How to Do a Roundoff

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how to do a roundoff

A roundoff is one of the most important gymnastics skills a gymnast will learn. A roundoff gives power to floor tumbling passes, the most basic of those being a roundoff back handspring. It also gives power to Yurchenko vaults. You will never learn how to do very high level tumbling skills, like a double back, without learning how to do a perfect, powerful roundoff.

If you’ve already mastered a roundoff, you can download a Roundoff Club Certificate.

Roundoff Certificate

I’m going to let you know what muscles you need to strengthen along with exercises and drills you can do to learn how to do a roundoff.

If you are doing a roundoff into a tumbling pass, your roundoff will start with a hurdle. Start with trying to do a straight leg hurdle, but if you need to you can bend your front leg slightly. You will start with your arms next to your side and as you hurdle bring your arms straight up over your head next to your ears.

After the hurdle, you will bend your front leg like you are doing a lunge, or mountain climber. Then your back leg will come up straight behind you, like it does in a needle kick. Your arms will be in front of you reaching for the ground. As you land your first hand like you would in a cartwheel with it turned to the side, your first foot comes off the ground. Your second hand will make a 3/4 turn, and land with your fingers pointing towards your other hand, like a “T.” As your second hand lands on the ground, your second foot comes up behind you. Then you will snap your legs down, like you do in a handstand snap-down. If you’ve done it correctly, your roundoff will have so much power you will naturally rebound. You want to keep your body tight and squeezed during your rebound.



Muscles You Need for a Roundoffmuscles you need for a roundoff

Arms: You need strong arms to push, or block off the floor during your roundoff.

Legs: You need strong legs to lunge and push off the floor in the beginning of your roundoff.

Core: You need strong core muscles to hold your body tight during your roundoff and the rebound.

Exercises You Can Do at Home:

Handstand Hold: Practicing holding a handstand is great for strengthening your arm muscles. It’s a vertical pushing exercise. In the middle of your roundoff you will be doing a vertical push when you push off the ground to land on your feet. You can practice holding a handstand against the wall, or with a handstand homework mat.

lunges

Lunges: When you step into your roundoff, the step should be a lunging (mountain climb) step. So lunges are a great exercise to practice to improve your roundoff. To do a lunge, stand with your legs together and your hands on your hips (or if you are using weights with your arms beside you). Your back should be straight and you should be looking in front of you. Step one foot forward and bend both legs until your back leg is almost touching the floor and your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Make sure your front knee is above your ankle, and that your back knee doesn’t touch the floor. Stand up and repeat with the other leg.

goblet squat exercise

Goblet Squat: A goblet squat is another exercise that will help you strengthen the leg muscles you need to do a powerful roundoff. A goblet squat is a variation of a basic squat. The goblet squat is a squat while holding a kettlebell, dumbbell or medicine ball in between your legs. To do one, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your back straight and your core squeezed, lower yourself with your weight on your heels. As you lower yourself, keep the weight in the middle of your body and let your elbows go between your knees. The goal will be for your thighs to become perpendicular to your calves, but only go as far as you can while controlling the movement. With the weight of your body in your heels, push against the floor and raise yourself back to a standing position in order to complete the repetition.

planks

Planks: Planks are a great exercise for strengthening your core muscles. You need strong stomach muscles to hold your body tight during your roundoff. You can do a plank exercise from either your wrists or your elbows. When you are in the plank position you want to be squeezing your legs, butt and core. Your shoulders should be over your elbows, and your body should be in a straight line from your head to your feet. As you are squeezing all your muscles and maintaining a straight-body position, make sure to breathe!

Drills for Learning a Roundoff:

Mountain Climb Needle Kick: Practicing mountain climb needle kicks is helpful because they mimic the motion in the beginning of the roundoff. To do a mountain climb needle kick, start standing with your legs together. Then step your dominant leg forward and bend it until your knee is perpendicular to your shin. Lift your back leg up straight, with the goal of getting it directly vertical over your body. Return to a stand with your feet together to repeat the repetition. You can see this drill in the video above.

Needle Kicks with Therabands: You should not attempt needle kicks with therabands until you have mastered needle kicks without them. To do this drill tie one end of a theraband to each of your feet. Stand with your feet together. Then kick your dominant leg up while leaning your chest down and touching the floor. The goal is for the leg that is kicking to get completely vertical while you keep both legs straight.

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Handstand Snap-Down: The handstand snap down drill is an important drill for learning a roundoff because it is the second half of the skill. To do this drill, do a handstand on the edge of a panel mat. Then bring our legs down together fast while pulling your chest up. The goal is to quickly get your legs down at the same time you are pulling your chest up.

Hurdle Practice: Start practicing a hurdle doing it with straight legs, and then if you need to you can bend your front leg a little. This is demonstrated by the gymnasts in the above video.

