Below is a summary of each episode to be used whilst viewing each video.
Low impact for Kindergym participants. This warmup can be done every day as a general warmup for our Kindergym lessons.
This has both an on-the-spot and moving portion. The on-the-spot portion goes through marching, running, running with high knees, running with bottom kicks, straight jumps, star jumps, tuck jumps, leg swaps, mountain climbers. Then we explain how to create combinations of on the spot exercises to create your own on-the-stop cardio warm up. The moving portion goes through long jumps, spider-man push-ups, crab walks, bears walks, caterpillar walks. These can be combined into a workout.
Explains how to make your own beam at home. You can make your own with chalk, a piece or rope or a hose. You can walk along the beam forwards, backwards, side-to-side and grapevines.
This video explains how to make your very own no sew tutu (30mins assembly time)
The materials needed include:
- Up to 1 metre of ribbon
- metre square of each colour of Tulle for a 3 year old child (up to 5m in length for adults)
- 1 safety pin for securing
- 1 pair of scissors
The activities include; stretch up tall, stretch up tall on your tippy toes, arm circles, arm circles on tippy toes, turn around in a circle, plié with a bow, jump with pointed toes, spin around again and bow.
(Levels, Team gym, Gym fun & Development)
Time to create: 5-20mins (depending upon your choice of ribbon)
The materials needed:
- Wooden stick
- 20-30cms of ribbon
- Metal attachments – fishing hook swivel (found in most fishing sections of Kmart)
- 1 eyelet
OR
OR
- Wooden stick
- Ribbon
- Masking tape
You will need a chair or a stable incline surface that can support body weight. How many you can do in 1 minute and remember to post your result.
This video explains activities to do at home with a ribbon. These include; big circles, little circles, rainbow arch, paint the door, side to side, waves and snake, tail. What you can your child do?
This video is a progression for a handstand. The video teaches shaping, strength and aerial awareness. We are using an incline surface (couches are a great option) and going through tuck handstand, pike handstand and single leg
This video is designed for our recreational programs, but can be used by all levels. The dance is a warm up and teaches basic choreography steps to benefit team gym and levels. Kate will also explain common mistakes seen in handstands.
Correct shape is to have legs are 90 degrees with thighs parallel to the ground and back flat against the wall. Aim for 1 minute and if you can hold it longer without moving post in the comment section.
The video explains how to build knee tendon/ligament strength. Building knee strength is a great way to help you stick your landings.
It contains:
- Freestanding isometric squats (squat hold) - progressing to one leg to challenge yourself (30 second hold)
- Wall Slides – Wall sit with movement with a slight hold at the bottom (10 repetitions
- Leg tensions – single leg isolations (10 repetitions each leg)
- Leg lifts – single leg isolations (10 repetitions each leg)
- Repeat all exercises (Sets) 3-5 times depending on difficulty
Come join us as we march around like Storm Troopers, practice using the force, grab your musical instrument and join in the Cantina Band and don’t forget your lightsaber as you join Obi Wan Kenobi on your Padawan journey.
This workout is for basic core and upper body strength. Exercises include:
- Baby dish – lying on back, keep bottom and shoulder off the floor, legs lifted with knees at 90 degrees and arms straight up in the arm. Aim to hold for 1 minute.
- Parachute hold – lying on stomach lift shoulder and knees off the floor as high as possible. Aim to hold for 1 minute
- Incline push ups – Push-ups on an incline platform. Hold plank position during exercise. Aim for 10 repetitions.
- Scapula shrugs – in a plank position drop chest to pull shoulder blades together and then push chest up and push shoulder blades apart. Aim for 10 repetitions
- Complete 3-5 sets. 3-easy, 4-challenging, 5-difficult
This video is a warm up specifically for spinal warm up. The first part Rory breakdowns the dance choreography for the Cane Shuga dance. This video talks about the correct positions, shapes and movements for correct warm up. The second part of the video is the dance which goes through the different spinal movements to use and warm up the muscles around the spine.
We explain the correct technique and shaping for the angry cat position. Kate demonstrates the strength of the Angry Cat if in the correct position (do not try this at home).
Try and hold a freestanding handstand for as long as possible. Focus on opening shoulders, tight core (squeezing stomach and bottom) and squeezing legs together. Comment your longest time in the comments section.
Kate explains how to make your own bean bags at home and activities to do with them.
You will need:
- A pair of socks OR bean bags
- A hoop
- A paper bag
- A washing basket
This video shows a simple and easy way to identify your child’s dominant leg. The leg that they land on will be used for entry into handstand, cartwheel, leaps, etc.
This choreographed Rhythmic Dance to ‘Have Mercy’ is specifically designed for our Team Gym program, although every level will find this useful for dance and timing. There is no breakdown for this video to make it more challenging for our students.
In this video we talk about the importance of a strong shape. It is important to remember to have a strong core with legs together, squeezed bottom, shoulders on ears and shoulders over hands. If you have a weak shape go back to angry cat to strengthen your shape.
This week’s Rory’s Challenge is Tuck Jumps. Each tuck jump must have knees above hip height to be valid.
