Front flip / front tuck somersault

[Matti Paalanen]

My tumbling experience is quite limited - I have managed to do back flip and back handspring to a mattress, and front hand spring somewhat decently, but basic front flip / tuck somersault eludes me. I don't know what would be the right progression to follow. I have watched many tutorials on the youtube, but I thought it would be good to hear some guidelines or opinions from gymnasticbodies community regarding the way to progress with the front flip training.

 

I guess my main trouble is that my tuck position is too open which makes the rolling around too slow, and my basic jump is too "diving forward" -like which means I don't get enough airtime.

 

So I was wondering if there are any reasonable "first you have to learn these things" before I should even try making the actual front flip?

 

Any ideas?

[Daniel Burnham]

First thing you need to learn is the set. This is the punch and lift before the tuck. It is actually very difficult to teach this in words but the idea is to convert your forward momentum into upward momentum. You need to punch with tight body and feet in front of you.

You should lift up with arms raised and then do the flip close to the apex of this set.

I personally consider dive rolls useful for front tucks because they are an easier way to teach the set and turn over.

The actual flip should feel like you are driving your chest and arms around your legs and your but will left and then with you. A tighter tuck will mean faster rotation.

The best way to learn is to go to a gym. You should be able to learn most of this element in a day then you can spend months refining it

[Matti Paalanen]

Thanks for the help, I will try to work on this!

[Blairbob]

 Not a huge fan of actually teaching a dive roll before a front tuck. Mainly the "hecht" action is tough to teach. However, learn a good front tuck and dive rolls are cake.

 

 That being said, go to a gym and learn from a coach. Way faster progress.

 

 Trampolinists actually go through a lot of progressions early on before they learn their fronts.

 

 Ideally I like to teach a gymnast a bounder on tumbl-trak or trampoline before a front tuck.

 

 Common progression is Seat drop, Table drop, roll. Seat, Table, Handstand. Seat, Table, pop the roll in the air to back or seat and eventually doing a front tuck out of a table drop to stand.

 

 Another basic progression is knee drop on a tumbl-trak to handstand or handspring. Teaches heel drive.

 

 I will also generally teach a 3/4 layout to back on mats off a springboard or tucked roll onto stacked mats over the height of your head on a springboard.