Roundoff Dismount Progressions

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What are the progressions for doing a roundoff back salto dismount on beam?

I just recently got my roundoff on the low beam and changed my current routine to a cartwheel (from my knee) backtuck dismount-which I fall off on way less than what I had before in my routine, although I know I throw my head back and sometimes I'm low...so...
 
My gymmie is working on her RO-back tuck on beam for L8. This is what she did to learn it. Practiced some round offs on floor with coach watching to make sure her technique was solid. Then started doing them on low beam and moved up to high beam with road mat. After they feel comfortable doing the RO then they have them add the RO with rebound onto a mat. Then they go to the RO with back tuck.
 
Generally I'll follow these progressions (the ones I followed when I learned it):
1. roundoffs on the line on the floor
2. roundoff back tuck dismounts off a road beam on the floor
3. roundoffs on the low beam
4. roundoff rebounds off the low beam
5. roundoff back tucks off low beam
6. roundoffs on a higher beam while working dismounts off the low beam
7. roundoff rebounds off higher beam--rebound onto a mat stack (with spot if needed)
8. roundoff dismounts off higher beam with or without spot
 
A road mat fastens onto the beam and makes it wider(I'm sure a coach will know how wide). Sometimes they'll put them on the floor so the girls can work a new skill.
 
i am a level 10 gymnast and all my life i have done frontwards dismounts, such as front full and a halves and doubles. but today i also started working on round off dismounts, and we had a great drill thing. we have a beam that goes into the pit and we put big red blocks next to the beam that basically went to the height of it and a red pad over the beam, so it was almost like the floor but you got the feel of the beam. and i did round off dismounts and they were fun.
 
A road mat fastens onto the beam and makes it wider(I'm sure a coach will know how wide). Sometimes they'll put them on the floor so the girls can work a new skill.

It makes it 8 inches I believe. And a lot softer. I freaking love those things. I can't even adequately express my love for them, but it is vast.

We also call them railroads. They have a dotted line running down the center.

I did a RO dismount in L8, but then I randomly switched to front dismounts, because everyone else in the group was training those and things were always set up for it.

If you have a CW back tuck dismount and a RO on the beam then you are headed in the right direction. I would make sure the RO is "over the top" (as opposed to around the side) and shows adequate flight (air time from hands to feet). No piking down.

Then we usually trained it on floor and off a railroad onto a mat on the floor...my coaches wanted to see the ability to do standing RO-BT on floor/at the surface height of whatever we were ROing off. I think that's a reasonable criteria but perhaps not necessary. Then we usually put a crash mat behind the high beam and did RO-set with the railroad on high beam. Then RO tuck (onto the crash mat). Then we took away the railroad, and used a mat over the beam. Then a carpet. Then nothing. Then we did it without the crash mat onto a couple 8 inchers, and then finally competition landings. We usually used much higher mats and the carpet for training though, until it was right before a meet. Now most of the L8-10 girls do BHS dismounts, although there are a couple ROs. We use the same set up and they work on track a lot, doing either standing RO or BHS into tuck, layout, half, full onto a mat stack.
 
I just call them a road beam/mat because they look like a road--they have a dashed line down the middle.
 
So what should I do if I don't have a road/railroad/whatever mat or a pit available?
Doesn't a good cartwheel go "over the top"?
How do I know that I'm not piking down?
And what can I do to make the back tuck part of the dismount better-I got a tendency to throw my head back and not totally jump up especially when I'm connecting it with something...?
 
So what should I do if I don't have a road/railroad/whatever mat or a pit available?
Doesn't a good cartwheel go "over the top"?
How do I know that I'm not piking down?
And what can I do to make the back tuck part of the dismount better-I got a tendency to throw my head back and not totally jump up especially when I'm connecting it with something...?

If you don't have a beam pad then you could stack mats to the beam height (whatever height...we usually learned it low but that's not the only way).

A good cartwheel should go over the top but it can be performed a lot slower than a RO, and also on beam there's the question of whether you're ending the RO with the foot you started with in front, or your second foot in front, since of course the CW ends with the second foot in front. I've heard some people say they think ending the RO with the first foot in front is better for alignment purposes in the "snap" down second part of the skill, but I personally do beam ROs with my second foot in front (the foot I end with in front when I do a CW).

If you are using a CW as a drill, then you should do a fast CW with a deliberate chest up motion, so you have to take several steps back afterwards. Basically leading with the upper body.

If you are throwing your head back/arching then I would recommend working on a RO-BT on floor or tumble track, because it will be easier to fix technique problems there than on floor. Once the RO-BT technique is solid, then I would progress to doing it on a line with beam placement of the hands and feet in the RO.
 
So what should I do if I don't have a road/railroad/whatever mat or a pit available?
Doesn't a good cartwheel go "over the top"?
How do I know that I'm not piking down?
And what can I do to make the back tuck part of the dismount better-I got a tendency to throw my head back and not totally jump up especially when I'm connecting it with something...?


-You could always use a sting mat over the beam to make it a little wider and softer, and you could try dismounting onto a resi mat as well. Also, practice some on a line on the floor before heading to the beam--I always found that this helps.
-Yes, a good cartwheel will go over the top, the same is how you want your roundoff to go.
-Piking down a flip is kind of a feeling thing.
-To keep your head from going back on your flip try to spot (look for) something as you set into your flip and as you begin your flip. Also, try do roundoff rebounds onto an elevated surface off the beam.
 

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