“If you go forward in this thing, if there’s any kind of failure, that’s where you’re going to eat it,” Jeff Tucker cautions as he watches his gymnast, Jeannie Bassi, demonstrate the frog tuck. “So I always tell people all the time, ‘Throw a pillow in front of you.’”
Join Tucker and Bassi for more gymnastics progressions to develop midline stability and body control. Today’s progressions involve the frog tuck, which helps an athlete develop balance. Bassi demonstrates the frog tuck by placing her knees on the outside of her elbows with bent arms and progressing to a straight-arm tuck with knees placed behind the elbows. Tucker discusses how hand position plays a role in the balancing act and shows how to safely spot an athlete. Tucker and Bassi also address hyper-extended elbows so coaches can take appropriate precautions and athletes can maintain awareness for safety.
Watch as athletes at the CrossFit Gymnastics seminar try out frog-tuck progressions to develop their balance and body control. Then practice the movement to develop your own balance.
Video by Again Faster.
Additional reading: Everyman’s Gymnastics: The Seminar by Roger Harrell, published Sept. 1, 2005.