Coaches Spotting front tucks

[Linsul]

I really hate spotting these, and have decided I need to learn a better way. I have some gymnasts who can do them standing, after a front handspring, and after a robhbt on the tumble track. I hesitate to take it to floor because of my personal dislike of spotting them, I always feel like a millimeter away from slapping them in the face! I'm going to put google to work, but any tried and true methods or videos would be appreciated.

 

[gymnut29]

I dont spot them for the same reason you said. I drill them to death then let them try on their own. Most of the first attempts land in a low squat or almost sitting on the ground which is a safe as a landing can be as long as their hands dont go back!

My progressions of sorts...some switch order somedays
Off tumbletrak into the foam pit
Off the other end of the tumble track in the resi pit
Off tumble trak into the resi but with a barrel in front to teach jump up instead of reaching down
Off a tramp board works the same for jumping up (we stack blocks behind the tramp board and the girls jump off the stack to the tramp board front tuck over a barrle and land on the resi)
From the floor into the resi pit
From the floor onto an 8" mat on top of the resi
From the floor onto an 8" mat on the floor
From the floor onto the floor! phew we made it!

I use similar progressions with front handspring front tucks.
One additional one we use is front handspring to dive roll or front tuck onto an increasing height mat, start with one 8" mat and slowly increase the number of mats to increase the height of the rebound required.

 

[tumblerK]

My coach refused to spot front tucks at all, even if it was our first try. And we didn't have a tumble track back then, so the longer it took you to learn to set in a punch front, the longer you had a sore butt. I actually liked that in the end though because when it came time for me to throw a FHS FT I wasn't afraid of landing on my butt because I had done that many many times before.

 

[ryantroop]

Not sure what's so hard about it.. lift from the hips.. if you drill the take off positions enough, you should have plenty of time to get your hands in and control take off, rotation, and potentially landing if you're really fast.

Just remember, once they leave the ground their direction and rotation are pretty much set. Help the lift, save the landing.

Personally, I don't spot fronts much myself. Unless they are dangerously low, they don't typically need it. If they are dangerously low, they skipped a progression step. Go back and fix that, not your spotting.

I also agree with the above poster - if you never fall, it's that much more shocking and scary when it happens in a meet, and causes so much more issues later on.

Some bumps and bruises are normal, in my opinion.


Edit:

I hope I didn't come off as too harsh. After re-reading it, I thought to myself "I just went to a more experienced coach to learn how to spot doubles.." And.. well, he kinda did say "what's so hard about it?"

But more importantly, he gave me a great tip - be pro-active, not re-active. Put yourself on the side of the gymnast, not in front or behind. Follow their center of gravity, and control the situation.

Hope that helps.

Good luck,

Ryan

 

[Linsul]

Oh good I'm glad I'm not crazy! I teach them into the pit from the tumble track, once their set is good I add a 4 inch mat to the pit to land, then we start doing standing ones, ro + bt, then robhbt, robhbt+punch front. Honestly I draw it out on the tumble track just to avoid floor spotting! Very great advice guys, thanks very much!

Edit- @ Ryan, nah it's all good, you didn't sound harsh! I've never spotted one that actually needed a spot because I do progress with it so much. By the time we go to floor the gymnast is pretty much begging to be there lol. It's my own nerves I guess. Should I have to step in for a spot if something random happens, it's worth a smack risk. I'd rather just feel more confident about it I guess! So far so good, no smacking, I just don't want it to happen lol. The past year I have switched from bars and vault to floor and beam, I never really conquered the front tuck spot so it was nagging at me. I'm glad to see that spotting them isn't really common or necessary as long as you draw out the progression and don't mind a sore butt!

 

[gymdog]

I spot them, because I don't have an ideal set up really. But in a tumble track and loose foam pit scenario, I think you can actually be pretty hands off with these.

Main problem is most kids learning them don't learn the takeoff correctly. I just don't turn them over until they show me a good approach, punch, and set ( i put my hands the way I would to spot. Then I spot it from standing. THEN we put it together. I don't usually have problems with that, but I don't think it's always an easy spot either.

How are you spotting it? I can't think of many ways, but the main problem with the "standard" kind of spot for this is bottom out on takeoff. Drill it with two springboards and make them keep their chest up (they won't be able to jump up otherwise).

 

[nevertooold]

I asked about spotting these earlier too, however that was b/c I was working in a camp situation in which I HAD to spot a lot of kids who weren't ready and there was no time for or expectation of progressions.

