Roundoffs

[ivyagogo]

I have a few kids who don't get much push out of their roundoffs and usually land with one arm up and one still on the ground. I started doing a drill with a folded mat lengthwise that they need to roundoff over and that has helped a bit. What else can I do to help these girls out? My gym is only a rec gym, so these kids are only with me for an hour a week.

 

[gymgurl]

Some drills I do with our level threes - their round offs are hideous for the most part include, round off down hill so set up 3 little boxes in a row (you know the type you use to mount the beam/start on for kip on bars kinda size) with a little beam mat on the floor after it so they know where to land and they can focus on the snap down and shoulders up, another thing we do are Korbuts where we do a handstand on a spring board and snap down, to get the end shape of the round off. some handstand pops probably wouldn't go astray either, seems like they aren't blocking at all.

 

[CoachGoofy]

Looooots of snapdowns. All the snapdown drills in the world.

We do lots and lots of snapdowns, cartwheel pops, cartwheel stepins, cartwheel stepins/pops reaching over things, etc. If they aren't reaching far enough or kicking hard enough it's going to be an icky cartwheel pikedown thing and...and...well yeah you've seen it.

 

[iwannacoach]

You could look up past threads, and get from them a few impressions.....

A. Good round-offs are about as easy to teach as double backs.....

B. Everybody has their own ideas about how to teach them and what to emphasize.....

My short answer is to teach them to start their cartwheels and round-offs by first losing their balance, and actually "falling" into the skill. This helps them build up some energy that can be used to create enough "impact" with the floor, which in turn creates the push-off during the snap-down that helps them stand up.

Another thought is to coach them to maintaing the strongest body positions possible while moving onto and off of their hands. The straighter their line are through their shoulders and core, the better.

Teach them to create the turn for cartwheels and round-offs by kicking the back leg with as much force/speed as possible, and that the skill starts like a front handspring until the back kick leg pulls their hips into the turn. Considering that last thought, doesn't it seem that most kids think the turn for a round-off starts at the top of their body (hands and arms), but IMO there is no energy in the arms since they're not anchored to the floor in the same context that the feet are.

My feeling is that the feet support the skill until the placement of the first hand, and since the turn needs to be well intiated prior to the first hand's contact, it's up to the feet and legs to create the turn. That leaves the body free to create a strong body line for the push-off.

Oh well! Like I said earlier.......We all have our own opinions and methods, some work, some don't, and some just confuse everyone but the person they originate from.....

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I'd have to see it to be sure, but I'd wager a fair amount that the problem is occurring before their hands even contact the floor.

Look at the entry. They should be hitting a very deep lunge and pushing very aggressively through the legs to initiate the skill.

 

[ivyagogo]

Thanks all - I am in total agreement with everything you all said especially Geoffrey. I always tell them to take a deep lunge and push hard with the legs. I need to drill that more. Some of my girls have great roundoffs. Others, I can't even get them to do a decent hurdle. How is it that there are 10 year olds who don't know how to skip?

I never had any real instruction as a child. I taught myself everything I can do including roundoffs, back handsprings, back tucks, kips, etc. It boggles my mind how difficult it is for some of these kids to do basic things like roundoffs (or even pullovers). However, knowing how really important they are, I want them to have good form and be powerful. It's so hard when I don't have them every day to work with.