In this discussion, I will be focusing on the sport of Tumbling as it relates to not only the gymnastics industry, but to many sports and activities.
I get asked quite often, “what is Tumbling?” The true definition of Tumble, as described in the dictionary, is ” to fall suddenly, clumsily, or headlong” This is a negative description, whereas, in sports, tumbling is a fun, exciting, and positive activity – and in many sports, such as gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, martial arts, and others, it is a requirement that is judged.
I am asked often from parents, what is the difference between gymnastics and tumbling, as most gymnastics programs offer both types of classes. Gymnastics entails training in all aspects of the sport which include: floor exercise (tumbling), and all the apparatus: bars, beams, vault, etc. Tumbling is training specifically on the floor and does not include any apparatus training. If a student who is involved with cheer, dance, or martial arts, and they want to learn or improve their tumbling skills for their particular sport, then the tumbling class is what they will need.
The sport of tumbling is a very complex and difficult sport. It takes flexibility, strength, speed, and a great deal of coordination. Many athletes are naturally adapted to these types of movements, however, the majority of students learn to adapt to these movements as they learn and progress in their development. In addition, there is a risk factor in this sport. This is why it is so important that the coaches become educated and experienced in training their athletes in tumbling skills.
Many cheer and dance programs have an experienced tumbling coach on their staff to teach these skills, which is awesome!! However, many others do not have an experienced tumbling coach but are training their athletes in these skills anyway.
It is important that coaches, parents, and students understand some key issues. Tumbling is a difficult sport. In many cases, the skills learned are more difficult to learn than the other dominate skills in their sport discipline. If the skills are not learned properly with good technique, the students will have a difficult time progressing in their skill level. Just one example: if a student does not learn the proper technique of a good layout, they are going to seriously struggle to learn a full – and learning a double full may be impossible. There are serious risk factors to consider- tumbling skills entail flipping forward and backward over the head. Caution must always be considered in training these skills. The coaches must know how to spot the skills correctly in order to teach the proper technique, keep the student safe, and build the students confidence.
Tumbling is a fun and exciting sport. Let’s keep it this way and keep the positive movement growing. I would love to hear your comments and get your feedback on this issue. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions or let me know your concerns and challenges. I am hear to help in any way I can.