How To Leap Or Jump On The Balance Beam Video

Every routine on the balance beam contains jumps to increase difficulty. Learn how to perform jumps or leaps on the balance beam from a professional coach in this gymnastics video.

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Lay away
Upper arm to support
Practice often

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Mark Velasquez is a professional gymnastics coach with Crenshaw Athletic Club in Austin, TX. Crenshaw Athletic Club is home to junior olympic performers as well as the University of Texas gymnastics team.

Okay. Also on beams, we're going to have leaps and jumps. We're going to cover a few jumps. They will be pretty basic jumps. We'll start with a little basic straight jump and then a tuck jump, which is just bending the knees up in front, 90-degree bend in the hips and at the knees. Every routine usually is going to have jumps. It's part of where they get their difficulty, especially at the optional levels. And at the compulsory levels, they also have some jumps that are required, that are, again, basic jumps to help them learn the more difficult ones later on. Your jump takes off from both feet. It can land on one foot or two, but it will take off from both feet. In the air, you can do different leg positions. They can be straight, they can be bent, they can have one bent and one straight. You can try to split, you can also add turns to your jumps. All right. We'll talk about leaps on beam. Again, it's a requirement. You'll see it in every routine, from compulsory to the Olympics. Again, you can change leg positions. You can change some of the body positions with them. A leap will take off of one foot. It can land on one foot or land on both feet, but it will take off from one foot. And normally, they're swinging a free leg up in front of them and then they may switch to a different leg position or they may keep it in that position as they leap through the air.

How to Leap or Jump on the Balance Beam Video

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