Setting for a back tuck

My standing back tucks have been getting worse as of late and I think it's because I'm starting to arch back or jump back. So I need to fix my set, and I want to make sure I get it right.

My main question is, is it okay to arch a little during the set as long as your back is rounded by the time you start to tuck, or should you try to stay hollow all the way through your jump and into the tuck?

If you have some examples of what you would consider a perfect back tuck that would be handy as well. Actually, as long as the jump, set, and initiation of the tuck are good that's all I need.

you are overcomplicating it. jump straight up and swing your arms really hard

swing your arms until they cannot swing any more and make sure to time it with your jump. you should be able to have a good set while barely jumping if you swing your arms enough.

try to swing your arms and see if you can rise up a couple inches in the air with no help from the legs.

as for the tuck, it has to be aggressive. knees over your head. don't look back until you are tucked

When you can land roughly the distance of the length of your foot behind where you started it is an acceptable standing back. Ideally, land where you start.

A little arch is not ok, because if you say little, your body will arch more than a little.

Phew, that guy's standing fronts are really impressive.

He's also a good example of what I mean by a little arch in the set. It's okay to set like this then?

I didn't mean for it to be a rhetorical question, incidentally.

he's not arching, he's just leaning back slightly keeping his head neutral

When I was unafraid of back tucks for about the third time, I was jumping nearly three feet back. However, I landed pretty high. As high as my tucks are now, basically.

Could someone help me with mine also? I was told that I should spot for a split second more and have less of a BHS type motion to it. I also see now that I don't throw my arms all the way up, and the jumping back is a lot worse than I thought. :/

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he's not arching, he's just leaning back slightly keeping his head neutral

There is an angle from his heels to his shoulders. Yes the spine has a natural arch, I know.

As we set the arms, we actually want to freeze them in place when they hit vertical versus continuing to swing them back. I talked about this with Dave Adlard regarding back saltos (typically connected from a tumbling pass). It's dizzying, but it sounded like from a biomechanics POV, we actually don't want the arms to set at vertical but they will stretch up.

It could be said, we want the arms to lift as high while keeping the chest neutral and not arching in the chest and thoracic spine.

For some people that means the shoulder will stay have an angle when lifted. Guess what happens to my chest when I lift my arms to vertical.

Unfortunately, many gymnasts fail to even learn how to lift the arms correctly. They will lift their elbows like an upward elbow strike or lift and throw them down.

This is so we direct our force upwards instead of backwards. With a connected tumbling pass, we'll have momentum to travel us anyway.

You could try lifting them up and pushing them to the sides. It looks odd but is used quite often when doing front saltos.

Interesting. Could you clarify this a bit more? For example:

"we actually don't want the arms to set at vertical but they will stretch up."

Does this mean we should attempt to set in the hollow position but it's okay if the arms then swing up to vertical?

"You could try lifting them up and pushing them to the sides. It looks odd but is used quite often when doing front saltos."

Pushing them to the inside or outside? When they are up, or when they come down? Perhaps an example would be easiest?

And lastly, what is the moral of the story? Is the small amount of natural arch like in the still I posted considered okay?

Swing arms towards vertical, just don't arch.

If you arch then tuck, you get more of a stretch-reflex action. This is why if you arch like a back handspring, then pike over it's not terribly difficult to make it. I've seen a lot of gymnasts and cheerleaders do it in this fashion and make it. Typically testing them for abdominal strength finds them weak.

Arms goes to outside.

Everything is a work in progress.