Cheer Tips For Doing A Layout??

Hi, I just learned my whip and am sooo anxious to do my layout!! (With spot of course

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) But, I don't quite get the jist of it. Can you walk me through it? You know, doing the skill? Thanks!!

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Congrats on learning a new skill! It is exciting for both athletes and for coaches when you see new skills come together. It is awe inspiring to have your hard work pay off.

First off, I would like to point out that you should NOT confuse a whip with a layout. They are two completely different skills that require different body positions. Because athletes tend to confuse the two, I generally will not work whips until after a correct layout is mastered.

A whip is a back handspring with no hands. The whip should come after a BHS or a RO. You should enter a while the same way you would a BHS(with toes, hips, and arms in line, only the line is tilted backwards like a backslash. "head \ toes" ) Be aggressive with your arms and reach back! Squeeze you abdomen and hips in a tight arch, making sure not to lead with your head! (remember, your not a PEZ dispenser!) The whip will be a little bit taller and thus a little shorter than your BHS. After you reach and stretch back, aggressively snap your feet under you like you would a snap down drill.

A layout on the other hand is less like BHS and more like a tuck. In fact, the beginning of the layout and tuck (the set) are identical. The primary difference is the body shape you will flip in. In the layout you will rotate with a long and straight or hallow body. Because you are longer when rotating in a layout than a tuck you will rotate slower. Much like in the same way that you spin slower with your legs straight in a tire swing or on a computer chair then you do with your legs tucked in close to your body. (try it!)

To perform a layout out of a BHS, you should stand up aggressively, reaching up tall while making sure to keep your head in between your arms in a neutral position(again, your not a PEZ dispenser.) Set aggressively, and drive your toes and hips in-line to the ceiling. You should be lifting your body to your hands. as your arms come in line with your hands, that will speed up your rotation and you will feel the second half of the rotation snap around faster. Keep squeezing your body straight! You may begin to see the ground and think its a good idea to bend at your hips and "pike down" but DONT DO IT, resist the urge! Keep squeezing your butt your feet will make it to the ground when its time. This will help you later on when its time to learn fulls!

Anyways, I hope this helps you a little bit. As always always tumble under the supervision of a capable and qualified tumbling instructor/spotter.

Best of luck,
Coach Matt

Thanks for helping me. tomorrow im going to practice and im gonna ask my coach to spot me and i'll use your advice.

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HOLLOW!

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setting and staying in a hollow are going to be your friends!

Focus on the set and bringing your hips to your arms, not your arms down to your hips. Also try and put your hands on top of your thighs in your layout, this will prevent arching and keep you in a hollow position

You want a really high set and to stay really hallow! Remember to stay hallow the whole time

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This is probably going to sound wierd, but I squeeze TOO much (I start to pike) I completely relax and my layout go around super easy. I wouldn't recommend this unless your coach thinks it may work.

This just means you were squeezing the wrong muscles.

Ya and too hard...

I just got my rhs bhs layout tuck, rhs bhs layout layout, and almost full ( I think)

Recommend any great drills for girls who tend to pike over?

I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve. But they vary from girl to girl depending in why they are piking over to begin with. For some, it is because they spot the floor, which will keep their chest from staying inline with the rest of the body. For others, the lack the core strength to overcome inertia and pike their legs to "cheat" in a way and make the layout easier to rotate.

Now when I say core strength, that doesn't mean have them do to hundreds of crunches, because that won't work the correct muscles. Sit ups, and other popular "abdominal" strength exercises actually work the muscles that flex the hip. For a work out to build strength for layouts, do exercises that keep the body straight. Work on stability with planks, and hallow body holds. After stability is perfected, work on candlestick rolls (roll back from a stand to a hallow candlestick. Press arms and shoulders to the floor, while lifting toes to the ceiling. don't lets toes drop behind, it will cause hip flexing(piking). After a slow, controlled range of motion is established, integrate it dynamically into the layout! This progression also works well for back extension rolls.

Hope this helps. Have a good one!
Matt Faherty
Full-Out Cheer & Fitness
Full-Out: Cheer & Fitness