Clarification on Skill

[Shelovesthebars]

What is the difference between a standing whip back and a standing tuck? My 4 year old is doing what she calls a 'standing tuck' on a mat but her tumbling coach says it is a standing whip back. I know the coach is right but what is the difference?

 

[Mariainlv]

Ok prefaced by saying im not a coach, but my understanding is this:

A whip back is a lower version of a layout. A layout is higher, a whip is designed to be used in a tumbling pass to acheive more momentum.

A tuck is well a tuck. So if your dd is not tucking her knees to her chest but rather has her legs semi-straight, she is doing more of a whip.

Hope that helped.

 

[gymdog]

Most little kids can't standing tuck. They throw their head back (probably because it's heavy relative to their body...this is my only theory as to why this phenomenon holds so much) and arch their backs. This isn't correct technique for a whip back either, but looks a little like it. It's a whippy standing tuck. The legs are late coming over and the set doesn't rise (no hip rise).

 

[ZJsMom]

Lots of kid have a tendency to whip when they're learning at tuck. They throw their heads back and then tuck. A whip back is a back handspring with no hands. In a tuck, the head should stay neutral and they set (i.e., go up) then tuck and flip. I hope that makes sense.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

What is the difference between a standing whip back and a standing tuck? My 4 year old is doing what she calls a 'standing tuck' on a mat but her tumbling coach says it is a standing whip back. I know the coach is right but what is the difference?

WHOAH, WHAT?!?

Saltos at 4? Holy monkey.

 

[gymdog]

WHOAH, WHAT?!?

Saltos at 4? Holy monkey.

It's pretty unusual but some kids with good core strength and coordination/awareness can get it over. But in my experience, even when the kid is very strong and powerful for their size, it is difficult not to whip back because of how they are still built. I have had small kids who still have that trouble even around 7-8 and with tons of instruction (who are very coordinated otherwise). Of course a lot of people learning tucks will whip back, I just tend to find it a lot easier to correct at older ages. Though if they have good awareness they will probably grow out of it, especially if it's just standing and they aren't chucking it out of running tumbling.

Edit: however from a coaching standpoint, there is an issue with growth plates at this age, so I am not advocating teaching this or anything. I would discourage a 4 year old from doing anything like that on a harder surface (and I'd consider the gymnastic floor relatively hard).

 

[Shelovesthebars]

This was the first time that she did these on a mat. With the little ones, the tumbling is done on the tumbletrak 99.9% of the time. She just had one of those days that she was using a mat for her round off 2 backhandsprings and told the coach that she could do her 'standing tuck' on the mat too. The coach let her try and was freaked/amazed that she would/could do them on the mat. Imagine my suprise when I looked up and saw her doing these. She has so much power and had no trouble landing these. I doubt she will be allowed to do these on a mat on a regular basis. Our coaches are conservative, especially with the young ones.

 

[Aussie_coach]

A good way to understand it is that a standing whip back is like a back handspring with not hands.

A standing back tuck is where they jump up and tuck into a ball to flip over.