All-Star Instructing Tumbling

[KRECCheer]

I am starting to like the idea of never having to spot one. Someone else can teach and I'll stick with level 3/4.

 

[yojaehs]

I am starting to like the idea of never having to spot one. Someone else can teach and I'll stick with level 3/4.

Depending on your gyms equipment progressions done RIGHT should allow for MINIMAL spotting. I discourage spotting as much as possible at my gym. I have coached forward rolls through double doubles without ever laying a finger on the athlete. Myself and most of my staff can spot up through doubles +, but that doesn't mean we have too. When I was younger I wanted to show how cool I was and that I could spot anyone on anything, my mentor walked up to me on a Monday and placed a chair on the floor and told me she wanted to see how good I really was and that I wasn't allowed to get up from the chair while coaching all week. At first I thought she was nuts (she's about 4' 11, 100lbs) but at the end of the week after having to explain drills (even setting them up) to the kids I found that I was getting more out of the kids bc they weren't standing in line waiting on me to spot them. My mentor approached me and said "God forbid anything happens to you that you have to be in a chair while coaching, could you? Now you know you can." Now I'm not taking anything away from spotting, proper spotting is a must but this lesson has stuck with me for 10+ years and I am very thankful of it. 3 years ago I was spotting a girl on a double, her shirt got rapped around my hand and she freaked out and got stuck, I caught her but suffered a hernia which required surgery. I was unable to spot for a few months, but my teams didn't miss a beat. I know spot less and less and have seen more and more improvements in my program.

 

[CGAcheer]

Depending on your gyms equipment progressions done RIGHT should allow for MINIMAL spotting. I discourage spotting as much as possible at my gym. I have coached forward rolls through double doubles without ever laying a finger on the athlete. Myself and most of my staff can spot up through doubles +, but that doesn't mean we have too. When I was younger I wanted to show how cool I was and that I could spot anyone on anything, my mentor walked up to me on a Monday and placed a chair on the floor and told me she wanted to see how good I really was and that I wasn't allowed to get up from the chair while coaching all week. At first I thought she was nuts (she's about 4' 11, 100lbs) but at the end of the week after having to explain drills (even setting them up) to the kids I found that I was getting more out of the kids bc they weren't standing in line waiting on me to spot them. My mentor approached me and said "God forbid anything happens to you that you have to be in a chair while coaching, could you? Now you know you can." Now I'm not taking anything away from spotting, proper spotting is a must but this lesson has stuck with me for 10+ years and I am very thankful of it. 3 years ago I was spotting a girl on a double, her shirt got rapped around my hand and she freaked out and got stuck, I caught her but suffered a hernia which required surgery. I was unable to spot for a few months, but my teams didn't miss a beat. I know spot less and less and have seen more and more improvements in my program.

What equipment an drills do you use to teach back handsprings without ever spotting?

 

[yojaehs]

What equipment an drills do you use to teach back handsprings without ever spotting?

Different sized barrels, depending on the kid. TONS of sit, jump drills. Backwalkover, backwalkover, backwalkover, sit, jump drill, drill, drill, tumble track over the barrel to resi, smaller barrel to resi. Once they can clear the barrel, remove the barrel, then unfold panel mat on resi, then cheese, work their way down, FLOOR. Done. Doesn't happen over night, but happens and works well. I will admit that I spot more backhandsprings than any other skill (as most). I don't always do it with "only" drills, just pointing out that it can be done. As tumbling director I need to make sure that ALL of my coaches can work on skills needed for their team. Ex. Sr. Level 2 has a small girl coach, how does she work on tumbling new skills with her team? So she would use all of these drills and progressions. Larger male coaches or girls that are trained and comfortable spotting definitely do so.