
Want to improve your technique and skills more rapidly? Here are 5 sure ways that will get you there. These are all things that you can do at practice, without needing a coach to tell you. And after a few weeks of trying these methods, you should see some major upgrades! Let us know what you think?
- Jumping Higher on your single skills. If coach has you practicing something easy that you’re already comfortable with, like Level 1 routine, or maybe your Back-Tuck, then instead of coasting through it at your normal height, why not try to maximize your height before you begin! This will help you practice your coordination & balance. Why not try to make things harder?
- Making sure you always do an Out Bounce. Often, it is the out-bounce that is neglected. Make sure you always aim to do an out-bounce, which requires perfect technique on your previous skill. Neglecting the out-bounce can spell disaster when you go to compete.
- Adding a Tuck-Jump before your single skills. You’ll be surprised at how much harder a move can be if you just add a simple tuck-jump in front. Make sure that your tuck-jump doesn’t travel forwards though! (A common mistake). Practicing this will improve your connections vastly!
- Finding the wall in front of you. When you’re practicing connected somersaults…..don’t get into the habit that virtually everyone does. Virtually everyone, even elites, have a bad habit of staring at the trampoline bed even as they go into their next flip. This is a horrible habit, and you need to try to break this habit early on otherwise it will plague you for your entire career. Before you begin the 2nd somersault, you need to look straight ahead and find the wall in front of you, not the floor! Staring at the floor will keep your chest down and cause you to travel and diminish your height, among other things.
- Breathing! You need to breath….During your moves! You should be breathing out on every move that has a kick-out. This includes tuck-jumps, pike jumps, straddle jumps, kick-outs, etc. You should aim to make an audible exhaling noise every time you perform any move. Make this a habit!