High School What Tumbling Equipment Would You Need If...

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WTH? That is so stupid.

It was my senior year (I didn't cheer that year) so I knew a lot of the girls on the team and they didn't really care because they got to go to UCA nationals in Florida that year instead haha. They now do both (regionals/state and national qualifier/nationals), and to the best of my knowledge they will continue to do both so it actually worked out really well for them! Our dance team started going to UCA nationals two years ago (I think) as well. Which was odd as they were an NDA squad even after our cheer team switched to UCA so I'm not sure when/why they switched brands.


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It was my senior year (I didn't cheer that year) so I knew a lot of the girls on the team and they didn't really care because they got to go to UCA nationals in Florida that year instead haha. They now do both (regionals/state and national qualifier/nationals), and to the best of my knowledge they will continue to do both so it actually worked out really well for them! Our dance team started going to UCA nationals two years ago (I think) as well. Which was odd as they were an NDA squad even after our cheer team switched to UCA so I'm not sure when/why they switched brands.


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That's cool!
 
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Are you sure its not just panel? That's what we've always called them! Sounds like piano a little, so didn't know if it was called something different or heard wrong.
 
We have a full floor, 2 wedges (1 big, 1 small), 3 large crash pits that our track team doesn't use anymore, a couple of panel mats. We raised and bought it all ourselves with the exception of the pits. We get by. If I could buy more I would get more panel mats. I hate pac-mans and I'm torn on my opinion of boulders, so I'm not sure if I would buy one or not if we had extra money laying around.
 
Are you sure its not just panel? That's what we've always called them! Sounds like piano a little, so didn't know if it was called something different or heard wrong.
Honestly I have no idea hahha I think we've called them both


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I wouldn't feel comfortable having kids tumble if I weren't certified to teach or spot it. Not only that, but a kid might learn a technically incorrect tumbling skill, and I wouldn't be able to fix. Maybe that's just me. I like to micromanage.
I am a very knowledgable coach of a middle school and my team functions the same way that @omgitssydthekid's did. My tumblers learn their skills at gymnastics or in all star tumbling classes. I have a couple of reasons for doing it that way:
1. I don't like to do heavy spots. I'll do a baby spot if I know you have it, but chucking a kid over to teach them the skill doesn't help. I prefer drills, barrels, tumbling tracks, then moving skills to the floor, but we don't have that equipment.
2. Middle school kids think they're a lot closer to skills than they actually are. I've had kids tell me "I totally threw my tuck at gymnastics yesterday. Can you spot me?" Then they throw a tuck of death and we both almost lose our lives. If I won't spot them, they think twice about the skills they believe they have.
3. We really don't have enough time to tumble. If my kids want to be featured in the routine, or even make the team, they know to learn tumbling skills outside of practice. I need to focus all of my practice time on stunting and the routine.
 
I am a very knowledgable coach of a middle school and my team functions the same way that @omgitssydthekid's did. My tumblers learn their skills at gymnastics or in all star tumbling classes. I have a couple of reasons for doing it that way:
1. I don't like to do heavy spots. I'll do a baby spot if I know you have it, but chucking a kid over to teach them the skill doesn't help. I prefer drills, barrels, tumbling tracks, then moving skills to the floor, but we don't have that equipment.
2. Middle school kids think they're a lot closer to skills than they actually are. I've had kids tell me "I totally threw my tuck at gymnastics yesterday. Can you spot me?" Then they throw a tuck of death and we both almost lose our lives. If I won't spot them, they think twice about the skills they believe they have.
3. We really don't have enough time to tumble. If my kids want to be featured in the routine, or even make the team, they know to learn tumbling skills outside of practice. I need to focus all of my practice time on stunting and the routine.
Do you guys work on tumbling drills during practice (at least the ones that are possible without extra equipment), or just at tumbling class?
 
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I am a very knowledgable coach of a middle school and my team functions the same way that @omgitssydthekid's did. My tumblers learn their skills at gymnastics or in all star tumbling classes. I have a couple of reasons for doing it that way:
1. I don't like to do heavy spots. I'll do a baby spot if I know you have it, but chucking a kid over to teach them the skill doesn't help. I prefer drills, barrels, tumbling tracks, then moving skills to the floor, but we don't have that equipment.
2. Middle school kids think they're a lot closer to skills than they actually are. I've had kids tell me "I totally threw my tuck at gymnastics yesterday. Can you spot me?" Then they throw a tuck of death and we both almost lose our lives. If I won't spot them, they think twice about the skills they believe they have.
3. We really don't have enough time to tumble. If my kids want to be featured in the routine, or even make the team, they know to learn tumbling skills outside of practice. I need to focus all of my practice time on stunting and the routine.
Yea, my HS was similar. Our coaches were all qualified, but they would only do light spotting if you were close to getting a skill. And that was only done before or after practice, or during water breaks. We never had specific practice time to work on tumbling, you were expected to work on it outside of school cheer. There was a little more time for that during our spring open gyms, but not during comp season. We didn't have any tumbling equipment, just the standard full set of mats.
 
