HLTH2203

- Gymnastics
LECTURE 3

PARTNER BALANCES

COUNTER AND COOPERATIVE BALANCES

What is their value?

• Enhances spatial and body awareness

• Students (especially teenagers) really enjoy exploring the challenge
• They encourage communication and cooperation
• Develops trust and timing in balance
• They are useful contributors to strength development
• Encourages good body tension as this must be maintained to balance body positions
• Reinforces the principles of stability e.g. wide base of support, and vertical alignment of
arms and legs so that the line of gravity runs through the base of support
• Develops skills that can be used in display work

SAFETY

• Match pairs for height and weight

• Not suitable for younger children because of weight bearing
• Exit procedure must be planned
• Mats must be used
• Use hand to hand or hand to wrist grip, monkey grip is not safe
• Avoid inverted balances until the basics are mastered
• Do not allow pyramids higher than two persons in the school environment
 HLTH2203 - Gymnastics
LECTURE 4

LANDINGS

Safe landings could be one of the most important life skills you will teach your students. The
categories of landings that will be covered in this course are:

1. Landing on feet
2. Landing on hands
3. Landing sideways
4. Landing backwards

The basic principle of safe landing is to soften the impact on the body joints especially the lower
back. This is achieved by absorbing the landing forces over as much time and as large a body
surface as possible.

SAFETY

• Ensure adequate matting – not too hard or soft

• Reduce frequency of landing on wrists
• Don’t land sideways from a height
• Ensure competence on the floor before progressing to a height

1. LAND ON FEET (motor bike landing)

KTPs

• Feet should be shoulder width apart

• Contact first with balls of feet then roll through to heels and bend and the knees and hips
to finish as if sitting on a motor bike (toe, heel, knee, hips)
• Do not bend past 90’
• Ensure the heels stay planted on the floor

PROGRESSIONS

i. Very low jump. Absorb impact on toes to heels

ii. Add on bent knees
iii. Run and jump as high as possible and land correctly
iv. Land on benches with straight jumps
v. Add variety by changing the body shapes in the air
vi. Gradually increase the height of take off, make sure heels stay on the ground
 HLTH2203 - Gymnastics
LECTURE 4


SPRING

This DMP includes the activities which involve projecting oneself into the air and requires the
physical ability of power i.e. explosive take off. The spring activities that will be covered are:

1. One foot to one foot - leaps

2. Feet to feet - jumps
3. Feet to hands - bunny hops, leap frogs and basic vaults

SAFETY

• Ensure correct landing technique before taking any springing activities up onto a height
• Mats must be placed so there are no joins along the line of landing
• Confident body management is a prerequisite for activities involving height and flight
• Firm matting is required for activities which involve springing from hands

SPRINGING FROM FEET

KTP’s

• Explosive take off is required

• The balls of the feet strike first with the heels making only momentary contact
• This is followed by rapid extension of ankle and knee joints and a strong swing of the arms
in an upward and forward direction
• Trunk is stable and upright and at no stage should there be any arch in the students lower
back

1. LEAPS (insert pictures) KTPs

Cat / scissor

- Hands are placed on hips, 1 foot take

off, 1 foot landing

Stride

- Split legs in the air, arms out to the side, both legs are
straight, pointed toes, 1 foot take off, 1 foot landing

Change leg

- Step right, kick left leg, change legs in the air, 1 foot take
off, 1 foot landing

Side

- Turn 90 degrees in the air, arms out to the side

 HLTH2203 - Gymnastics
LECTURE 4

SPRING

2. BASIC JUMPS (insert picture) KTPs

Straight
- Arms in the air, feet together, straight body

Star
- Arms are spread; legs are spread, straight limbs, and
body upright

Tuck
- Legs to chest, arms wrapped around the legs, knees
bent. Jump on 2 feet, land on 2 feet

Stag
- 2-foot take off, 2 foot landing. Forward and back leg
bends at the knee. Arms out for balance

Split
- Arms up in the air, one leg in front and one leg behind,
jump on 2 feet, land on 2 feet, straight legs

Jump half / full turn

- Straight body, pointed toes, spin 180 or 360
degrees, arms into chest. Jump on 2 feet, land on 2
feet

Sissone
- Jump split in air, land on one foot, arms out for
balance
 HLTH2203 - Gymnastics
LECTURE 4

LANDINGS

2. LAND ON HANDS

KTPs

• Hands are placed shoulder width apart

• Contact first with fingers then roll through to heel of the hand and bend the elbows
• Turn the head to one side so you don’t face plant

PROGRESSIONS

i. From kneeling, slowly fall forward to absorb force through fingers, palms and bend elbows
ii. Increase the speed of the fall
iii. When confident try from crouch stand, then from a front scale / arabesque

3. LAND WITH ROTATION – SIDEWAYS

KTPs

• Hand position

- Rolling to the right, right hand is facing up, left hand is facing down (left
opposite).

• Arm position

- Rolling to the right, right arm is curved in front of stomach, left is straight out to
the side (left opposite).

• Absorb force through

- Right side shoulder, back, other shoulder and knees

PROGRESSIONS

i. Start on knees then as confidence grows, progress to stand

 HLTH2203 - Gymnastics
LECTURE 4

LANDINGS

4. LAND WITH ROTATION – BACKWARDS

KTPs

• Hand position

- Palm facing down

• Arm position

- Arms straight out to the side

• Absorb force through

- Lower back, upper back, both knees and feet

PROGRESSIONS

i. Start from squat and slowly fall just to shoulders

ii. Roll to shoulders and turn head to one side to watch knees touch the mat. Repeat to the
other side.
iii. Perform back safety roll from squat down incline
iv. Practice on floor from squat
v. Progress to starting from stand, then with a jump and landing off balance to continue to
safety roll
vi. As students develop competence jump backwards from a low height and continue into
back safety roll.