Gym Momentum

Cartwheel Drills for Roundoff

by Leave a Comment

I was recently out doing a LIVE IN PERSON clinic for my friend Steve. It was so great to be out and in person NOT ON ZOOM.  His gymnasts were really well trained and a joy to work with. On the drive home I had some time to think about some of the things we had covered.  On tumbling we talked a bit about LOADING and getting their bodies to turn over. I wanted to repost this from a few years ago. If you want to have a good roundoff back hand spring- you need to start it correctly. With a good cartwheel.

A common mistake is when a coach moves from cartwheel to a roundoff too soon or with out care to make sure the cartwheel is good. If the cartwheel is weak and doesn’t turnover, the roundoff will be weak.

Bad Cartwheel= Bad back tumbling, bad yurchenko vault, bad beam dismount…..

[Read more…]

Body Shaping Drills For Tumbling

by Leave a Comment

Gym Momentum Training Camp (which was unfortunately canceled this year) coach, Rob Wing posted some videos on body shaping drills for tumbling and gave me permission to share them.

There has been some misunderstandings and controversy I have seen recently on the exaggerated “C” shape turnover in the roundoff and back handspring.

Basic mechanics dictates that you must load and release. OR, as I tell the gymnasts, LOAD and EXPLODE. The shapes you see in the video are exaggerated. The faster something is traveling the less change of shape is necessary. Think of a dowel being thrown across the floor. If you throw it with enough force, it will “tumble”, where as a ruler or something more flexible can bend (load) and release (explode) to “tumble” . This is certainly an over simplification.

I plan on revisiting this when I find where I have put Dr. Gerald George’s book, CHAMPIONSHIP GYMNASTICS. I have recently moved and it is still in a box someplace. I used to have 2 copes but I must have let someone borrow it.

  • IF I LET YOU BORROW IT- PLEASE GIVE IT BACK!
  • IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE- YOU SHOULD BUY ONE!

Thanks again to Rob Wing from Apex Athletics in NY for sending me these videos. (Hey college coaches! – these kids are recruitable!)

Drill for Leg Kick in Tumbling

by Leave a Comment

At Camp CentroAmericano in Guatemala this summer I did this drill to get the gymnasts to drive their leg over the top in both a front handspring or a cartwheel.

Se realizan dos pateos fuertes hacia arriba, seguidamente de una rueda carreta a juntar pies al final con conexión a un Flic Flac

What to look for:

  • 2 strong kicks, 3rd kick goes into the skill
  • Leg drive all the way over the top
  • Feet come together LATE
  • Stand up to strong hollow chest shape

Doing a skill OUT of it is helpful. If Not have them fall to their back to a soft mat.

Handstand Drill

by Leave a Comment

“The very symbol of the sport, the handstand, is indeed one of the most important fundamental elements in gymnastics. Although often viewed as an individual skill, the handstand shape is repeatedly seen in every event, every exercise, and virtually every movement sequence.”  Dr Gerald S. George,  Ph.D. “Championship Gymnastics. Biomechanical Techniques For Shaping Winners” 2010 [Read more…]

gymmomentum.com runs on the Genesis Framework | Site Map
© Copyright 2011 Gym Momentum