Practicing Tumbling At Home

[cheer25mom]

I When I feel an athlete can safely execute a skill, I encourage them to throw it by themselves.

With your/ another coach's supervision or on their own? I feel that former is great, the latter not so much until they have mastery of the technique. Our gym has a rule that no one uses the floor without a supervising coach on the floor for just this reason. They don't want people chucking skills they just got incorrectly over and over. There should at a minimum be a coach keeping an eye on what's going on an intervening when necessary.

 

[Michael White]

With your/ another coach's supervision or on their own? I feel that former is great, the latter not so much until they have mastery of the technique. Our gym has a rule that no one uses the floor without a supervising coach on the floor for just this reason. They don't want people chucking skills they just got incorrectly over and over. There should at a minimum be a coach keeping an eye on what's going on an intervening when necessary.

I think you're taking what I'm saying too literally. There is a point where the skill may not be 100% perfect (and a skill can always be better anyway) but can be safely thrown without supervision (at practice for example, because most coaches aren't tumbling instructors) Then obviously a tumbling coach should correct those small mistakes. (Straight legs in a walkover. No Pike in a layout. Higher set in a tuck etc.)

 

[cheer25mom]

I think you're taking what I'm saying too literally. There is a point where the skill may not be 100% perfect (and a skill can always be better anyway) but can be safely thrown without supervision (at practice for example, because most coaches aren't tumbling instructors) Then obviously a tumbling coach should correct those small mistakes. (Straight legs in a walkover. No Pike in a layout. Higher set in a tuck etc.)

ALL of our cheer coaches are tumbling instructors. It's required. School cheer maybe not, but all star coaches should be. They have to be able to adequately coach tumbling and stunts.

Basically I read your posts as as soon as a kid can consistently make it through the skill without a coach's hand on them they should be allowed to throw it unsupervised. I think they should have to throw it consistently with good (not perfect) technique. This is what CP's coach says about her using tumbling at dance. They don't have a qualified tumbling coach, but will use tumbling elements in dance numbers, so she tumbles some at the studio. She doesn't do a skill there until her coach feels the technique is solid enough that she isn't going to be reinforcing bad habits. That is usually LONG after she can safely throw the skill without a spot. She needs to build the good habits and muscle memory of good technique first. Same goes for yard tumbling, tumbling at school ect.