Bent legs help?

[emilee572]

Okay, so my legs are bent with alot of my skills!! Like on vault my knees bend. and tumbling on floor my legs are bent. Everyone just tells me to squeeze but it doesn't work!! It drives my coaches crazy. How can I straighten my legs

 

[CoachTodd]

Think about your toes. Push everything out your toes. Usually this gets the legs straight since it's takes effort to point your feet and bend you knees at the same time.

Good Luck

 

[Iwannabemargo]

agreed - we always say to extend through your feet

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

Think about your toes. Push everything out your toes. Usually this gets the legs straight since it's takes effort to point your feet and bend you knees at the same time.

Good Luck

Does that mean my DD is REALLY talented? because she can do that

 

[CoachTodd]

Does that mean my DD is REALLY talented? because she can do that

Nah, it could mean she's a great multitasker though .

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

Nah, it could mean she's a great multitasker though .

she's a girl, of course she can multi-task. duh !

 

[sportsmommy]

I am not a coach or anything but my dd has this trouble. Her coach has told her that she needs to stretch more. She says her leg muscles are tight.

 

[CoachTodd]

I am not a coach or anything but my dd has this trouble. Her coach has told her that she needs to stretch more. She says her leg muscles are tight.

Tight hamstrings wouldn't help.

 

[marie83]

Practice sitting on the floor in pike and pointing your toes so that your heels lift off the floor - you mustn't lean backwards or physically lift your legs, the only part that should be off the floor are your heels.
This will help you to feel how to straighten your legs.
Practice rebound jumps with straight legs, just pushing through your toes on the floor, springboard and tramp.
Bent legs in skills can be caused by an error in technique too which is difficult to diagnose without a video. There are a lot of reasons why you might bend your legs in a bhs due to a dodgy roundoff for example.
I have a gymnast with a similar problem and hers is down to technique which we are working on slowly!