Front tuck help

[Yaad Mohammad]

Whenever I seem to try to do a front flip, I mess up in the air. I rotate a bit to the left and it looks as if I'm trying to go into a sideflip, really weird. I don't know how to fix this and it bothers me a lot... any tips?

[Reveridian]

Whenever I seem to try to do a front flip, I mess up in the air. I rotate a bit to the left and it looks as if I'm trying to go into a sideflip, really weird. I don't know how to fix this and it bothers me a lot... any tips?

What gymnastics experience do you have? It sounds as though you are dropping one shoulder first which is not uncommon with people who have little gymnastics experience (I find that it's a natural survival reflex for not breaking your neck ). Do you know how to forwards roll? You need to work forwards roll, forwards rolling off a box etc etc etc. Anything that is going to make you use both shoulders at the same time. If it is your head that is the problem (if it's looking more to the left etc.) then you can try putting a sock or something under your chin and then do the front sault obviously trying to not let the sock fall out.

If you upload a video I can help more but these are just some general things.

Cheers,

Rev

[Yaad Mohammad]

Whenever I seem to try to do a front flip, I mess up in the air. I rotate a bit to the left and it looks as if I'm trying to go into a sideflip, really weird. I don't know how to fix this and it bothers me a lot... any tips?

What gymnastics experience do you have? It sounds as though you are dropping one shoulder first which is not uncommon with people who have little gymnastics experience (I find that it's a natural survival reflex for not breaking your neck ). Do you know how to forwards roll? You need to work forwards roll, forwards rolling off a box etc etc etc. Anything that is going to make you use both shoulders at the same time. If it is your head that is the problem (if it's looking more to the left etc.) then you can try putting a sock or something under your chin and then do the front sault obviously trying to not let the sock fall out.

If you upload a video I can help more but these are just some general things.

Cheers,

Rev

Well, the only gymnastic experience I've got is the back tuck, handstand, front split and straddle planche. I just tried the forward rolls, and I have no problem with them. I have a video but it's from the side... dunno if that's useful. Also, is it normal that the front roll is a bit painful?

Edit:

Nevermind fixed it. I feel 100% comfortable with the front roll now.

[Reveridian]

Well, the only gymnastic experience I've got is the back tuck, handstand, front split and straddle planche. I just tried the forward rolls, and I have no problem with them. I have a video but it's from the side... dunno if that's useful. Also, is it normal that the front roll is a bit painful?

Edit:

Nevermind fixed it. I feel 100% comfortable with the front roll now.

Where do you do your front saults? In a gymnastics centre or just on the tramp at home? Try putting the sock under your chin and see if that helps. Yeah any video will be more useful then no video If you've got a tramp try and do this drill: From a small jump, land on your knees and do a knee bounce, then front sault and try and land on your bum in tuck sit (with your knees apart). See if it still happens then.

Reveridian

[AlexX]

Not an uncommon problem when you skip drills and progression. For front tumbling (depending on weather you do tramp or floor). The progression should be something like this: forward roll, handstand forward roll, front dive roll, if you have a tramp then next is the front dive roll over rotate to your back, and after that the front tuck.

[Yaad Mohammad]

Well, the only gymnastic experience I've got is the back tuck, handstand, front split and straddle planche. I just tried the forward rolls, and I have no problem with them. I have a video but it's from the side... dunno if that's useful. Also, is it normal that the front roll is a bit painful?

Edit:

Nevermind fixed it. I feel 100% comfortable with the front roll now.

Where do you do your front saults? In a gymnastics centre or just on the tramp at home? Try putting the sock under your chin and see if that helps. Yeah any video will be more useful then no video If you've got a tramp try and do this drill: From a small jump, land on your knees and do a knee bounce, then front sault and try and land on your bum in tuck sit (with your knees apart). See if it still happens then.

Reveridian

I do them in a Dutch sport gym where they have all kind of mattresses and a trampoline. Also here is the video:

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Not an uncommon problem when you skip drills and progression. For front tumbling (depending on weather you do tramp or floor). The progression should be something like this: forward roll, handstand forward roll, front dive roll, if you have a tramp then next is the front dive roll over rotate to your back, and after that the front tuck.

