Tumbling Skill Progressions

Rolls
Log Roll
Egg Roll
Straddle Roll
Tumbling Skill Progressions
Skill Key Words
Shoulder Rolls
From knees
From one knee and one straddle leg
From straddle legs
From straight legs
Forward Roll
Little Jumps
Completed Skill
Dive Roll
One Step and Roll
Two Steps and Roll
Short Run and Roll
Back Shoulder Roll
Backward Roll
Mary Wenstrom
Body straight and tight.
Arms stretched overhead.
Arms around tucked legs.
Roll onto one shoulder, onto back, other
shoulder, and up.
Legs in straddle position. Arms grab leg as
close to ankle as possible.
Shoulder, back, shoulder, up.
Each roll should turn the body 180 degrees.
Put on arm out to the side.
“Peek-a-boo.” Bring same arm, with hand
facing upward, across body as if covering
eyes.
Roll down onto shoulder of arm crossing
body.
Return to original position after roll.
From push up position. Hands straight
ahead.
3 little jumps and over.
Tuck head. Look at knees.
Legs extended until hips hit mat, then
tucked.
Look ahead as you come around. Lean
forward.
Don’t paddle push the floor.
Reach out as you put hands down.
Dive over a mat to get horizontal distance.
Lay on floor on back in a T position, hands
straight out to the side.
Bring legs up over one shoulder until knees
touch. Transfer body weight to knees.
Roll over shoulder, not head. (Not shown)
Thumbs in ears. Hands facing ceiling.
Elbows tight

On Cheese Mat
Completed skill on floor
Back Extension
Straight Arm Back
Extension Roll
Upside Down
Handstand
Leg Kicks
Handstand
Up, Up, Down, Down
Handstand
Up, Up, Down, Down Against Wall
or Mats
Handstand
Handstand with spotter
Elbows tight.
Hug knees with elbows.
Roll back. Push off with hands when they
touch mat.
Maintain hollow in front of body.
Bring arms and hands up into moose ears.
For those having trouble with hand
placement, have them first roll up the
cheese mat to get the feel for where the
hands should be.
Start on cheese mat again.
Push straight up into handstand when
hands touch mat.
Keep hollow position.
Straight-arm skill. Arms start above head,
hands hyper extended, fingers pointing at
one another.
When body reaches upside down position
with arms fully extended, arms rotate 90
degrees so that hands and fingers are
pointing straight ahead.
Bend over. Put hands on floor, shoulder
width apart, with thumbs pointing at each
other, fingers spread apart and straight
ahead.
Lift one leg up, bring down. Do the same
with the other leg.
From same position lift one leg up into the
air, then the other leg. Land on first leg,
and then bring other leg down.
Power comes from the leg on the ground
which should punch up from a point
directly under chest.
Same as Up, Up, Down, Down but with a
chance to stop for a second in the upside
down position (supported by a wall) in
between bringing the legs up and letting
them down.
Fingers pointing ahead, thumbs facing each
other.
Fingertips and heel of hand are in contact
with ground.
Arms locked out directly under shoulders

Handstand Roll
Cartwheels
Side to Side
Jump at Mats
Side to Side
Run Around Mats
Side to Side
Jump Over Mats
and next to ears.
Head in neutral, looking straight ahead and
not at floor.
Whole body is tight and pushing up.
Stomach in, butt tight, legs tight, toes
pointed.
No sags in body. To check tightness have
spotter grab legs and push down. Body
should stay rigid and not collapse.
Hands and fingers start out pointing
straight ahead in normal handstand
position.
As center of gravity moves past hands arms
pronate and fingers point toward each
other.
The tumbler then tucks head, lands on
shoulders, pikes body, and rolls onto feet
while keeping arms out in front.
Keep arms straight throughout skill.
Set up train of 6-inch mats. Place both
hands on the mat with both feet on one
side.
1. Jump onto mat with both feet, then
off the other side with both feet.
Work down the length of the mats
moving side to side.
2. Work down the length of the mats,
jumping over the mats, tow feet to
two feet.
3. Work down the length of the mats,
jumping over the mats, one foot to
the other foot, alternating feet as
you move side to side.
This drill will help improve laterality.
Each person has own 6 inch mat.
Face forward. Place hands facing
backwards on end of mat. Run to other
side of mat and face forward again.
Place hands backwards on mat and jump
over to the other side. Get feet a little
higher each time until student is doing a
cartwheel over the mat.

