Coach
Wayne,
Here's one that you may not get too often.
I am a little over 40, but in good shape. Body fat < 10%, can do right,
left and straddle splits, back bends from a standing position to level
ground, many pushups, etc.
Most of the above is a result of martial arts training from a very early
age of 14. I took Kung Fu and we did some tumbling there, without any
formal instruction. Now all these years later, I am trying to tumble
some again. I am still doing martial arts and would like to incorporate
some tumbling into my routines.
Regarding Back Handsprings
For a while - I seemed to have it down on a trampoline. I eventually progressed
to doing them spotted on a mat and then finally - non -spotted on the
small 1 inch mat. I never had a fall to speak of. I was so encouraged
that I am now taking private lessons at a qualified gymnastics school.
They have a tumble tramp, rod floor and a competition floor.
In essence, my technique on a back handspring seems to be much more correct
than before, but I am terribly inconsistent. This has gone on for months.
I never really had a fall, but I feel this is a mental block. There are
days when I literally can't get the feel of it to even do 5 or 10 consistently
on the trampoline. My only other thought is that the gymnastics instructors
changed my technique some - for the better and I seem to
have lost my timing. It's as if when my arms go above my head that I just
can't make up my mind to go. I will do an up and down action with my arms
and eventually go, but I know that's not right.
Do you have any ideas?
I would be happy to supply more details if necessary.
Thanks for any help you can give..
Congratulations
on your progress in Tumbling!
One important factor in sustaining progress is the "Frequency
of Lesson" or the "Gap" between lessons. It may help you
to leave less time BETWEEN your tumbling lessons. Champion tumblers are
often in the gym 2 sessions per day 6 days a week, for at least 2 hours
each session. Now all that time is definitely NOT devoted to one skill
or even one event.
Secondly: BENCHMARK your progress. When you're working on the handspring
make sure to MARK (with athletic tape on the floor) where your hands and
feet are landing so that you can focus on stretching out your skill over
a longer distance. By focusing on specific achievement with small detail
of
the skill you'll find you're better able to chunk them together
successfully into a more sustainable skill.
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HOW IS YOUR TUMBLING?
Have ~CoachWayne!
come to YOUR gym!!!
Performance
tumbling for students &
Instructor training for staff
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Coach
Wayne is the Head Coach for the Savannah College of Art and
Design Cheerleading team and Executive Coach of Olympic Gymnast
Zuzana Sekerova. His articles, videos and books have been
used by students and instructors world wide since 1991. Coach
Wayne is available for in-gym instructor training and performance
tumbling clinics throughout the year. For booking information,
coaches/owners should call 912.398.8082. Students and parents
should request coaches/owners to contact Coach Wayne: www.CoachWayne.com,
coach@coachwayne.com or 912-238-1747, 912-398-8082.
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Thirdly: Add diversity & play to your training. Find
ways to create variations in the skill development. For example. Do 20
handsprings without a rebound (but benchmarked). Then 20 reps with a rebound
at the end. Then 20 reps with a STEP-OUT. Then move the same set-sequence
from trampoline to a wedge mat... & with a spot... & on your own
on floor-ex areas... then with an audience.
Lastly: Beef up the time you're on your hands. DEVOTE more time to being
in a handstand position. 60 seconds at a time against a wall (belly to
the wall). Next bounce on your hands... hopping with a straight body (first
3 hops... then work up to 20 hops in a row)
Have fun, be safe, push HARD
~CW
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