Right, I can do the forward roll, handstand forward roll, and front dive roll, do you reckon I can do it now?

[Blairbob]

In proper gymnastics, you do handsprings before saltos/flips. Honestly I do not teach a dive/hecht roll until they can already do a salto. I prefer 3/4 layouts to back, possibly spotted fronts in belt or by hand, front rolls onto mat stack about shoulder head height.

[Reveridian]

Blairbob: I don't know about America but in Australia a front saulto is a level 3 MG vault and they certainly aren't doing handsprings by that stage. In fact I think that the floor skill closest to it in level 3 is a headspring on floor.

Rago: It's very hard to see but it looks like as you are taking off you have only 1 arm properly up and you are dropping your left shoulder down and towards the camera. You need to do some drills where you do some forwards rolls over stacked mats and from a run as well. This is why you need to drill skills before you attempt them.

[AlexX]

In proper gymnastics, you do handsprings before saltos/flips. Honestly I do not teach a dive/hecht roll until they can already do a salto. I prefer 3/4 layouts to back, possibly spotted fronts in belt or by hand, front rolls onto mat stack about shoulder head height.

For USA you compete a dive roll before a tuck. While for traditional gymnastics you indeed learn handsprings before tucks on floor, places like trampoline and diving follow more of an approach that I listed. Honestly it has to do with your future goals more than a proper progression in my opinion. For a gymnast a handspring is a must because you'll be using it for pretty much all your passes (or at the least compulsories for front tumbling). My advice was based on the assumption that the op is not a competitive gymnast.

We don't really spot front tumbling where I work we do drills, tumbletrak and mats, an occasional spot to clean up an inccorect body position but for the most part the kids try on their own. Unless it's on beam.

For the op: I second River's advice on the video. It looks like your problem is during the set when you drop your left shoulder.

[Yaad Mohammad]

Right, I fixed my tuck. But now I lost height :C. Any drills for that?

[AlexX]

Right, I fixed my tuck. But now I lost height :C. Any drills for that?

Height is all about the set. Work on running up and punching straight to a dive roll. Front tucks over things also help, I recommend a person's hand or a mat. Make sure that during your set you are looking forward and not the floor.

[Yaad Mohammad]

Awesome, got lots of tips from some free-runners and a gymnast at my training. Landed them 3 times. And moved on to small mattresses.

[Yaad Mohammad]

Right posting some progress:

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Any help?

[Seiji]

Well, I've got two tips for you. The first is to try and put your feet a little more in front of you before you jump, so that you get more height. That's pretty simple. But if you look at the tuck, you're slowing yourself down. You're focused on pulling yourself into a ball rather than pulling your chest to your knees only. Your knees come up to your chest and it's killing your rotation. Try not to do that

[Oldrich Polreich]

Hi

I think that your problem is that you are rotating a bit early. Your feet are barely off the mat and you are already throwing hands into rotation. Relax a bit, let the body extend fully, gain height and then tuck :wink:.

Also, you are going too much forward. Try to jump up instead of forward. Blocking ( ->Seiji's post) will help with that, but you also need to go up with your hands and your whole body. Throwing hands up while looking forward helped me with this a lot. Once you'r in the air, throw hands into rotation, and bring you chest to your knees ( ->Seiji again). Cool tip: When you grab your knees, try to pull them to your chest with your hands as hard as you can. This will help you achieve really small tuck. Loose "grip" usually ends up with "chair tuck". And one last thing. Don't forget to untuck. This seems obvious but really isn't. I learned that the hard way

Hope some of this will help.

Cheers!

[Yaad Mohammad]

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I'm still diving, I think even more than before. I know now how to fix it. Bas however improved a lot

[norbeex3]

I have a problem with front tucks too.So i know about blocking and all but if i block and look in front of me, when i pull up my knees its really slow even tough i try to throw down my arms. But if i go for the ball type, then its really low. Anyway i always land in a chrouched position. Its the most annoyg thingi can imagine and it do not seem to change . :?