Cross training: artistic and T&T

[All Chalked Up]

A couple years ago I was asked to transition over to our T&T program from artistic. I ultimately decided not to, but I go to open gym and play around on tramp & have very solid basics (hardest skill on tramp would be back tuck; however I'm capable of doing more if I put more time into it).

I have also heard that it is not as hard on your back & knees which is great for me since I have injuries on those body parts.

What benefits would trampoline & tumbling have on my artistic gymnastics? Would it be worth doing roughly 2-3 hrs of T&T to supplement 12+ hrs a week of artistic? I would possibly compete T&T a few times for fun if it does not conflict with artistic.

Thanks for any advice

 

[MVJ]

There was a gymnast in a gym I once trained at who did 18 hours artistic and 6-8 hours of T&T each week and competed in both. I would say go for it! It'll improve your tumbling and air sense.

And yes, tramp isn't as hard on your joints. Another gymnast I know of transferred to T&T from artistic because of stress fractures and is doing great.

 

[twisting007bigflip]

My 9 year old is an advanced power tumbler and competed level 5 artistic this past season. She does 9 hours a week and shares her training time (about 7 hours if artistic and 2 hours tumbling) Our club doesn't compete trampoline or double mini..

My daughter excels in both tumbling and gymnastics, but to be honest, it's getting harder for her to move forward in gymnastics while also trying to maintain and improve her tumbling skills. Like, it's going to be hard for her to stay competitive without adding hours to gymnastics and to tumbling...next season she is "supposed" to test out of compulsories and start competing optional gymnastics (a level where everyone is obviously working out more than 7 hours a week)

Basically what I'm saying is that it depends on what your competitive goals are. If your goal is to practice more tumbling for your gymnastics, that would be different than training to learn competition passes and competing and trying to keep up with your gymnastics schedule and stay competitive in that arena as well.

 

[CoachGoofy]

Trampoline is pretty hard on your back, actually, unless you have flawless bounce technique (I am not exaggerating when I saw flawless, either). You have to hold your core at all times and such.

Our form on a few things is a bit different...we press out of our jumps in T&T (slide arms in, hold to sides), kick out of our saltos at vertical (again with hands to sides), but if you can switch between, say, an artistic straddle & a T&T straddle, the cross training is good. The air sense is valuable, I think, to all athletes, & no one has better air sense than a high level trampolinist.

And no one has better backhandsprings than a power tumbler, IMHO. Or whips. T&T doesn't front tumble, like, at all, but if you need to work back tumbling? We're the sport for you.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

agreed. it's just as hard on your back and knees. it's relative.

 

[bogwoppit]

My daughter was transitioning to T&T after she had to give up WAG due to her back issues. She complained of pain and so we saw the specialist, he told her top stop immediately as tramp is very hard on the back and even now, after spinal fusion, she has to limit her time on the tramp. It is definitely not easier on your body.

 

[All Chalked Up]

Thanks for the input. Might do a couple hours during the summer to improve my back tumbling.

However I'll probably limit my trampoline time to save my back!

 

[Turgidson]

I see you are Canadian, so not everything I say will apply to you. I also cannot tell whether you are male of female. I'm one of those odd folks who has moved from coaching and judging in the boy's program to coaching T&T. Actually, that would just be T... we don't do much with the tumbling. I've been looking over the other comments, and I agree with most of what I see. For those training and competing in T&T, the bounce is very different... It's not your backyard bounce, and most artistic kids get away with one that is less than optimal. For someone coming from artistic, the bounce feels unnaturally straight and upright. All your vertebrae are stacked like cans of soup, and there is no natural tension back or front. But you do keep it tight with all your core muscles, and at the high levels, even breath control and hydrostatics come into play. (Did you listen to trampoline at the Olympics, and hear the athletes exhale at the top of each skill?) Doing it well feels very different.

The boy's program at USA Gymnastics has embraced trampoline as a component of the "future stars" program. They have the kids work trampoline routines at various levels. The cruise twisting technique with arms locked down is emphasized... wouldn't you know it, but that motion is the middle of a double double stretched.

I still judge in the boys program, and I have to say that the few perfect scores I have given have gone to future stars kids. When I see a double on floor, rings or high bar kicks out like you see on trampoline, as a judge, I reward that.

Paul

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

I just wanted to add my 2 cents here. My dd competes in both artistic and t&t. She trains 25 hours per week artistic and 3 hours per week t&t. There hasn't been any problems switching back and forth so far, but a wise coach once told me that eventually she will need to choose between the 2 as the level of difficulty increases.

Right now she is CPN Aspire and level 1 Tramp and Double Mini and Level 2 tumbling.