Gym Jam Level 1
Vault
Vault
GJ101- Tuck Onto Trapezoid/Vault
Tuck onto Trapezoid or Vault involves the gymnast jumping off the floor, placing their hands on a block or trapezoid and jumping up in a tuck position to land on the block.
They need to remember to push down on the block with their hands to help support their body and keep their shoulders just slightly in front of their hands
Vault
GJ102-Rebounding On Floor With Feet Together
Rebounding on the floor is a plyometric exercise that helps improve timing and takeoff.
If you notice the gymnast is travelling too forward, encourage them to squeeze their core and lift their head and shoulders,
If the take of is wiggly or loose, have them squeeze their core and lower the height of the objects and focus on technique.
Vault
GJ103-Assemble
An Assemble is the action of bringing both feet together and landing on the beat board. This may seem simple but is very important for later skills in developing their power on takeoff.
Watch for the feet to be together before landing, Hips tucked under and core tight. Help them to avoid leaning forward as this drives them into the target too quickly and prevents them from rising.
Vault
GJ104- Donkey Kicks Hands On Block
Donkey Kicks help to teach the rotation needed to be able to kick to handstand. They also help develop strength in the inverted position.
Have the gymnast put their hands on a block that suits their height and level. Then they push off their feet and push down on the block. As they improve they will be able to get higher. Encourage strong arms and keeping their head and shoulders over their hands so that they don't fall forward.
Vault
GJ105- Jumping To Motorcycle
Jumping off blocks to a motorcycle landing helps teach the gymnast the proper landing position for many skills to come.
Vault
GJ106-Jumping Jacks
Let's get the gymnasts up and moving! Jumping jacks challenge the strength and endurance of your gymnasts. Have them bounce from stretched to star, stretch to star. Repeat this action for the number or time that is appropriate for your group's age and level.
Encourage good form and using their feet to push off the floor. The more fatigued they get the more form issues you might see, so keep pushing for good form.
BARS
Uneven Bars
D110-Long Hang On Bars
A long hang helps develop the Gymnast's grip strength and prepares them for future skills.
The Gymnast should grip the bar in front grip and have a straight body with their legs together. If you are testing grip strength by lengthening the time in long hang, they may need to regrip by shifting their grip back into position from time to time.
You can also challenge them to hang in reverse grip, mixed grip and monkey grip
Uneven Bars
GJ111- Front Support On Bars
A front support can be done on many surfaces. In this example they will perform it on a bar rail.
They should support themselves on straight arms in a front grip. Their weight should be balanced. The legs should be together and straight.
Remember- what goes up must come down. So they also need to learn how to get out of a front support by doing a front roll or pushing back to a motorcycle landing.
Uneven Bars
GJ112- Sideways Locomotion With Feet Elevated
Teaching the gymnast to move sideways across the bar helps with their grip strength, learning to regrip and improving their body shapes in action. They should reach out, slide their hand close to the other hand and repeat as they move across the bar.
Elevating their feet a little will help make this a bit easier and you can gradually remove the assistance.
Uneven Bars
GJ113-Static Glide Position/ Feet Elevated
Having the gymnast learn the shape required for a glide, will help them learn the glide swing coming next.
They can put their feet onto a block and show the pike position. Then they can slide their feet across the block to stretch open the swing.
Uneven Bars
GJ114-Long Hang, Drop to Motorcycle On Stacked Mats.
Now the gymnast can learn the Long Hang and release the bar to a safe landing position in Motorcycle.
They need to learn to land in motorcycle position onto an appropriate number of mats or block, based on their height, age and ability. Their head should be neutral and looking at the mat, not their feet.
Uneven Bars
GJ115- Chin Up Hold 3 Sec
Chin Up Hold helps to develop arm and upper back strength in your Gymnasts. This skills can be performed in front grip, reverse grip and mixed grip. Vary it up and get more benefit by involving more muscle groups.
The gymnast should not sit on their chin. Begin counting once they are in place and stop counting once their chin goes below the bar.
It's safe practice to teach them to lower themselves down rather than just jumping down. This also involves the muscle groups in a different manner that assists in strength development.
BALANCE BEAM
Balance Beam
GJ120-Jump Down To Motorcycle On Middle Beam
It is important to teach the gymnasts how to fall/land off the beam, before attempting too much difficulty.
