3 Drills to Improve Your Gymnastics Turns

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Turns are an important gymnastics skill. If your form isn’t tight and clean, you will likely receive deductions on your turns in competitions. Here’s a video with 3 drills to improve your form with your gymnastics turns – this applies to both 1/2 and full turns.

3 gifts that will help your gymnast improve

Turn Drill

Stretch Tall T-Shirt Shaping Drill

In this drill you want to stand on flat feet while holding a t-shirt or towel taut in your hands, with your hands straight up by your ears. The focus with this drill is staying really tight and stretch straight up tall with your arms behind your ears and your chin up off of your chest.

Try this drill working up to 60 seconds x 3 sets with good positioning

Turn Drill

Shaping – Ribs In & Out

For this drill, you want to stand tall and push your ribs out and back in again. Think about pulling your ribs in while rounding your shoulders slightly and then pushing your ribs back  out while opening your shoulders. The focus fore this drill is to really focus on feeling the difference of pulling your ribs in and then pushing them back out and having a really tight stomach. The correct shape for your full turn (and handstand) is to have your ribs pulled in and shoulders slightly rounded, arms tight and slightly behind your ears, with your chin up off of your chest.

See if you can do 15 reps each x 5 sets

Turn Drill

Relevé Hold Lock Position

You’ll stand in high relevé for this drill, with your good leg in front and your other leg slightly behind. You want to make sure that you are also pushing tall through your toes and the ball of your feet, pinching your thighs and bottom together, pulling in your ribs/abs, and pushing your shoulders down with your arms tight, slightly behind your ears with your chin up. The focus for this drill is to stretch really tall with correct body positioning, staying really tight while maintaining your high relevé.

Try this drill working up to 60 seconds x 3 sets with good form

As always, these drills (and many, many more) are practiced in our SkillTrakker program, where gymnasts all around the world are improving their form, confidence & skills in 15 minutes or less everyday!

Improve your turn

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9 comments… add one
  • Nora February 28, 2022, 7:17 pm

    Omg thanks 4 making this turns on the beam r so hard this really helps

    Reply
    • gymnasticshq March 13, 2022, 6:12 pm

      Glad it’s helped you!

      Reply
  • Gymnast.5 February 28, 2022, 7:28 pm

    I need help geting my ft handspring but no mater what video I see I just can’t do it how should I practice if I don’t hav wit yet and how can I stop faling on my back

    Reply
  • Super ⭐️ February 28, 2022, 8:41 pm

    i guess it can be difficult at first but im a level 6 and it’s easy for me. how do i get a backhand spring on beam

    Reply
  • Super ⭐️ February 28, 2022, 8:43 pm

    I guess it is hard at first but ima level 6 and it’s easy for me. how do you do a backhand spring or front handspring on beam? Can u make a post about that next plz

    Reply
    • gymnasticshq March 13, 2022, 6:15 pm

      Make sure to work with your coaches for these! If your gym has open gyms, maybe you can practice them then?

      They’re the same as on the floor, just on the beam, so start by practicing on a line and doing them straight then move up to a low beam, etc. Good luck!

      Reply
  • Sheridan December 10, 2023, 3:16 pm

    Here for the scavenger hunt. Since the comments are off on the video I just posted here. Hope that works. Also I really appreciate the drills they’re a big help!

    Reply
    • gymnasticshq December 16, 2023, 9:15 pm

      Perfect!

      Reply

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