Coaches Teaching Back Layouts

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coachmolly

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I have 2 high schoolers who are cheerleaders first and foremost and compete on the school gymnastics team in the winter season. They receive tumbling training year round through cheer programs and are pretty powerful with lots of potential, but also lacking in foundation. Working on the basics is a constant work in progress and an area where they both have improved over the time I've coached them, but I'm also looking for some ways to start working layouts with these two. They both have pretty strong ro-bhs-back tucks, particularly considering their backgrounds, and have expressed an interest in learning layouts. Gymnast A has what she considers a layout, but it is very whippy and sloppy. Gymnast B has said she's been working towards layouts for a year with little success, though the building blocks are there.
I've been searching CB and google for drills, but many involve lots of heavy hand spotting (hard with HS aged kids) or tramps/pits which we don't have. I have been working jump-set-to candlestick onto a mat stack and plan to add tumbling uphill this week, I'm just curious if anyone here might have some additional insight into how I can at least get these girls moving towards decent quality layouts over the next few months. Thanks!
 
What would you do with rings? How about off a block and mini tramp?
 
then it'll be the old fashioned way. they go and you spot...over and over and over again. :)
 
I don't know if this is easy, hard, or safe to do so maybe somebody has tried this and could comment........

.......... How about off a block and mini tramp?

You could try a springboard instead of a mini tramp that you're missing out on. Have them work in the down hill direction just as you would work it with a mini tramp.

You'd have to treat this as a new skill in and of itself by covering the basics of working from a horizontal support and dropping onto the board while pushing away from the block into something safe like a set that you spot to keep them from falling out of balance in the air. You could work up the progression of tucks, followed by layout......
 
What would you do with rings? How about off a block and mini tramp?

On rings swing to straight body inverted hang, works good with the kids who arch into their layout to enforce the right shape.
I agree that then you have to just spot a lot, double spot if you need to.
 
Welcome my my world. I get a lot of cheer tumblers and even former gymnasts that have tons of power with little to no technique. I take them back to the round off handspring tuck. I try to get them to slow it down and float the tuck higher. Once they feel the correct one, they tend to let you know.
Once they get used to the high slow tuck, I have the open it up to an open tuck. After these look more like what I'm looking for, I have the open a bit more until it is a layout.
The hard part is getting the not to flip as fast as humanly possible. That part seem to take the most work. If they can't get used to the slower rotation, they'll keep whipping the layouts.
 
I figured there wasn't a whole lot in the way of drills that we have the equipment for, just thought I would ask on the off chance someone had an idea. I feel okay about teaching the one girl from scratch, but the one who already has an incredibly sloppy layout has me a little worried. Like CoachTodd said, she flips as fast as possible with little to no attention to form and a tight body. I'd love to slow it down with lots of hand spotting and stopping, but with older girls that's a bit tough. I've tried to go back to working on tucks but she tends to "accidentally" turn those into "layouts." :confused: Oh well, I'll keep pushing forward with lots of spotting and see how it goes. Thanks for the help!
 
So I'm not sure how I feel about this drill, but it might work out...I think you just have to start slow with basically standing and not do too much speed into it...and make sure it's stable.


The other one is this drill which I think might help with awareness, although it's not specifically as a layout drill, it does reinforce the body moving as a hollow unit:


This also could help with awareness and maybe you can use the springboard to a crash mat:


Conditioning/set:
 
Thank you! Those are great, and most can be done with what little equipment we have. One girl in particular needs a ton of work on body awareness, I think the other might catch on once she learns what a layout is supposed to feel like.
 

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