The gymnast should climb up onto the beam, jump down to a proper motorcycle landing, showing control and stability.
Balance Beam
GJ121-Walk Forward, Side, Backwards On Low Beam
Walking on the Balance Beam helps develop the Gymnast's balance and agility.
Begin on a lower beam and work their way up to a higher beam based on their skill, confidence and ability.
Walking forward, one foot in front of the other with their arms out for balance. Their eyes should be looking forward to where they are going, rather than down at their feet.
Sideways they can slide one foot out and then bring together or if they feel confident you can also try grapevine.
Backwards they will look forward only and learn to understand their body in motion while travelling backwards.
Balance Beam
GJ122-Step Over Small Objects On The Beam
To help the gymnast learn to improve their balance and agility on the beam, add small props onto the beam for them to step over. This will help them improve their visual cues on the beam, it will increase their balance as they navigate the course and it will improve their agility.
Choose props that are appropriate for their age and ability and are not likely to cause them to trip.
Balance Beam
GJ123-Climb Onto Middle Beam
Part of being confident on the beam, is being able to to get on and off with ease. Practicing climbing up onto the beam will help meet that goal.
There are many ways to achieve this skill. You can can allow them to step onto the leg of the beam or they can step right up onto the top of the beam. At this level they will keep both hands on the beam until they have a good foot placement. They they stand up.
Balance Beam
GJ124-Bear Walk On Low Beam
Four point locomotions may appear to be very easy, but actually require good coordination and balance.
Start with hand, hand, foot, foot and move to opposite hand, foot, opposite hand, foot and finally same arm and leg, same arm and leg. This will challenge them in slightly different ways.
Balance Beam
GJ125-Stork Stand On Low Beam
The Stork stand involves the gymnast standing on one foot, the other foot resting on the support leg either below or above the knee. The arms should be in crown position.
Remember to try both legs to improve balance and awareness.
Floor Exercise
Floor Exercise
GJ130-Front Support On Floor
Front Support is used in many, many different skills in gymnastics. The gymnast will hold themselves out straight, with support on their arms, stomach pulled in, hips flat and legs together. Remind them to push against the floor with their hands to help their shoulders and upper back engage and better support their weight.
Floor Exercise
GJ131-Rear Support On Floor
The Rear Support is the reverse of the Front Support. The gymnast begins sitting on the floor with legs out straight and together. They should put their hands behind their hips with their fingers pointing towards their toes. They need to lift their hips up until they achieve a straight body position. Their chin should be off their chest with the head as neutral as possible.
Floor Exercise
GJ132-Front Roll Down Incline To Tuck Sit
The gymnast begins to learn their somersaults and rotations by learning the front roll down the cheese/incline.
They start by standing at the top of the cheese. They squat down and place their hands facing forwards on the cheese/incline. Then they tuck their head under and try to look towards their belly button, push off their feet and roll over while maintaining the tuck position. At first, they will land in a seated tuck position. Next, they can try to push off their hands and get to a standing tuck position. Finally, they can try to rotate more quickly and roll right up into a standing position.
Floor Exercise
GJ133-Straddle Roll On Floor To Straddle Sit
Once they understand the motions of rolling forwards they can move to a flat surface and try a front straddle roll to a straddle sit.
They begin with legs together or apart depending on their flexibility and comfort level. Then as they roll over they move their legs into a straddle position and reach between their legs to help them rotate into a straddle sit position. As they improve they can try to push with their hands to lift their hips up to eventually achieve a standing straddle support position.
Floor Exercise
GJ134-Tuck And Roll On Floor
The tuck and roll drill will help your gymnasts learn to rotate and control the shape and it will help strengthen the muscles involved in not only the rotation but in helping to complete the rotation.
The gymnast will lay on the floor in a lying tuck position with their hand holding their shins. They rock back and forth trying to build enough momentum to reach a seated position.
Floor Exercise
GJ135-Static Positions On Floor- Tuck, Pike, Straddle, Straight
It is very important for the gymnasts to learn basic positions and terminology for those positions. As they begin working new skills this knowledge will serve them very well.
The static positions do not involve movement and include: Tuck shape (squat down with hands on the floor, seated or laying) Pike shape (this can be seated, standing or laying down), Straddle with legs open in seated, standing or laying position and straight in the standing or laying position.
