As you probably know by now, every fancy tumbling skill you see is basically made up of little pieces — shapes and movements which are woven together to produce a masterpiece (hopefully).
And by working each “piece” separately to perfection, you end up with a perfect skill. But that can take time. Which is why I love coming up with drills which help my athletes improve multiple “pieces” of their skill all in one go!
Case in point, the 2-in-1 set up you see below. I call it: What Goes Up, Must Come Down.
Disclaimer (Click To Open)
Please keep in mind to watch the drill animations for their theory and mechanics, not execution. Most of my videos are captured during an athlete’s learning phase. Also, please do not perform any drills, prerequisites or progressions unless you’re in the company of a certified coach and have their permission to do so. The information on this website is presented purely for entertainment purposes only. You are solely liable for any injuries that may occur.
Basically, don't be foolish and use common sense.
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Here’s Why It’s Awesome
1) Forces High, Explosive Handsprings
Now you might think “Wait a minute! I thought BHS were supposed to be LONG and LOW?”
Well, if what you want your BHS to do is set you up for an end skill then yes, they should absolutely be as long and low as possible. This will allow your feet to hit that negative angle, shooting you straight up into the sky for whatever end skill your heart desires.
But, if your goal is to do a standing pass and actually generate some power from nothing (i.e no Round Off) then having a “higher” or slightly “loopy” initial BHS is ideal. And this should come from driving your hips as high as possible, which you’ll see my athlete doing.
2) Forces Round Off Power Development
Anyone can run down half the floor in order to have sufficient speed and momentum for their Round Off. But generating power from just a small hop takes some serious work into having a strong hurdle, needle kick and snap-down. This is what the 2nd part of the drill is doing.
Note: In the animation above, I would’ve liked my athlete to have a longer more powerful hurdle. Be sure to apply this correction for yourself.
Initially I’d recommend just doing the RO from the standing BHS hop so you can get used to it. Once you’ve gotten comfortable, you can not only add a BHS, but perform entire passes! The athlete you see in the animation above could’ve easily added a back tuck (assuming the mat was facing the other way and she had the space, of course).
Hope you get a chance to try it out. And if you do, let me know in the comments below how it went!
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For over 15 years, Coach Sahil has been on a mission to help athletes master their tumbling and acrobatic skills in the shortest amount of time possible without sacrificing safety or the quality of their technique. As a former Power Tumbler and Power Lifter himself, he fully understands the inner struggles of an athlete and how to help them get to the next level. To date, he has worked with thousands of athletes around the World and provided training to hundreds of coaches in almost every country you can imagine. He is also a Certified Gymnastics Coach, founder of Addicted To Tumbling, and former co-owner of a gym. He is also the author of the best-selling book The Cheer Diet.
I am looking for a good set drill. I use jumping backwards on to a vault table, block jumping but still have a few athletes that are still not getting it. ( using ur legs)