Mary Wenstrom

Tumbling Skill Progressions

Rolls Skill
Log Roll Egg Roll Straddle Roll Shoulder Rolls
From knees From one knee and one straddle leg From straddle legs From straight legs

Key Words
Body straight and tight. Arms stretched overhead. Arms around tucked legs. Roll onto one shoulder, onto back, other shoulder, and up. Legs in straddle position. Arms grab leg as close to ankle as possible. Shoulder, back, shoulder, up. Each roll should turn the body 180 degrees. Put on arm out to the side. Peek-a-boo. Bring same arm, with hand facing upward, across body as if covering eyes. Roll down onto shoulder of arm crossing body. Return to original position after roll. From push up position. Hands straight ahead. 3 little jumps and over. Tuck head. Look at knees. Legs extended until hips hit mat, then tucked. Look ahead as you come around. Lean forward. Dont paddle push the floor. Reach out as you put hands down. Dive over a mat to get horizontal distance.

Forward Roll
Little Jumps Completed Skill

Dive Roll
One Step and Roll Two Steps and Roll Short Run and Roll

Back Shoulder Roll

Backward Roll

Lay on floor on back in a T position, hands straight out to the side. Bring legs up over one shoulder until knees touch. Transfer body weight to knees. Roll over shoulder, not head. (Not shown) Thumbs in ears. Hands facing ceiling. Elbows tight

On Cheese Mat Completed skill on floor

Back Extension Straight Arm Back Extension Roll

Elbows tight. Hug knees with elbows. Roll back. Push off with hands when they touch mat. Maintain hollow in front of body. Bring arms and hands up into moose ears. For those having trouble with hand placement, have them first roll up the cheese mat to get the feel for where the hands should be. Start on cheese mat again. Push straight up into handstand when hands touch mat. Keep hollow position. Straight-arm skill. Arms start above head, hands hyper extended, fingers pointing at one another. When body reaches upside down position with arms fully extended, arms rotate 90 degrees so that hands and fingers are pointing straight ahead.

Upside Down
Handstand
Leg Kicks
Bend over. Put hands on floor, shoulder width apart, with thumbs pointing at each other, fingers spread apart and straight ahead. Lift one leg up, bring down. Do the same with the other leg. From same position lift one leg up into the air, then the other leg. Land on first leg, and then bring other leg down. Power comes from the leg on the ground which should punch up from a point directly under chest. Same as Up, Up, Down, Down but with a chance to stop for a second in the upside down position (supported by a wall) in between bringing the legs up and letting them down. Fingers pointing ahead, thumbs facing each other. Fingertips and heel of hand are in contact with ground. Arms locked out directly under shoulders

Handstand
Up, Up, Down, Down

Handstand
Up, Up, Down, Down Against Wall or Mats

Handstand
Handstand with spotter

Handstand Roll

and next to ears. Head in neutral, looking straight ahead and not at floor. Whole body is tight and pushing up. Stomach in, butt tight, legs tight, toes pointed. No sags in body. To check tightness have spotter grab legs and push down. Body should stay rigid and not collapse. Hands and fingers start out pointing straight ahead in normal handstand position. As center of gravity moves past hands arms pronate and fingers point toward each other. The tumbler then tucks head, lands on shoulders, pikes body, and rolls onto feet while keeping arms out in front. Keep arms straight throughout skill.

Cartwheels
Side to Side
Jump at Mats
Set up train of 6-inch mats. Place both hands on the mat with both feet on one side. 1. Jump onto mat with both feet, then off the other side with both feet. Work down the length of the mats moving side to side. 2. Work down the length of the mats, jumping over the mats, tow feet to two feet. 3. Work down the length of the mats, jumping over the mats, one foot to the other foot, alternating feet as you move side to side. This drill will help improve laterality. Each person has own 6 inch mat. Face forward. Place hands facing backwards on end of mat. Run to other side of mat and face forward again. Place hands backwards on mat and jump over to the other side. Get feet a little higher each time until student is doing a cartwheel over the mat.