Leave a question in the comments section of the video and Kate and Rory will answer them for you.
Roll-up roll-up, come join Kate as she re-creates the circus in her backyard. Come see the amazing elephants, the powerful tigers, the flying acrobats and the colourful clowns.
In today’s video we are talking about basic drills for learning handstand. The drills include the steps for leading into handstand, shaping on floor, tuck to handstand, walking feet up wall and tuck shaping on wall. Remember to always keep arms straight in handstand drills. Please refer to previous ‘Tuck Handstand’ (episode 16) videos beforehand.
This episode is on the trampoline, you will see that we filmed this activity in the Gymnastics Centre. We go through how to safely land in motorbike on floor and on trampoline. We then go through the stick it game – perform skills to land in motorbike (straight jump, tuck, straddle, ½ turn, full turn, pike). The last drill for this week is how to correctly perform donkey kicks on a trampoline
For those who have a trampoline at home please complete a safety check:
- Check that all the springs are in place in your trampoline
- Mark a shape in the middle of the trampoline for the children to stay inside of whilst bouncing
This video is music strength to ‘Baby Shark’. The exercises are designed in both an easy and a hard version.
The exercises are:
- Baby Shark – scissors – on elbows/ in dish
- Mummy shark – snaps – on elbows/ in dish
- Daddy – Dish/ dish tuck
- Grandma – baby rock/ dish rock
- Grandpa – single leg snaps/ v-snaps
- Run Away – back kicks – on elbows/ in arch
- Safe at last – back lifts/ back hold
The ‘Push to Point’ video is emphasising a strong a point, which is vital in gymnastics in all aspects from artistry through to improving dynamics (jumping).
The drills include:
- Shaping on the floor
- Resistance bands to build strength
- Couch cushions for flexibility
- Flex on triangle
- Shoe example – motion of movement
- Slow motion example
This week’s Rory’s Challenge is Baby Dish. Start lying on your back, keep bottom and shoulder off the floor, legs lifted with knees at 90 degrees and arms straight up in the arm. Aim to hold for 1 minute. Let us know how long you can hold yours for.
This video shows basic drills to develop handstand. We begin with drills for entry into of cartwheel, bunny hops over a box and baby cartwheel.
This video is for intermediate drills for a cartwheel. We begin with a star hold against the wall, along a line, turn in (1/4) using hands, holding handstand in the middle and lever snap-downs.
These basic press drills is specifically for leg tensions. The drills are:
- Single and double leg straddle - lifts and holds
- Single leg pike and double leg pike - lifts and holds
- Lifting bottom in straddle and pike position
- Complete L-sit and straddle with legs and bottom off the floor
This video of gym skills recreated at home include; v-snaps on a bed, quad stretching against a wall, leg lifts against the couch on an incline with cushions, shoulder stretching using an elevated surface, pike stretch against a door frame, front support hold on a bench tops and shoulder dips on a bench top.
This week Rory’s Challenge is Fish Flops. Lying on your front you need to lift arms and legs off the ground so that shoulders and hips come off the floor. Can you hold this position for 1 minute.
Watch out the Minions are in town. We are going start with follow the leader, learn to hop, leap frog and bunny hops.
This week of flexibility training with kick drills we are building hip strength and flexibility. We will start on our back doing single leg isolated kicks up and to the side, then on our stomach kicking up and to the side, then lying on the side kicking up and making a circle. Each exercise will be done with a pointed toe and flexed feet. Lastly in the angry cat position kick up with a straight let and then kick as high as possible.
Using a simple dice write up a plan from 1 to 6, you can make it as simple or difficult as possible. Starting from animal walks/shapes in Kindergym or strength conditioning for Levels. Parents we also have one for you.
Put it on your head while standing, then go down to sit without letting the pillow fall off. Put the pillow on your knees while sitting, extend your legs. Then put your feet up in the air and move the pillow from one foot to the other. On your back in angry cat position, walk back and forth. Kneeling on knees, hold pillow on one hand and then stand up.
This week’s Rory’s Challenge is push ups. For each repetition you must start in a front support position, touch your chest to the floor and push back up. See how many you can
Come join Kate as she bounces around the bed and does her bedtime send off.
This video is a basic full body stretching routine designed for our levels students, but is suitable for any level of gymnastics to be done daily. Remember to be properly warmed up before stretching (please refer to one of our cardio warm up videos - episode 8 or episode 9) and to not stretch beyond your capability.
The stretches include:
- Pike
- Straddle (single and both)
- Splits - please refer to previous video for split stretches
- Shoulders (diamond hands on wall and on a chair)
- Bridge
- Wrists
- Ankles
This weeks video is to learn to skip. Basics of hand manipulation, the importance of back skipping with steps and when confidence is gained add a jump. Then teaching the same thing forwards. Progressing to criss-cross jumps, double jumps, hopping and boxer jumps.
This week's Rory's Challenge is Squats. Keep feet shoulder-width apart, knees pushing out to the side and chest staying upright. See how many you can do in 1 minute and post in the comments below in 1 minute.