Split Leaps / Split Changes

[Jamie]

Hi All,

Haven't posted in a while, hope you are all well.

I'm just wondering does anyone have some good tips or drills for getting the back leg / foot up in split leaps & split changes. Some of the girls are flexible and some have worked hard at theirs but none of them can get the back leg high enough to the angle they need for their upcoming competitions.

Any ideas & suggestions welcome.

 

[coachmolly]

I'm terrible with dance things, so I'm sure someone else will be able to provide better suggestions, but a few things I do:
Leaps up onto a block/panel mat
Leaps over top of a block/panel mat (try to keep back leg from hitting)
Face forward (can use a beam/wall for balance but not to hold onto) and practice lifting the back leg as high as they can while keeping their hips in line

 

[mwmbs]

Great question!
we have our gymnasts leap from one knee ( if they leap right they have their left knee up and push off to swing their right leg through and have to push as hard as they can to land in a big arabesque)
Also we set up preschool cones and have them leap over the top holding up their back leg
that seems to work pretty good... good luck!

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

We used to do TONS of kicks each way, which I thought helped, and lots of repetitions on leaps. Working split jumps helps too, on tramp and on floor/beam. Just TONS...I hated it, but now I've got those 180 degrees.

 

[Ingymmom]

Kicks to work on active flex with and without bands - forward, side, arabesque, ring. Passive flex splits on the wall, and work on pulling leg away from the wall - again all directions. Split jumps with bands on the tumbletrack. Switch jumps with bands on tumble track. Split leaps on fx with bands. Switch leaps with bands on floor.

Hi All,

Haven't posted in a while, hope you are all well.

I'm just wondering does anyone have some good tips or drills for getting the back leg / foot up in split leaps & split changes. Some of the girls are flexible and some have worked hard at theirs but none of them can get the back leg high enough to the angle they need for their upcoming competitions.

Any ideas & suggestions welcome.

 

[Jamie]

Thanks all, will give these a try tonight in training and let you know how I get on.

Any other wonderful suggestions are welcome!

 

[marie83]

Our older (9+ girls) have floor complex that starts like this

Step Step Kick to front x6 along floor in lines (Right leg going one way, left leg on way back)
Step Step Kick to side x6 as above
Step Step Kick to back (needle scale) as above
Chasse split leap step split leap step split leap on good and bad leg
Sissone immediate sissone immediate sissone changing legs each time (Unfortunately we only have time to do this once a week, if that at the moment, with competitions coming up, but in the summer we'll do it every session!)

When the girls become competent we also begin to add ankle weights (very light ones, but they still make a difference)

The younger girls (6-8) Just do kicks holding onto the beam - We would do it at a ballet barre if we had one!

We also do a number of split jumps and change leg jumps on the tramp - My gymnasts aged 9-12 do them in sets of 30 - their focus is always to get their back leg as high as their front.

Also Split jumps trying to kick a target with the front and back leg - this could be a partner's arm or one of those swimming noodle things! Much softer!

Not all of my gymnasts can hit 180 yet - they are getting there so I think a lot of it is practice and patience. I'm sure being able to do decent splits helps but it isn't necessary!

 

[peace.love.gymnast]

I have also found that doing lots of leaps on both legs as well as split jumps on both legs with ankle weights or bands really helps.