New Here With Tumbling Questions

[Bellarenee]

Hello all! I am momma to a cheer girlie who is 8, and this season coming up will be her 4th year of cheer. She started as a Mini 1, then went to a J2 (only because it was a very small cheer gym), and last year went to a new gym where she was Y2 which is a great fit for her. She will be a Y2 again this year as well.
I have a tumbling question regarding back tucks. My daughter's gym will only let her set back tucks if she can do standing 5 BH. So some practices they will let her set if she can do standing 5 that day but if she can't then she is not allowed to set and work on back tucks. My question is standing 5 commonplace in most gyms before working back tucks? Is it normal to be able to do standing 5 at one practice but not the next? She is confused that sometimes she can work them and sometimes not. Oh and I am talking about RO BH BT. She can do a standing back tuck but doesn't always land it perfectly.
To further muddy the waters, she takes one tumbling class at a different (gymnastics) gym where she can work on her back tucks because they don't have a standing 5 requirement. So a couple weeks ago, she threw her RO BH BT on the mat with a spotter for the first time. So I know she can do it and she knows she can do it but her cheer gym won't let her work it. About half her team is getting their back tucks just recently and she feels badly that she is not allowed to work it sometimes.
What does she need to do to consistently nail her standing 5? I think for her it's a fear thing not a strength thing because she can do it sometimes.
Advice? Comments?

 

[Cheer Dad]

I'm glad @tumbleyoda doesn't charge us by the number of times we tag him, lol.

As frustrating as it may seem every gym has different requirements for when to advance a tumbler on to the next skill. This is one reason why some gyms prefer kids not take tumbling from different places at once. With that said, sometimes changing instructors can help with blocks or learning skills a kid is struggling with

Yes it is common for kids to be inconsistent on throwing skills until they have enough repetitions for the muscle memory to take over. All you yourself can really do it just encourage her, praise her, and remind her that all kids progress differently.


**AS Cheer is the The Hotel California of sports**

 

[Bellarenee]

I'm glad @tumbleyoda doesn't charge us by the number of times we tag him, lol.

As frustrating as it may seem every gym has different requirements for when to advance a tumbler on to the next skill. This is one reason why some gyms prefer kids not take tumbling from different places at once. With that said, sometimes changing instructors can help with blocks or learning skills a kid is struggling with

Yes it is common for kids to be inconsistent on throwing skills until they have enough repetitions for the muscle memory to take over. All you yourself can really do it just encourage her, praise her, and remind her that all kids progress differently.


**AS Cheer is the The Hotel California of sports**

Thank you so much for responding! I greatly appreciate it!

 

[WinstonsGirl]

I've heard many coaches/gyms ask for multiple BHS before teaching tucks (3, 4, 5, depending on the coach/gym). The reasoning behind it (I believe) is that you should be increasing your power with each BHS, getting faster and more powerful from 1 to 5. This progression shows that you can generate power from the BHS, which will make learning tucks much easier.

It's not uncommon for inconsistencies in tumbling until you have a truly have a skill with good technique. The skills I have been working for years are now ones that I can throw in any situation (tired, end of routine, not a perfect set, etc.) whereas my skills that are trained more inconsistently are also not always landed well when I do pull them. Keep encouraging her, whatever skill she is working on. No pressure to get them

 

[Bellarenee]

I've heard many coaches/gyms ask for multiple BHS before teaching tucks (3, 4, 5, depending on the coach/gym). The reasoning behind it (I believe) is that you should be increasing your power with each BHS, getting faster and more powerful from 1 to 5. This progression shows that you can generate power from the BHS, which will make learning tucks much easier.

It's not uncommon for inconsistencies in tumbling until you have a truly have a skill with good technique. The skills I have been working for years are now ones that I can throw in any situation (tired, end of routine, not a perfect set, etc.) whereas my skills that are trained more inconsistently are also not always landed well when I do pull them. Keep encouraging her, whatever skill she is working on. No pressure to get them

This makes sense! It's just she's more afraid to throw 5 standing BH than she is to do RO BH BT. Makes no sense to me if she can do a spotted RO BH BT, does she truly need standing 5 to practice it?

 

[cheer25mom]

CP is working tucks. Her private lesson coach makes her throw standing series at the beginning of every lesson. If she can't do 3 sets of standing series BHS in a row with good technique and a rebound she could tuck out of, she does standing BHS series drills for at least half the lesson. Generating power from the BHS, having them build in power and speed rather than slow down, is essential for tucks done with proper technique. CP can chuck a spotted RO BHS tuck, but the technique is not there. She throws her head back rather than working the proper set, and that can be very dangerous. Her knee pull is not aggressive enough and she sometimes gets loose in the air if she feels like there is a problem. All of these things mean she isn't ready to throw them with a spot. Not all coaches will recognize these things as being a problem. When CP tumbled at a gymnastics gym, they would let her try things she was in no way ready for because she was "just a cheerleader" and they didn't worry about drilling proper technique with her in the same way they did gymnasts. Just because a kid can get a skill over doesn't mean the technique is up to standard or even safe.

