Tip #4: Trampoline: Tucks, Stradles, and Straight Jumps

Okay. This is my fourth official tip on my blog. This one is about very basic trampoline skills. I  believe I have said that I'm only an intermediate level gymnast. I am still in the beginner class, but in a couple weeks I should be about ready to move up. I know a pretty big chunk about everything but trampoline. I have only learned the basic jumps: Tucks, stradles, and your regular jump. But here are the tips I have to offer you, and I hope you like them.


Straight Jumps:

Every gymnast knows that, duh, the straight jump is the easiest of them all. Because all you have to do is jump straight. And this is how to properly jump straight.

• Raise your hands straight up, fairly close to your ears.
• My gym's trampolines have targets in the center of them to keep you centered. If yours doesn't, then make an imaginary box with a target in the center. For this jump, you want to push yourself to do your best, so if you jump out of the box, ten sit-ups for you.
• Start slow, do not jump very high. You want to just barely jump above the target. Then, you can start jumping at a regular hight. Gymnastics trampolines are very, very springy, so going high is okay, as long as you aren't rocket-launching off of the trampoline. When you're going too high, it starts to get very hard to hit the center of the trampoline. That's how you know, come back down to planet Earth, please!
• Remember to keep your toes pointed downward for a more gymnastics look. But also remember that you only point your toes in the air.
• Okay, that sums it up! That's a straight jump!

Tuck jumps
Tuck jumps are still very easy to complete and all you have to do is a tuck in the air. Have you done a tuck on a beam or floor? If the answer is yes, then you've pretty much got it, just do it mid-air.

• For this jump, it's generally easier to keep your hands straight out. Start in the direct center, or target, if you have one. Then, launch off the trampoline.
• Pull your knees up as close to your stomach as you can get.
• Your feet must hit the center target for perfection. If you fail to hit the center, ten sit-ups for you!
• Congrats, that's a tuck jump!

Stradle jumps
Stradle jumps, in my opinion are the most fun. They look cool. They ARE cool! And most important, they are extremely easy!

Stradle jump!

• Start in straight jump start position, which is listed above.
• Jump into the air. (Sometimes it takes a couple extra jumps to get required hight)
• Then, stradle! (In case you don't know what a stradle is, it's basically a middle split, except your legs make more of a V shape. So your legs should not be completely straight down the middle, but as if you were sitting on the floor, with your feet facing up).
• Congrats, that's a stradle jump!

Tip #3: Stretching

As every gymnast knows, stretching is a crucial part of gymnastics. Why do we stretch? Well..

Stretching on the Beam

• We stretch so we don't pull muscles. (If you pull a muscle, you have to skip gymnastics so your muscle can heal.
• We stretch to gain required flexibility to do many, many gymnastics moves.
• We stretch so we don't get hurt. If you land wrong doing a flip, you may not be very flexible so if you end up in, let's say, a half split, you will get hurt, versus being flexible enough that you feel no pain doing a half split.
• And most importantly...We stretch because it's fun! Isn't it fun to show your friends how you can bend all the way back, or touch your foot to the back of your head? YES! So remember: when you stretch, you are supposed to have fun. (For now, let's just forget about the pain that normally takes away the fun in stretching.)

Funny Gymnastics Clips

Kitty beam star!

Handstand!

I do the bottom center one.

That is so me. Eh, actually that's the complete opposite of me.

Now THAT is totally me. A few minutes later you'll probably hear: "GET DOWN FROM THERE RIGHT NOW!!!!"

Same here.

Tip #2: Front Pull-Over Tips (On gymnastics bars)

This is my second posted tip for gymnastics so far. I decided to make tips on a front pull-over, which, so far, is my personal favorite trick on the bars. A front pull-over is an intermediate skill which takes a lot of time and practice before a gymnast has enough strength to complete it. I hope you find my tips useful, and if you do, please COMMENT. I've said before and I'll say it again: If you have any professional experience in gymnastics, please comment. I could use some tips of my own.

Step 2

Front Support position

• Start by gripping your bar. The bar should not be so high that you have to push up into a front support to firmly grasp it. It should be about as high as your chest.
• Drop down and hang from the bar, but lift your feet up, so your body should make an L shape.
• Swing, while remaining in the L shape, and you should be able to swing yourself hard enough to where your hips (remember to keep that L shape) land on the bar. Then, straighten yourself out. You should be ending in a front support position.
• Congrats! If you did this the right way, you just completed your first front pullover! 

Tip #1: Cartwheel Tips

This is my first post on gymnastic tips...I've decided to start out with basic skills. This is how to do a cartwheel the proper way.

• Suck your stomach in, keep your bum tight. This will become natural as soon as you develop better skills.
• Raise both hands above your head, and make sure your arms are lightly pressed against your ears. Not too much pressure, but make sure they are firmly in place.
• Extend your leg, and keep your toe pointed. Your toe should barely tap the floor. You DO NOT have to raise your leg as high as you can.
• Lift your toe to where your legs are at a small angle. It shouldn't be tiny, so make sure your toe is about one foot above the floor. 
• Then, bring your toe down to the floor, while bending sideways and placing one hand on the floor.
• Quickly place the other hand on the floor.
• Next, place your foot (the opposite foot you started on, or the foot you raised off the floor.) on the floor, shortly following with the next foot.
• Quickly stand up.
• Congrats! You should have completed your first cartwheel.

Introduction to my Blog

Hi and thank you for reading my blog. I recently started gymnastics and decided to blog all the tips i've received. It would be really helpful if someone with professional gymnastics experience posted comments on my blog, as I'm a pretty young blogger. But, I hope you enjoy my blog!