Stuck So Long On Front Tuck

Hey guys, so I've been doing gymnastics for one year. This was my first year doing tumbling. I got my cartwheel, my round-off, my round-off back tuck, round-off back pike, standing back tuck and even standing front tuck. The problem however is the running fron-tuck. I have never been able to perform this movement and I can't find a way to fix it. I always lose my block in the movement. I can block really high and do a front roll dive, but whenever I have to do the flip I lose all my height and when I do gain height, I lose tuck. Are there drills that can fix this issue? I've been having this problem for one year now and I have lost all hope in front tumbling

It would help if you posted a video, but my guess from your description is that on your front tuck attempts you aren't keeping your chest and arms up during the set.

Remember that the set has two stages. First, you punch with your arms above your head and your chest open, setting your trajectory upwards. Once your feet have left the ground, you snap inwards, tucking the legs and swinging your arms down to help initiate rotation. It is critical that you snap only after your feet have left the ground. Otherwise you are softening your body in the middle of the punch, which dissipates the energy you've put into the springs, reducing the height of your rebound.

I do keep my arms up, haven't hear of opening your chest though, so I'll try that. A lot of people also say that I tuck too fast which is why I lose height. Are there drills that can fix this?

If you have access to a spring-floor and some blocks/matts, this is a good progression:

1. Punches: jump forward and punch/rebound. Focus on form in the rebound: keep your body rigid, with straight legs, straight hips, a straight back, open chest and arms above your head. Simply try to rebound as high as possible, and maintain your arm/chest position through the flight phase.

2. Punches onto a block: get a block or stack of mats about 24in/0.6m in height and stand 2-3 paces away. From a hurdle, try to punch high enough to land on the block. Do not allow yourself to cheat by bending your legs to get on top of the block. Continue to focus on maintaining form, being especially sure to keep your arms up and your chest out. 

3, Punches from a block: jump off of a block and try to punch/rebound. The form is the same as before. At first, the height of a full block may be difficult to manage; you should start lower and gradually work your way up. This is likely where you will spend the majority of your time. Don't rush it: gradually increase the height, only adding more once you're completely comfortable at the current height. 

4. Punch from a block onto a block: set up two blocks with roughly 2 paces in between them. Jump off of one block, then rebound onto the other block. As before, maintain your form: don't allow your legs to bend in order to make up for a lack of height, and maintain your arm/shoulder position. 

5. Punch from a block into a front tuck: use a spotter and a crash-mat the first time you try this. As before, hop off the block and punch, maintaining arm and shoulder position throughout the rebound. Only this time, once your feet have left the ground (it happens later than you think), snap into a tuck, swinging your arms down to drive the rotation. 

In each exercise, only progress on to the next one once you've reached a level where you can perform all sets in a day correctly. Do 3-4 sets of 8-10 repetitions, with a rest in between for your calves to recover. 

DO NOT ATTEMPT THESE PROGRESSIONS ON A HARD FLOOR

jfslocum said:

If you have access to a spring-floor and some blocks/matts, this is a good progression:

 

1. Punches: jump forward and punch/rebound. Focus on form in the rebound: keep your body rigid, with straight legs, straight hips, a straight back, open chest and arms above your head. Simply try to rebound as high as possible, and maintain your arm/chest position through the flight phase.

 

2. Punches onto a block: get a block or stack of mats about 24in/0.6m in height and stand 2-3 paces away. From a hurdle, try to punch high enough to land on the block. Do not allow yourself to cheat by bending your legs to get on top of the block. Continue to focus on maintaining form, being especially sure to keep your arms up and your chest out. 

 

3, Punches from a block: jump off of a block and try to punch/rebound. The form is the same as before. At first, the height of a full block may be difficult to manage; you should start lower and gradually work your way up. This is likely where you will spend the majority of your time. Don't rush it: gradually increase the height, only adding more once you're completely comfortable at the current height. 

