Back Tuck Advice

[5monkeysjumping]

My daughter (age 8) is working on her back tuck. She is really stuck in a bad habit right now, and she's struggling to fix it. She keeps throwing her head and she's also opening up from her tuck position too soon. Any tips or tricks for her to help her remember to keep her head straight and to stop kicking out too early?
Thanks!

 

[Quotation]

My daughter (age 8) is working on her back tuck. She is really stuck in a bad habit right now, and she's struggling to fix it. She keeps throwing her head and she's also opening up from her tuck position too soon. Any tips or tricks for her to help her remember to keep her head straight and to stop kicking out too early?
Thanks!

It seems to me like her throwing her head back is causing her to open up early, because she's most likely spotting the ground too early, and thinking she's made it all the way around. in order to fix her throwing her head back, I would tell her to find a point on the wall in front of her that she needs to make eye contact with before she tucks. This will make sure that her head is in a neutral position during the set. if that doesn't work, she could try holding a small block of foam or something similar with her chin while she tumbles.

Throwing her head back is most likely coming from a fear of not getting around fast enough, so make sure that she is initiating the rotation with her toes and butt, not with her head or knees.

Before you do any of this, or suggest any of it to her, have a talk with her coach about your concerns. They will most likely have already noticed the problem and are working to address it. If they are not addressing it, consider switching coaches, as throwing your head back during tumbling can be dangerous.

 

[5monkeysjumping]

Her coaches are working with her, but it really seems to just be in her head. They do drills and sets and she's fine. As soon as she throws the tuck, head goes back. Back to drills and sets - fine. Tuck - head back. She doesn't really know she's doing it. I have to show her video to prove it to her, because she insists it's not happening. I'm trying to figure out how to help her get it in her head to remember not to throw it back. She just can't seem to think and tuck at the same time...

 

[cheer25mom]

It's a process. It can take a year to get past those bad habits. The throwing back and opening early, at least for CP was confidence in the skill. She did the same thing, good drill bad tuck. She was looking for the ground as soon as she was in the air. It causes a poor knee pull and early open because it causes the back to arch. It took time and drills to get past it. Lots of tucks into a resi mat.


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