At our gym I do not spot these on floor and we do not have pits, so our progressions are:
-- off the slanted end of a double mini onto an 8 in mat with a pit foam mat on top with 2 spotters. (level 3, sometimes level 2)
-- spotting off the end of tumble trak onto same level landing mat. Pancake spot, close hand on belly, 2nd hand on back, lift and rotate. (level 4)
--spotting only the end of the skill off the trak. Close hand follows the gymnast and then lifts the back if necessary as the gymnast completes the skill. (level 4)
-- next gymnast works skill independently OFF the trak (level 4/5)
-- then on the trak with an old soft 4in mat (level 4/5)
-- then on the trak with a stiffer mat, has to punch the mat not the trak (level 4/5)
-- Then to the floor with a sting mat, 4 in mat, or we have some old kind of spongy, bouncy panel mats that work well for this. If the gymnast can stand it up on the trak w/ a stiff mat they can try the floor. Our rule is if the butt touches the ground or it's just plain scary the gymnast goes back to the trak for 5 more. (level 4/5)

For FHSFT I do not spot at all:
We do FHS bounder and FHS dive roll off the trak
Then FHSFT off the trak
the on the trak with 4 in mats
then on the floor
By the time they are doing this they have done enough FT to know to stay tucked on the first few attempts until they "know" where they are.

I don't agree with letting the kids fall very much on these b/c I am afraid they will straight leg one and it's easy enough to prevent that injury by sending them back a step if they aren't ready.

 

[Wally]

I spot them, because I don't have an ideal set up really. But in a tumble track and loose foam pit scenario, I think you can actually be pretty hands off with these.

Main problem is most kids learning them don't learn the takeoff correctly. I just don't turn them over until they show me a good approach, punch, and set ( i put my hands the way I would to spot. Then I spot it from standing. THEN we put it together. I don't usually have problems with that, but I don't think it's always an easy spot either.

How are you spotting it? I can't think of many ways, but the main problem with the "standard" kind of spot for this is bottom out on takeoff. Drill it with two springboards and make them keep their chest up (they won't be able to jump up otherwise).

Gymdog
Will you please explain your drill with 2 beatboards ?

 

[emacmommy]

Ah, here is the culprit to my shoulder pain whoa's. For this instance I am greatful to being short, only 4'10", so I usually don't have to lean my face over when an athlete doesn't set on these and get my face nearly taken off. They are right at my height.

I do drill, drill, drill, drill. Most of my developmental team kids have all learned them through progressions, but I have a performance squad who does mini tramp at community events and I almost always stand in for safety spotting and to keep the flow of a routine in case of a mishap, low salto or landing. It was in this situation that I did too much "saving" from a butt-ing and ouch... just enough of a pull that it's been 5 weeks of not quite all there range of motion.

As for how I spot...
I'm dominate righty (but I can switch hit this one, and have been lately).
I stand on the right side of the athlete, with my left arm closest to them as they approach me. I reach in with left hand on the punch set to about their middle/hips to help initiate rotation. A good incentive for them to use the overhead punch. My right hand is above my head getting ready to reach in to their shoulder blades for leverage lift and the last part of the rotation. In essence if they are underotating as they approach my right arm I can bump and then use my hand as a pivot/flip spot to get the "sit up" of a front. Usually they are high enough (either on their own or by my bump) so I can bring my right hand back around to catch for over rotation. If they still aren't high enough with my spot I usually have to let them butt it and make sure they don't slam their head into their knees or the like.

Usually, like I said, since I'm pretty small I can keep my right elbow close into my side to help brace or support the weight/leverage of being that extra bump, but a few performances ago it just didn't pan out that way... been irritating me ever since. Needless to say, those who don't have their fronts totally clean lately haven't been allowed to just "try them" during our performances. Also, we've been drilling A LOT lately. Next performance is next week!

 

[qdemaret]

they don't typically need it. If they are dangerously low, they skipped a progression step. Go back and fix that, not your spotting.
Ryan

I agree with that.

I'm also a trampolmine coach and I like spotting front trick on beginners because it really speed up the learning (Let's say I help the move and it guides the pupil to the good feelings).

But with gymnasts I feel a bit diffrent. Here we talk about safety, and this should be acquired with a progressive approach (with mini-trampoline, where you can guide them, then on the floor with the help of a vault-bouncer (sorry i don't know the translation for this)... finaly on the floor with only a small mat. If they have learned the move correctly with those helps, everything should be fine and easy. they don't need you, they just need your advices.

Hope this helps
Quentin