use to teach a skill, or progress through a family of skills. Most commonly we work through  what is known as a “vertical” progression that incrementally increases the difficulty of the skill.

A common example of this could be for a forward roll and its related skills:

1. rocking back and forth on the floor,
2. forward roll on an incline mat,
3. forward roll on the floor,
4. scale stand to forward roll,
5. handstand forward roll,
6. dive forward roll,
7. dive roll up onto a stack of mats, etc.

Each step becomes progressively more difficult and is a “stepping stone” to more difficult skills in the same family. (The above progression eventually leads to a front salto.)

However, there is also a concept known as a “horizontal progression” (1), using roughly the same skill, but changing aspects of it to reinforce the basic movement without a substantial increase in its difficulty.

One example of this would be a forward roll starting in the same position each time, such as a squat, but finishing in a variety of positions – squat, straddle, “wolf”, step-out, etc.

Starting position                                                                                                                     Ending Position

 Fwd. roll

Tuck                                                                                                                                  roll to a straddled finish

pike                                                                                                                                     pike  (sitting or standing)

wolf                                                                                                                                        wolf

 

This gives you a possible 16 combinations. The tuck start position can finish four ways; same for each of the others. (You could make it a game of a sort.) This is especially useful for beginners first learning a movement. It gives them a variety of skills to work without getting a bit “boring” – and also aids in learning the basic movement better to boot by reinforcing it with repetition. (In old East German literature, (pre-glastnost) this was often referred to as “stabilization”.)

Another variation of this is demonstrated by using a cartwheel (CW):

Forward CW with a side CW finish — side CW — side CW to a forward finish

You can also perform from a kneeling position as they get stronger – any variation of the basic movement without a major change in the level of difficulty.