Once the gymnasts are demonstrating some improvement on the basic beam walks they may progress to start training little beam hops. This kind of challenge must be introduced on a low beam first and only practiced on the high beam when the gymnast shows safe and fair consistency.
These kind of hops require a good balance control and must not be attempted by novice gymnasts on a high beam. After the athletes have demonstrated acceptable proficiency on a low beam they can progressively move a skill to a medium beam and later on to a regulation height beam. Any type of basic drill hopping on one single leg should be trained on support feet. Notice how this athlete was kicking with the right leg up first and then comes back kicking with the left leg up.
Gymnasts at all levels benefit from practicing connected tuck jumps even if they have already mastered them. The jumps can be performed moving forward across the beam like in these examples or connecting several jumps in place without traveling forward, taking off and landing in the same place.
Gymnasts that have mastered straight body jumps moving along the length of the beam can start training this variation where they combine tight arch jumps with hollow shape jumps. Besides helping the athletes to continue developing their balance and confidence, these jumps also help to refine body shaping accuracy, landing stability and other execution and presentation aspects like keeping straight legs and the feet pointing during airtime.
These kinds of activities are good challenges to master during warm ups or gymnastics dance periods. During each jump the legs straighten and the feet switch back and forth to end in the same position that the jump began. After several repetitions the gymnasts change the feet position so they can practice the other side. Some of the main goals are to maintain a vertical body position in the air and while landing on the ground plus keeping the stomach in and the buttocks also tucked-in through the whole skill.
The little switch drill is another basic activity to develop jumping confidence on the beam. The feet should be facing forward and not turned in during take off and especially during landings. The gymnast should also concentrate on proper posture and form presentation while standing up on the beam or during the flying phases of the jumps.
As on the floor the tuck jump on the beam is described as bringing the knees horizontal or higher at peak height. Taking off and landing is performed with one foot slightly in front of the other. As the gymnasts get better they can kick out after reaching the peak height of the tuck. The kick out is done quickly so the athlete has time to bend the knees during the landing. Observe this gymnast's quick kick out.
As soon as the novice gymnasts can perform regular walks across the beam with a fair level of safe proficiency they can start training different variations to develop posture balance and presentation. Like in this example showing a locked knee with the foot pointing on each step then showing the walk with the arms up on a crown instead of straight out on the sides. It is important to always keep the arms vertical. Both kinds of walks can also be performed in tall releves to increase balance development. Always focus on keeping a good gymnastics posture with the stomach and buttocks tucked in. The eyes may keep contact with the apparatus as long as the head is not dropping out of line with the rest of the body. Eventually the arms positions can be combined during the walks on each step changing from straight arms out to crown up and vice versa. The arm motions from one position to the other can be coordinated with the hands fingers and chin to add flair and elegance to the execution.
As the novice gymnasts improve their balance and confidence training different kinds of walks and other basic skills each of these activities can be refined and upgraded from simple back walks. The athlete must be guided to develop more challenging variations. In this case the legs swing backwards to a tight arch on every step and the gymnasts must focus on keeping the knees locked, the stomach in, and the arms and the body as stable as possible minimizing wobbles and hesitations.
Performing side walks on the balance beam is a good drill for beginner and novice gymnasts that want to improve their balance, posture and presentation.