Hurdle Arm Swings with Light Weights: You can practice hurdle arm swings with light weights after you have mastered hurdle arm swings without them.

Roundoff on a Line: Practice your roundoff on a line to make sure you have a nice, straight roundoff. This will be useful later for when you want to do Yurchenko vaults, or a roundoff on beam.

Roundoff over a Barrel: Practicing your roundoffs over a barrel helps to make sure you are blocking off your hands, since that’s the only way you will make it over the barrel. Pushing off your hands is part of what gives your roundoff power.

Tools for Learning a Roundoff

Description

Price

Panel Mat

how to bridge kickover tools panel mat

A panel mat is helpful for doing several roundoff drills, including handstand snap-downs. $333.44

Check Current Price Here

Handstand Homework Mat

how to cast handstand tools handstand homework mat

A handstand homework mat is useful for practicing holding a handstand at home, without having to do it against a hard wall. $182.02

Check Current Price Here

Theraband

how to kip tools theraband

Therabands are great for doing needle kick drills. $14.99

Check Current Price Here

Light Weights

how to cast handstand tools light weights

 

You can use light weights when practicing your hurdle arm swings, or for resistance when doing lunges. $41.99

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Barrel

how to tools barrel

A barrel is a helpful tool for making sure your gymnast is pushing off the ground in her roundoff, by doing the roundoff over a barrel drill. Price shown for a 24″x24″x30″ barrel. $367.21

Check Current Price Here

Kettlebells

how to tools kettlebells

You can use kettlebells for resistance when you do goblet squats. $45.62

Check Current Price Here

 

The drills and exercises above should help you learn how to do a roundoff. But once you learn the mechanics of a roundoff, you should spend time mastering the skill. A powerful roundoff is an important part of advanced tumbling passes, and it makes it easier to learn advanced tumbling skills.

 

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19 comments… add one
  • Kailey April 29, 2017, 4:08 pm

    This website is extremely helpful! I love being able to see more skills I can work with my beginner and my intermediate kiddos. PLUS, it’s making my kiddos move up to the next level much faster.

    Reply
    • gymnasticshq May 1, 2017, 10:10 am

      so happy it’s helpful, and love to hear that they are improving!

      Reply
  • john b June 27, 2017, 11:43 am

    I actually have never done gymnastics. My mom signed me up for classes when I was six and I remember crying because I was scared I think. I regret missing that opportunity. Since then I practiced taekwondo. I received my black belt, however, I always knew I could be so much more with gymnastic training. I recently decided to teach myself some parcor moves to do as I run. Anyway, before I learn wall flips and whatever I first research and I have found these posts very inciteful and surely useful for both my martial arts and parcor training. Perhaps I will still learn gymnastics after all, without crying (as much). I appreciate the knowledge&wisdom that you share.

    Reply
  • Josephine July 29, 2017, 7:43 pm

    I’ve been trying to get a roundoff for a little while. I will definitely try these tips out. I can’t right now since it’s nighttime, but I have lots of hope in these tips. I hope they work!!!

    Reply
  • Roshanda Cayette-Contreras September 11, 2017, 5:57 pm

    These are great drills! Any drills or pointers that may help my daughter get her legs together in her roundoff?

    Reply
    • Cambri goodvile June 1, 2023, 1:24 pm

      You can practice handstand snap downs .

      Reply
    • Allison March 2, 2024, 2:30 pm

      Try pushing her legs farther

      Reply
  • Aaliyah March 27, 2020, 1:25 pm

    So im basically going to be doing majorette and they have to know how to do different flips and be flexiable , i am pretty flexiable im just out of tune so im going to be teaching my self gymnastics and this is the first thing im learing

    Reply
  • Anonymous May 13, 2020, 5:29 pm

    SO HARD!!!

    Reply
    • Stacey September 21, 2020, 3:52 am

      Its not that hard

      Reply
  • emma March 27, 2021, 8:47 am

    I have been trying to get my roundoff for years this really helped

    Reply
  • Scott October 3, 2021, 6:38 pm

    Lovely videos. I just don’t know what to do. My son’s round offs have no flying power to them. His hands go down, his feet come over, and he has to lift his hands off the ground…. we are working on making sure he’s more linear… keeping ears by his shoulders instead of sticking his head out. It’s tricky stuff.

    Reply
    • Cambri goodvile June 1, 2023, 1:26 pm

      Try having him hurdle into or running into it and practice conditioning.

      Reply
  • wsp November 16, 2021, 3:55 pm

    im gay

    Reply
  • avoidapk August 31, 2023, 5:28 am

    I love this! I’m a big fan of rounding off numbers and this is a great way to do it quickly and easily. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  • TV Schedule September 1, 2023, 4:03 pm

    I love this! I’m a big fan of rounding off numbers and this is a great way to do it quickly and easily. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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