Side to Side
Run Around Mats

Side to Side
Jump Over Mats

Side to Side
Completed Skill on Floor

Front to Front

Front to Back One Handed Near Arm One Handed Far Arm

Punch Away Cartwheel Dive Cartwheel Aerial Cartwheel

Make sure that the hands are facing backward. Arms, body, hips, and legs are in line throughout skill. Start facing forward and end facing forward. The key is the placement of the hips. Hips start facing forward, move into sideways position in line with the rest of the body for the cartwheel, and then return to a front facing position on completion of the cartwheel. Hips facing forward to start, sideways through cartwheel, and end facing back the other way. Only first arm placed is used for support. If student pushes off with right foot, then right arm is placed on floor for support. Left arm stays next to body. Only arm normally placed second is used for support. If student pushes off with right foot, then left arm is placed on floor for support. Right arm stays next to body. Both near and far arm cartwheels can be done using the mat as in the side-to-side progression. A front to back cartwheel with flight off the hands. Push off and out with legs to create a little airtime. Use Reuther board as take off. As the student progresses have the student push a little harder so that less and less support is given by the arms in the upside down position. The ability to do the splits is almost a necessity for this skill.

Handsprings
Front Handspring
Quick Kick, Kick Up
Form triangle with hands and one foot. Have partner hold other leg at his or her waist level.

Front Handspring
Handstand Into Pit

Snap leg on the floor up to the other leg to develop strength and get the feel of the quick snap. Look at knees. Handstand and over into pit. Quick kick and over into pit. Back flop on mat from handstand. Lead with heels. Keep body straight. Should be one sound as you hit. Use rhythm sounds to get the second leg snapping up to the first. 1,2. Hands, legkick. First leg goes to 12 oclock. Second leg snaps up to it and they both go over. Use mats to build up area where hands are placed if someone is having trouble getting all the way around. Slide backwards off of 2 big mats with hands on floor. Walkover. Legs together. With partner. Keep toes on floor to help generate power. 1. Fall 2. Fall, Bend. 3. Fall, Bend, Jump, trying to jump onto partners toes. Spotter on each side standing on ground. Start with hollow in front of body. Keep arms reaching back for mat. No acute angles. For those needing help with momentum, have them start with arms straight out in front. Another method to try. Student may have more success because of taking off of a firmer surface. Lay a 6-inch mat on pit surface for landing mat. (Not shown). With spotter (See Round Off/Back Handspring). Without spotter. Put hands down on line and run around the hands.

Front Handspring
Pancake

Front Handspring
Handspring Into Pit

Back Handspring
Slide Off Mat

Back Handspring
Fall, Bend, Jump

Back Handspring
On Big Mat

Back Handspring
Into Pit

Back Handspring
Completed Skill on Floor

Round Off
Hand Placement

Round Off
Over Mats

First hand faces sideways as in a cartwheel. Second hand is facing back, at right angles to first hand (pointing in the direction from which the tumbler is coming). The tumbler does bigger and bigger jumps as he or she continues to run around his/her hands. Like Cartwheel progression. Push off with hands. From kneeling position. This drill isolates the power position ad enables the tumbler to develop a feel for properly pushing out of this position. Everything on a straight line-feet running, hands when placed. Feet straddle line when landing. Maintain hollow position. Hands up to moose ears. Second leg kicks up to first leg. 1. Step-hop (or skip), step, place hands. 2. Step, step, step, step-hop (or skip), step, place hands. Fall onto mat to get the feeling of falling backwards into a handspring. With spotter and then with out. Back handspring walkout from sitting position.

Round Off
On Mats

Round Off
Completed Skill

Round Off
Completed Skill with Hop Step

Round Off With Back Handspring Round Off/Fall Back Valdez

Sommies
Front Sommie
Dive Roll
1. Onto mats laid in pit. Tuck Head. 2. Without hands. Hands reach forward, then pull down like milking a cow and continue swinging back and up, ending with arms pointing straight back and hands facing up. 1. Jump up off two feet when hands swing up behind body. 2. Run, hop to two feet, jump up, run forward out of jump. 3. Add a little circle with arms to get hands in position to milk cow.

Front Sommie
Jump

Front Sommie
Dive Roll With Jump

Front Sommie
Completed Skill

Back Sommie

4. Time with hop step. Tuck head Look at Knees Chase feet to seat Tuck and land on feet. Chest to knees Heels to butt Knees to Chest Arms begin skill straight overhead and create an imaginary hoop which legs try to snap up to and through.