Floor Exercise
GJ136-Straight Jump On Floor
Straight Jump is the beginning of all other jumps on the floor and the trampoline.
They need to push off the floor, straight up into the air, with their body in alignment and their arms up beside their ears.
Watch for good arm lift as they jump and for the feet to push the floor away. As they land, they should absorb the landing to motorcycle or absorb landing.
SPRING
Spring
GJ140-Stop Bounce
The stop bounce is very important in absorbing the landing on the trampoline.
As the Gymnast lands they need to absorb the force through their legs and maintain control of their body. They should be able to do this on demand. Remember to teach the "motorcycle" landing to get control of a landing as quickly as possible.
Spring
GJ141-Jumps- Soldier, Tuck, Pike, Straddle, Star, Pencil, Jump 1/2
On floor we learned all the basic shapes and now we will begin learning all the basic jumps.
In all jumps, the gymnast should start in the middle of the trampoline, facing one end. The goal is to remain in the middle of the trampoline. So if they veer off the middle you will need to correct their error (usually leaning forwards, backwards or not having a tight core).
In all jumps they should do a couple of prep jumps, with their head neutral and their arms circling upwards to their ears. As they take off they can attempt a: a Pencil Jump- which is a straight jump with arms up (straight body) or a Soldier Jump which has the arms at their sides, Tuck Jump (legs tucked at 90 degrees at the kneeds and hips) Pike Jump- Legs together and coming up in the front, and then you can add a 1/2 turn to the more basic jumps if they have full control.
Spring
GJ142-Seat Drop On Soft Mat
Learning to do a seat drop is bested started on a soft but stable surface, like a 20cm skill mat. The gymnast will jump to a seated pike position with their chest up and hands facing forwards beside their hips.
The goal is to see a strong, stable position that when moved to the trampoline will remain in a strong seated pike without losing control.
Spring
GJ143-Jumps With Arm Circles
It is very important for later skills that the gymnast can perform strong arm circles that help lift them off the trampoline and controll the take off.
The goal is to coordinate the arm lift with the push off the trampoline so that the arms reach vertical at the apex of the jump. They should circle slightly in front on the way up and slightly behind on the way down, finishing in a motorcycle position at the end of the jump.
Spring
GJ144-Tuck Sit On Floor With Feet Raised
A Tuck Sit on the floor with their feet raised will help engage the core muscles used for maintaining shape and assisting with rotation. Most younger students have weak abdominal muscles which need to be strengthened to learn future skills. Challenge them for personal best times or play Simon Says with changing the shapes.
Spring
GJ145-Log Rolls
Log rolls look very simple but have many benefits! The gymnast will lay on the floor and attempt to roll over in both directions while maintaining a straight body with their arms at their ears.
The log roll will help engage additional core muscles that are needed to maintain body shape, especially while turning or twisting. In addition, the action of turning over the medial line will stimulate brain development too!
Spring
GJ146-Walking On Toes Forward
Walking on toes forwards, also known as walking in releve, helps to strengthen their ankles, improve their balance and help them learn to keep their core stable.
Parallel Bars
Parallel Bars
GJ150-Cross Support 3 Sec, Jump Down To Motorcycle
A cross support is similar to a front support but with one hand on each rail, while facing forwards on the p bars.
The gymnast can begin in a crab position and drop their legs or climb up to support.
Parallel Bars
GJ151-Bear Walk Forward
Bear walk is a locomotion involving walking on all fours. This skill is quite basic but important for coordination and agility.
The gymnast will start facing down on all fours and try to walk hand, hand, foot, foot. You can also change things up to opposing hands and feet or same side.
Parallel Bars
GJ152-Bear Walk Sideways
Bear walk sideways is similar to above but the locomotion is now moving sideways. In this version you can go hand, foot, hand, foot or both hand and foot together and repeat other side.
Remember to practice this going in both directions.
Parallel Bars
GJ153-Mount From Block To Cross Support
A cross support is similar to a front support but with one hand on each rail, while facing forwards on the p bars.
The gymnast should push off a block and push down with strong arms to support themselves. As they move out of front support, their arms should push off the rails, move upwards towards their ears (to clear the rails) and then come into the front as they land in motorcycle.