Tuck Help

[brookline1254]

I keep riding my tucks like whips, what should i do?

 

[HarleyJadex]

I keep riding my tucks like whips, what should i do?

I would just practise lots of tuck jumps, I was the exact same and my coach just had me drill tuck jumps like crazy until I started doing it!

 

[PiNKTiNK0706]

I keep riding my tucks like whips, what should i do?

The way I teach it is:

Think of the highest stretch jump that you can do. That is essentially the first part of your tuck. The idea is to have a nice big stretch jump with arms tight by ears and head neutral. As you get to the top of that jump thats when you want to think "shins to ceiling". You want to drive your legs up so that your shins are coming up towards the ceiling (essentially parallel) and that is going to give you your hip rotation. The higher your set its, the higher your tuck is going to be. Keeping your head in, and not throwing it out is going to help you not ride it like a high BHS or whip. I teach my girls to grab their shins, because its easier to pull into a tight tuck than it would be if you were to grab behind your knees. However, if you can grab behind your knees and pull your knees to your chest enough, that also works.

Tuck Drills:
Take a panel mat, stand in front of it (heels/ankles should be facing the mat -- you should be facing outward, not facing the mat) stretch jump up and onto the panel mat. Focus on your swing and your lift through your set and your shoulders.

Resi pit and cheese mat - take a resi pit (one of the big crash mats) put a cheese mat on top of it. The top of the cheese mat should be at most, shoulder height. If its too low, put mats underneath (preferably unfolded panel mats). Your goal is to get your back and upper body on the cheese mat, and backwards roll down. So you'll jump you for your tuck, tuck to your back on the cheese mat and pull your feet over as if you were doing a normal tuck, but you are backwards rolling down the mat. The reason for the mats being so high is because it forces you to jump up instead of back. If you jump back and throw your head out, you won't get on top of the cheese mat. Set nice and big, and then pull.

 

[Cheerdude24]

If your back is arching like a whip, then you're probably throwing your head back. Throwing your head back naturally arches your back. Keep looking at your bellly button and it should improve!

 

[Mamawhohatesdrama]

My CP has the same problem, but she just got contact lenses so now she isn't hitting the floor when she tucks. Hope this helps!!

 

[BlueCat]

My CP has the same problem, but she just got contact lenses so now she isn't hitting the floor when she tucks. Hope this helps!!

You believe that a low takeoff angle and dropped head/shoulders for back saltos is related to vision problems? I will admit that I have never heard that as a possible cause.

 

[cheermommaRN]

The drill PinkTink posted is what my athlete does during plus period at school. She just started working level 3 and feels she needs to catch up so everyday she goes in her gym at school and does tuck drills on the mats.

 

[justcheering]

My CP has the same problem, but she just got contact lenses so now she isn't hitting the floor when she tucks. Hope this helps!!

Does this remind anyone else of the contact lense ads that used to be on Cheerleaders? Like "I couldn't catch my stunt and then I realized I needed contacts and now I can see the foot!!"