Do you guys work on tumbling drills during practice (at least the ones that are possible without extra equipment), or just at tumbling class?
Nope, no tumbling drills. We work what's in the routine. If a kid wants a skill, they need to go learn it outside. I will admit that I don't have it terribly difficult because I coach at a private Catholic school, so kids have the means to take outside classes. I also have more than 50% of my team in competitive or rec gymnastics, so a lot of my kids tumble anyway.
 
Nope, no tumbling drills. We work what's in the routine. If a kid wants a skill, they need to go learn it outside. I will admit that I don't have it terribly difficult because I coach at a private Catholic school, so kids have the means to take outside classes. I also have more than 50% of my team in competitive or rec gymnastics, so a lot of my kids tumble anyway.
If you were coaching at a public school and few to none of your kids were involved in gymnastics, would you do things differently?
 
If you were coaching at a public school and few to none of your kids were involved in gymnastics, would you do things differently?

I went to a private high school and that's how our program was run. I think maybe four or five of us out of twenty five did all star.


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I am a very knowledgable coach of a middle school and my team functions the same way that @omgitssydthekid's did. My tumblers learn their skills at gymnastics or in all star tumbling classes. I have a couple of reasons for doing it that way:
1. I don't like to do heavy spots. I'll do a baby spot if I know you have it, but chucking a kid over to teach them the skill doesn't help. I prefer drills, barrels, tumbling tracks, then moving skills to the floor, but we don't have that equipment.
2. Middle school kids think they're a lot closer to skills than they actually are. I've had kids tell me "I totally threw my tuck at gymnastics yesterday. Can you spot me?" Then they throw a tuck of death and we both almost lose our lives. If I won't spot them, they think twice about the skills they believe they have.
3. We really don't have enough time to tumble. If my kids want to be featured in the routine, or even make the team, they know to learn tumbling skills outside of practice. I need to focus all of my practice time on stunting and the routine.

I have had these "near death" moments as well lol and now I really limit what I spot! Even if you are trained and certified it does not mean you are physically capable to support athletes body weight. Bringing in gymnastic instructors works best for our team. If I have not spotted them for a certain skill I will tell them I need to see it with the instructors first.
 
I have had these "near death" moments as well lol and now I really limit what I spot! Even if you are trained and certified it does not mean you are physically capable to support athletes body weight. Bringing in gymnastic instructors works best for our team. If I have not spotted them for a certain skill I will tell them I need to see it with the instructors first.
That's a relief to read from all of you. Outsourcing tasks like this is definitely the best way to go.
 
I am a very knowledgable coach of a middle school and my team functions the same way that @omgitssydthekid's did. My tumblers learn their skills at gymnastics or in all star tumbling classes. I have a couple of reasons for doing it that way:
1. I don't like to do heavy spots. I'll do a baby spot if I know you have it, but chucking a kid over to teach them the skill doesn't help. I prefer drills, barrels, tumbling tracks, then moving skills to the floor, but we don't have that equipment.
2. Middle school kids think they're a lot closer to skills than they actually are. I've had kids tell me "I totally threw my tuck at gymnastics yesterday. Can you spot me?" Then they throw a tuck of death and we both almost lose our lives. If I won't spot them, they think twice about the skills they believe they have.
3. We really don't have enough time to tumble. If my kids want to be featured in the routine, or even make the team, they know to learn tumbling skills outside of practice. I need to focus all of my practice time on stunting and the routine.
I think this is all kids, but YES!
 
If you were coaching at a public school and few to none of your kids were involved in gymnastics, would you do things differently?

I am certified to coach cheer and tumbling, but we never took more than 5 minutes out of practice to work tumbling and even then it was just to perfect what was in a routine. With the amount of material my hs girls had to learn, I didn't have time or the equipment to train them how to tumble as well. When we competed, the girls all took outside tumbling classes, some still did even when we didn't compete.

As far as necessary equipment, mats are always helpful but again, not every stunt or tumbling skill requires them. If you don't teach safety and spotting techniques it's going to hurt when that girl falls whether you have mats or not. The key is to get them in the mindset to never let the flyer drop or throw a tumbling skill you aren't proficient at.
 
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