 

4. Punch from a block onto a block: set up two blocks with roughly 2 paces in between them. Jump off of one block, then rebound onto the other block. As before, maintain your form: don't allow your legs to bend in order to make up for a lack of height, and maintain your arm/shoulder position. 

 

5. Punch from a block into a front tuck: use a spotter and a crash-mat the first time you try this. As before, hop off the block and punch, maintaining arm and shoulder position throughout the rebound. Only this time, once your feet have left the ground (it happens later than you think), snap into a tuck, swinging your arms down to drive the rotation. 

 

In each exercise, only progress on to the next one once you've reached a level where you can perform all sets in a day correctly. Do 3-4 sets of 8-10 repetitions, with a rest in between for your calves to recover. 

 

DO NOT ATTEMPT THESE PROGRESSIONS ON A HARD FLOOR

Woah, thanks a lot! I think this might do the trick man. I have acces to a spring floor in 2 weeks and then I'll practice this for some weeks and I'll post progress. Again, thanks a lot!

Also, some more details about punching.

First of all, punching is entirely distinct from jumping. When you jump, you use the hip and knee extensor muscles to propel yourself upwards. It is a movement where you are actively generating power. When you punch (i.e. rebound), you are using the spring of the floor and your calf muscles to literally bounce off the floor: you are not generating power in a punch. You are redirecting kinetic energy you've already built up. When you hit the floor, the instantaneous force of the impact will be many times your bodyweight. Any loose points in your form will instantly give out, dissipating energy.

Ideally you want to hit the floor with the balls of your feet; your whole body should be as tense and rigid as possible, but pay particular attention to making sure you tense your calves. Your knees, hips and back should all be straight (a slight arch or hollow in the upper back is ok and commonly occurs when you are connecting two elements, but the lower-back must be straight) and you should be clenching your muscles to stabilize this body position. 

The biggest and most common mistake beginners make is they will bend their knees while punching. This is understandable, since in nearly all other cases, it is very dangerous to land with locked out knees. If you land with a rigid body and flat feet, you *will* hurt your knees. However, in a punch, your calf acts as a spring. Your ankle flexes then bounces back, which decreases the instantaneous forces to a level that your knees can safely take. This is why it's of paramount importance to land on the balls of your feet rather than the heels.

As a final note, other than your calves, punching relies primarily on the strength of your bones and connective tissues. These are two areas where you can not rush development. So remember to advance slowly and deliberately. If you experience pain in your shins or knees, that's a sign you should back off. 

jfslocum said:

Also, some more details about punching.

 

First of all, punching is entirely distinct from jumping. When you jump, you use the hip and knee extensor muscles to propel yourself upwards. It is a movement where you are actively generating power. When you punch (i.e. rebound), you are using the spring of the floor and your calf muscles to literally bounce off the floor: you are not generating power in a punch. You are redirecting kinetic energy you've already built up. When you hit the floor, the instantaneous force of the impact will be many times your bodyweight. Any loose points in your form will instantly give out, dissipating energy.

 

Ideally you want to hit the floor with the balls of your feet; your whole body should be as tense and rigid as possible, but pay particular attention to making sure you tense your calves. Your knees, hips and back should all be straight (a slight arch or hollow in the upper back is ok and commonly occurs when you are connecting two elements, but the lower-back must be straight) and you should be clenching your muscles to stabilize this body position. 

 

The biggest and most common mistake beginners make is they will bend their knees while punching. This is understandable, since in nearly all other cases, it is very dangerous to land with locked out knees. If you land with a rigid body and flat feet, you *will* hurt your knees. However, in a punch, your calf acts as a spring. Your ankle flexes then bounces back, which decreases the instantaneous forces to a level that your knees can safely take. This is why it's of paramount importance to land on the balls of your feet rather than the heels.

 

As a final note, other than your calves, punching relies primarily on the strength of your bones and connective tissues. These are two areas where you can not rush development. So remember to advance slowly and deliberately. If you experience pain in your shins or knees, that's a sign you should back off. 

Thanks man! This definitely helped me.