Gymnastics Lessons Vol. 1 - Floor Exercise

Rustam Sharipov, two-time Olympic gold medalist, guides beginners through a basic floor exercise progression, focusing on non acro and tumbling skills, including back tumbling.

Learn the headstand for kids, form a triangle with your arms, place your head between them, tuck, and slowly raise your legs straight.

Master the kick to a handstand from a tight, tall position, raising arms and legs, avoiding shoulder shrinkage, and pushing up for a controlled, one-leg descent.

Learn the basics of forward and backward rolls from a squat position, keeping knees apart and head down, with arms forward and a final tuck.

Practice a handstand into a forward roll with tuck roll and pike variations, starting from a kick to handstand, keeping tight form and advancing from tuck to pike for momentum.

Learn to perform the back row with bent arms into a handstand, then progress to straight arms, kicking sooner while staying tight and pushing with the arms.

Learn the cartwheel from a star position along a line, keeping hips tight and shoulders square. Maintain arms in line with slow progression to prep for roundoff and back handspring.

Learn to perform a wall-assisted headstand at home, mastering the tuck and pike positions, keeping toes pointed, and executing controlled upward and downward movements.

Master the straddle press handstand in gymnastics floor exercise, using wall support to stand, place hands on the wall, lean to raise a leg into a straddle, then lower slowly.

Perform the straddle stretch with a 90-degree angle, arms up, and aim to touch the belly as you reach forward while keeping the head up.

Perform the pike stretch with arms straight and toes pointed or flexed to stretch the hamstrings; guide your kid through this floor exercise.

Demonstrates progressing from a split into a press handstand, emphasizing staying tight and controlled movement.

Learn the front handspring step out on a cheese mat, keeping arms closer for shoulder angles, kick and push with your arms to turn over, chin up, eyes on wrists.

Master the step two front handspring: land on both feet, kick with the back leg while keeping the front knee bent, and avoid reaching forward.

Learn to perform a round-off from a knee with hands on the line forming a t, focusing on the front knee and a step-in from the knee.

Master the one-arm roundoff from a standing position by keeping the arm by your ear, avoiding shoulder angles, and maintaining a straight line with eyes forward toward the handstand.

Learn to keep the arms by the ears during a cartwheel step-in, adjusting for right- or left-handed kids and aligning roundoff with twists for smoother vault progression.

Coach demonstrates back handspring drills, teaching kids to sit like on a chair, keep knees and shoulders from moving forward, swing arms by the ears, and land with feet together.

Guide students through the first part of the back handspring with patient explanations, focusing on a controlled swing, head alignment, and a safe triangle arm position to prevent elbow injuries.

Apply chalk on the hands to create floor marks that reveal hand position during the floor routine, and nudge the hands inward slightly to correct alignment.

Practice the cartwheel, step in, rebound, and round off rebound into the back handspring, with arms at shoulder level and the right arm kept by the ear.

Coach demonstrates a round off into a back handspring, emphasizing finishing with knees over and arms ready to maintain power, plus a backward-jump drill to build the block.

Demonstrate the roundoff back tuck with a rebound drill, ensuring the hips go over the shoulders and the shoulders don’t drop behind, while arms circle to generate lift.

Learn to execute punch fronts and a front flip with emphasis on arm use and hip alignment, saving about 20% of leg work during floor tumbling.

Develop power in the roundoff back handspring by linking a power hurdle with deliberate arm work, emphasizing a steady arm swing and not dropping the arm.

Practice a hurdle into a roundoff back handspring followed by a back tuck, emphasizing a straight roundoff line, knee control, hips over shoulders, and a clean stick.

Learn punch fronts, including front tuck, front pike, and layout on floor, with arm drive and landings keeping shoulders in front at 45 degrees and chin up for blind landings.

Refine front handspring techniques with a controlled rebound, emphasizing arm alignment and timing. Practice punch fronts, stay tight after the takeoff, and execute a front handspring with a piked finish.

Focus on the little details rather than rushing, and spending more time on those details will help you progress faster in floor exercise.