A standing tuck is VERY different from a running tuck. Sounds to me like her BHS technique still needs some work, and they don't want her to push ahead to the tuck without fixing it. The further you carry a skill down the progression, the harder it becomes to fix a technique problem. CP has spent a full year perfecting BHS technique before even starting tuck work, and frankly she needed to. I am glad her coach stuck to his guns and got her to a QUALITY BHS before starting tucks.


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[Bellarenee]

CP is working tucks. Her private lesson coach makes her throw standing series at the beginning of every lesson. If she can't do 3 sets of standing series BHS in a row with good technique and a rebound she could tuck out of, she does standing BHS series drills for at least half the lesson. Generating power from the BHS, having them build in power and speed rather than slow down, is essential for tucks done with proper technique. CP can chuck a spotted RO BHS tuck, but the technique is not there. She throws her head back rather than working the proper set, and that can be very dangerous. Her knee pull is not aggressive enough and she sometimes gets loose in the air if she feels like there is a problem. All of these things mean she isn't ready to throw them with a spot. Not all coaches will recognize these things as being a problem. When CP tumbled at a gymnastics gym, they would let her try things she was in no way ready for because she was "just a cheerleader" and they didn't worry about drilling proper technique with her in the same way they did gymnasts. Just because a kid can get a skill over doesn't mean the technique is up to standard or even safe.

A standing tuck is VERY different from a running tuck. Sounds to me like her BHS technique still needs some work, and they don't want her to push ahead to the tuck without fixing it. The further you carry a skill down the progression, the harder it becomes to fix a technique problem. CP has spent a full year perfecting BHS technique before even starting tuck work, and frankly she needed to. I am glad her coach stuck to his guns and got her to a QUALITY BHS before starting tucks.


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You really spoke to me! Thank you so much. Everything you said makes perfect sense. Anything I can do to help with her BH progression? It's so hard sometimes to know what to do and what to tell her. It's tough when half her team is getting their back tuck and she can't even set it. I know she's 8 and has plenty of time.

 

[BlockHead]

You really spoke to me! Thank you so much. Everything you said makes perfect sense. Anything I can do to help with her BH progression? It's so hard sometimes to know what to do and what to tell her. It's tough when half her team is getting their back tuck and she can't even set it. I know she's 8 and has plenty of time.

No advice. But just wanted to say it will happen when it happens. Don't rush it. Like you said, she is only 8 years old. She has quite a few years left ahead of her in cheer.

 

[Bellarenee]

No advice. But just wanted to say it will happen when it happens. Don't rush it. Like you said, she is only 8 years old. She has quite a few years left ahead of her in cheer.

You're so right! Thank you!

 

[Rayna]

I loved reading through this thread. I am an athlete as well as a tumbling coach and I think it is extremely important to have a strong ability to do a proper standing series before moving forward. My personal requirement for starting on RO HS BT is having a technically strong RO BHx3 and a strong standing BHx2 with a punch before even starting BT drills. I'm glad to hear others are strict on requirements like that. It is important to promote proper technique and CONSISTENCY before allowing for the next step. This helps avoid things like "mental blocks" or "losing skills" in the future and creates a strong sense of body awareness, self discipline and determination in the athlete! I hope she achieves that strong standing 5 series so she can prove to her coach she is ready!

 

[Michael White]

Everyone is different. I, as much as I hate it, progressed more rapidly than my technique. For me, it was easier to get the skill, and then correct the technique. I've done that with every skill I possess. I'd say if you trust the coaches, follow their judgement.

 

[Official OWECheer]

**AS Cheer is the The Hotel California of sports**

This is by far your most epic signature.

 

[Cheer Dad]

This is by far your most epic signature.

Yup, you can check out any time you like but you can never leave.


**AS Cheer is the The Hotel California of sports**

 

[Official OWECheer]

Yup, you can check out any time you like but you can never leave.


**AS Cheer is the The Hotel California of sports**

Tweet that. Please.

 

[cheer25mom]

You really spoke to me! Thank you so much. Everything you said makes perfect sense. Anything I can do to help with her BH progression? It's so hard sometimes to know what to do and what to tell her. It's tough when half her team is getting their back tuck and she can't even set it. I know she's 8 and has plenty of time.

You are right she has plenty of time. We work off a better right than fast mentality, and I really think it helps prevent mental blocks and skill loss. The only thing you can really do is encourage her to trust her coaches and trust the process they are using. Assure her that there IS a reason for the way they do things and that they want what is best for her, solid skills before moving on.

ETA: I think it might also be helpful to encourage hear NOT to compare her progression to others.

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