Power Step

Cheer often uses a power step before many types of back tumbling skills. Is this really an effective way to learn standing fulls and other back tumbling skills? Whenever I've tried power step, it doesn't seem to help me, so maybe I'm not doing it properly. I've also seen power step done different ways, usually it's just 2 steps, but I've seen it done with a skip before hand which looks pretty confusing.

Anyway, anyone use power step, any advice for doing it properly, is it good or bad or just preference?

It sounds like you are talking about what I call a step-hurdle. Typically, this is a step first with the non dominant leg to hurdle off the dominant leg into the lunge followed by CW, RO, FHS. For tumbl-trak and tumbling on strip/rod floor, we generally use the step or power hurdle for the bulk of our training. As well this saves space and time. Another key note is I rarely allow tumblers to tumble diagonally as I prefer to tumble on lines (generally along the seams of the carpet rolls or taped lines on the floor) so they learn to tumble straight and true. I don't want them all over the place. However, tumbling diagonally does allow for more turns per pass down the line (even if they back to give them enough space for a 2nd or 3rd attempt).

In tumbling, be it artistic, power tumbling, or cheer tumbling, a power hurdle is often used. This is efficient in that it save space for longer connected tumbling passes or areas (such as transitions on the sides of the floor instead of the floor diagonals). Generally, this a two-footed broad jump at a diagonal angle that lunges upon landing on the floor.

I prefer to train all tumbling off a step into the RO or step-hurdle or power hurdle. I don't see the point to allow a 5 step run into the hurdle for basic tumbling as it will often hide inefficiencies in the hurdle and round-off. It's not that I don't teach it as I will teach it concurrently but only use it when we actually work connected tumbling or more advanced tumbling passes. This also means I can shuffle spot less and cycle turns faster.

As with anything, the tumbler must be prepared physically and taught how to correctly jump and lunge. Sounds easy until you have to train some tumblers (especially the rec ones).

Sorry, maybe I could have explained it better, here I actually found this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdpscWwjqN0

A lot of cheer leaders seem to learn standing skills that way until they get good at them, then do it truly standing. Basically, I was wondering if that's a good strategy, if you have the intention of learning a skill from standing.

Here's a somewhat confusing variation that's like hop step step hop at 7:10: