I have noticed a gymnast struggling with this recently, not one of the levels I coach but I am very curious how to fix this. The gymnast has a solid front layout on tramp, yet when she tries to full twist she sort of cheats it. Its hard to explain but its almost like she never fully rotates upside down and twists half way in then out despite landing forward as you would in a full. Has any coach seen this before, how do you correct it? What is the root issue?
For Coaches "Cheating" a front full
- Thread starter ProudGymnast
- Start date
I used to do this and it was because I was twisting the wrong way for the first half, maybe that's the problem?
Do you mean she does two half twists, but in opposite directions (e.g. 1/2 to the left, then 1/2 to the right)? If so, I had this problem when I was a gymnast, but I never learned how to untangle myself. I am curious to know how others have solved this problem. I was an ambidextrous gymnast (righty in some skills, lefty in other skills), which wasn't a problem until I reached higher levels when I started confusing myself with twisting. My hypothesis is that I couldn't untangle my front layout full because I was trying to be a lefty and righty at the same time.
Try teaching...
- Front Pike
- Front Pike Bounce 1/2
- Front Pike Kick Open Into 1/2
- Front Pike Kick Open Into 1/2 Then Bounce 1/2
- Front Pike 1/1
Check the twist direction too.
- Jan 4, 2008
- 4,077
It is a really common issue if kids haven't been taught to full step by step. When you do the full correctly, at first it can feel very much like you are twisting half one way and half the other, and often when its incorrect it feels correct.
Things feel different when we are upside down. I agree with JBS, do it in stages. Start with a 1/2 followed by a jump half turn to build it up.
When watching the full you should see the stomach and the back of the gymnast. If you see the stomach twice or the back twice then they did the 1/2 1/2 in 2 directions. Record this and show it in slow motion to the gymnast.
Things feel different when we are upside down. I agree with JBS, do it in stages. Start with a 1/2 followed by a jump half turn to build it up.
When watching the full you should see the stomach and the back of the gymnast. If you see the stomach twice or the back twice then they did the 1/2 1/2 in 2 directions. Record this and show it in slow motion to the gymnast.
Definitely good advice if I ever make it to coaching twisting. I learned with the "just go for it" mentality, and was more of a doubles girl, but the more I learn the more I realize how it needs to be logical and progression based. I think I figured out that she is going half one way, half the other, but the coach is just letting her throw it in the pit, as it is just uptraining so there has been no pre-reqs or anything, big no-no.
I think that is it actually, I don't have an eye trained to twisting as I learned it with the "just do it" mentality and always was more of a double girl, but I'm thinking that is the problem as (as far as I know) she "learned" it by throwing it one random day for uptraining. I may suggest a progression if the coach and I ever collaborate.
