Gymnastics Essentials for Floor Exercise - Vol. 1

Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm guides you through the essentials of floor exercise and vault, from basics to elite techniques with detailed video analysis, slow motion, and voiceover drawing tools.

Develop flexibility for floor exercise through contraction-relaxation, pike and pancake stretches, splits, hip and shoulder work, wrist and toe conditioning, plus bridge and backbend drills.

Learn forward and backward floor rolls with extended legs and pointed toes, a rounded back, and hands facing forward, staying low and progressing toward back extension and pirouette.

Master a headstand, roll forward out of it, and transition into a handstand forward roll with proper head placement, ducking the head, and rolling up to stand.

Master the dive roll for floor exercise with a smooth, rounded back, a strong takeoff, extended arms to catch the ground, and neck protection to roll up to a stand.

Master the handstand as gymnastics' foundation, keeping a straight, tall body, extended shoulders, tight thighs, and pointed toes. Use spread fingers and keep the head in for balance.

Learn the handstand forward roll: perform an extended, smooth roll with the head ducking under and the shoulders bending first, then rise to stand without using the hands.

Master rolling combinations for floor exercise, from backward rolls and back extensions to handstand forward roll and pike up to handstand, emphasizing hip rotation and smooth, daily warm-up practice.

Spot a partner to practice the half pirouette from a handstand with two steps and tight hips, master forward and reverse pirouettes with hands turned out in a pike handstand.

Learn back handsprings and front handsprings using a rolling pad and rolling block to build comfort with backward flipping and a head back, chest open position toward floor exercise.

Practice cartwheels in a row to build roundoff power for tumbling passes, stay sideways, keep momentum in one direction, and push with both legs.

Learn to execute a roundoff from a single step to build speed and power for big tumbling passes, land in a rounded position, then run backwards, with proper hand placement.

Practice back extension roll on floor to build a safe stepping stone toward handstand, with hands in, arms straight, a rounded back, and controlled momentum from pushing with the legs.

Master the back extension roll into a reverse pirouette, progressing through half, quarter, and full pirouettes while maintaining chest in and controlled weight shift.

Learn to perform a press handstand and stall to roll by keeping hips over hands, engaging shoulders, stomach, thighs, and hip flexors for controlled, flexible lifting.

perform a full floor sequence that links kick into handstand, forward rolls, pikes, half pirouettes, back extensions, and a stall-to-roll finish.

Improve standing back handsprings by coordinating hip drive, knee bend, and arm swing to achieve a full extension, neutral head position, and vertical hand contact, building turnover for advanced tumbling.

Master the round off over a springboard to snap and rotate with a chest in and round shoulders position, preparing backward momentum toward a back handspring while avoiding arching.

Master the round off back handspring by timing a round off, knee extension, and hips arch to keep momentum, with the head between the arms, and land hips over feet.

Master the round off with back handsprings, focusing on consistent height, proper arm swing, and safe landings as you progress to back tuck and back layout.

Perform front handspring, land with head back and chest, avoiding tucking. Push from ground turnover, kick leg back, squeeze butt, use back muscles to stay tight, drive heels over head.

Execute three front handspring step outs with the head back during landings, keep knees straight, extend arms, then drive heels and reach the ground to propel forward.

Learn front handspring combinations from a front handspring bounder to a step out, keeping head back, shoulders rotating, and driving heels for a strong block and momentum.

Learn running front flip progressions, including front tuck, front pike, and front layout, with arms up, shoulder drop, and rotation cues, then progress to front handspring.