Side to Side
Completed Skill on Floor
Front to Front
Front to Back
One Handed Near Arm
One Handed Far Arm
Punch Away Cartwheel
Dive Cartwheel
Aerial Cartwheel
Handsprings
Front Handspring
Quick Kick, Kick Up
Make sure that the hands are facing
backward.
Arms, body, hips, and legs are in line
throughout skill.
Start facing forward and end facing
forward.
The key is the placement of the hips.
Hips start facing forward, move into
sideways position in line with the rest of
the body for the cartwheel, and then return
to a front facing position on completion of
the cartwheel.
Hips facing forward to start, sideways
through cartwheel, and end facing back the
other way.
Only first arm placed is used for support.
If student pushes off with right foot, then
right arm is placed on floor for support.
Left arm stays next to body.
Only arm normally placed second is used
for support.
If student pushes off with right foot, then
left arm is placed on floor for support.
Right arm stays next to body.
Both near and far arm cartwheels can be
done using the mat as in the side-to-side
progression.
A front to back cartwheel with flight off the
hands.
Push off and out with legs to create a little
airtime.
Use Reuther board as take off. As the
student progresses have the student push a
little harder so that less and less support is
given by the arms in the upside down
position.
The ability to do the splits is almost a
necessity for this skill.
Form triangle with hands and one foot.
Have partner hold other leg at his or her
waist level.

Front Handspring
Handstand Into Pit
Front Handspring
Pancake
Front Handspring
Handspring Into Pit
Back Handspring
Slide Off Mat
Back Handspring
Fall, Bend, Jump
Back Handspring
On Big Mat
Back Handspring
Into Pit
Back Handspring
Completed Skill on Floor
Round Off
Hand Placement
Snap leg on the floor up to the other leg to
develop strength and get the feel of the
quick snap.
Look at knees.
Handstand and over into pit.
Quick kick and over into pit.
Back flop on mat from handstand.
Lead with heels. Keep body straight.
Should be one sound as you hit.
Use rhythm sounds to get the second leg
snapping up to the first. 1,2. Hands, legkick.
First leg goes to 12 o’clock. Second leg
snaps up to it and they both go over.
Use mats to build up area where hands are
placed if someone is having trouble getting
all the way around.
Slide backwards off of 2 big mats with
hands on floor.
Walkover.
Legs together.
With partner. Keep toes on floor to help
generate power.
1. Fall
2. Fall, Bend.
3. Fall, Bend, Jump, trying to jump
onto partners toes.
Spotter on each side standing on ground.
Start with hollow in front of body.
Keep arms reaching back for mat. No
acute angles.
For those needing help with momentum,
have them start with arms straight out in
front.
Another method to try. Student may have
more success because of taking off of a
firmer surface.
Lay a 6-inch mat on pit surface for landing
mat. (Not shown).
With spotter (See Round Off/Back
Handspring).
Without spotter.
Put hands down on line and run around the
hands.

Round Off
Over Mats
Round Off
On Mats
Round Off
Completed Skill
Round Off
Completed Skill with Hop Step
Round Off With Back
Handspring
Round Off/Fall Back
Valdez
Sommies
Front Sommie
Dive Roll
Front Sommie
Jump
First hand faces sideways as in a cartwheel.
Second hand is facing back, at right angles
to first hand (pointing in the direction from
which the tumbler is coming).
The tumbler does bigger and bigger jumps
as he or she continues to run around his/her
hands.
Like Cartwheel progression.
Push off with hands.
From kneeling position.
This drill isolates the power position ad
enables the tumbler to develop a feel for
properly pushing out of this position.
Everything on a straight line-feet running,
hands when placed. Feet straddle line
when landing.
Maintain hollow position.
Hands up to moose ears.
Second leg kicks up to first leg.
1. Step-hop (or skip), step, place
hands.
2. Step, step, step, step-hop (or skip),
step, place hands.
Fall onto mat to get the feeling of falling
backwards into a handspring.
With spotter and then with out.
Back handspring walkout from sitting
position.
1. Onto mats laid in pit. Tuck Head.
2. Without hands.
Hands reach forward, then pull down like
milking a cow and continue swinging back
and up, ending with arms pointing straight
back and hands facing up.
1. Jump up off two feet when hands
swing up behind body.
2. Run, hop to two feet, jump up, run
forward out of jump.
3. Add a little circle with arms to get
hands in position to milk cow.

Front Sommie
Dive Roll With Jump
Front Sommie
Completed Skill
Back Sommie
4. Time with hop step.
Tuck head
Look at Knees
Chase feet to seat
Tuck and land on feet.
Chest to knees
Heels to butt
Knees to Chest
Arms begin skill straight overhead and
create an imaginary hoop which legs try to
snap up to and through.