What Can I Do on a Tumble Track
I would've told you to splurge the extra cash, buy the Trak, and get on with your life.
That's because back then, the quality of air products just wasn't up to par, and the maintenance headaches were something no one had time for.
I go to the gym to coach and change lives, not repair equipment or stomp on a foot pump until the calves on my left leg are noticeably more jacked the ones on my right.
But times have changed.
Air Tracks these days are thicker and more resilient to puncture. Repair kits are readily available. They are lightweight and easy to move, and "deflation anxiety" has all but vanished.
At this point in time, there's no reason NOT to have an Air Track/Floor.
It's the only piece of equipment that can be infinitely adjusted to produce just the right amount of bounce.
Have a team of level 2 cheerleaders that just learned their back handsprings last week? Hold down the release valve for 2-3 seconds and you now have something as soft as a Tumble Trak.
Have a private lesson with a level 10 Gymnast? Fire up the air pump and in a matter of seconds, and you now have as surface as firm as a sprung floor.
As you can imagine, the possibilities are virtually unlimited.
But today, I wanted to share 8 of my favorite drill set ups that have produced the best results.
Set Up #1: Front Tuck Launch Pad
Tumbling down the air track isn't the only orientation that it's good for. Put it in the middle of the floor, throw a crash mat on the side and you can have your athletes use it as a launch pad for front tucks and even front tuck step outs.
What's more, if you have a 20 or 30 footer, you can set up multiple crash mats and have 3 rows of front tucks going at once (see diagram below).
Set Up #2: Handstand Snapdown
This is a great set up if you're in a small facility that doesn't have the space for a 20 or 30 foot Air Trak. With a few blocks you can effectively replace the round off and start working the pass immediately.
This is an excellent set up for whips, so be sure to give it at try. And if you've never done whips before, click here to read my complete guide with all the drills you could ever need.
Set Up #3: Ramp It Up!
This one is by far my favorite set up because it removes the running or hurdle entry into the RO (which can take up valuable space). What's more, starting from the Passe shape forces athletes to develop their power by having an aggressive needled kick, which is never a bad thing.
But it doesn't stop there. Here are two more uses for the incline ramp:
Standing passes
In Cheerleading, the standing 2 BHS entry is a common requirement, and so having a ramp set up like this is vital when attaching end skills like tucks and layouts. Or if you'd like to challenge yourself, try the end skills you've already mastered in running passes (such as fulls or doubles) from a standing entry.
Uphill tumbling
Another favorite variation of mine. Uphill tumbling develops a tremendous amount of power and really makes the athlete work! Generally, I want the round off to land on the flat surface while the BHS (or whip) will travel upwards.
Set Up #4: Carpet Top
Once an athlete has mastered a skill on an air surface, taking it straight to floor is too big of a jump in my opinion. That's why I love having them train on a layer of carpet bonded foam (the same stuff regular sprung floors are made from) to make it feel slightly firmer.
I've tumbled on this set up myself, and believe me it serves as the perfect transition. By the way, in the video did you notice the slight gap at the end of the air floor? That's there for a reason – it acts as a "launch" area which allows for an aggressive and fast power hurdle.
Set Up #5: Flip Roll Up
Having done clinics around the World in gyms of all shapes and sizes, there are times I've had to get creative. So if you have an Air Track but don't have any type of handspring trainers, this is a fantastic set up that's quite effective!
Just be aware that in the video, the roll isn't high enough for the athlete I had on hand, which is why I turned it into more of a RO BHS shaping exercise.
Generally, you want the roll to be at their hip height or higher in order to "throw" the skill over and have it feel realistic. The only downside is that the carpet roll doesn't actually… you know, roll with the athlete.
But this curse is also a blessing because it forces a high, tight rebound out of the RO along with a proper snap down to finish.
Set Up #6: Longer The Better
Same set up as the front tuck in terms of mat layout, but the execution couldn't be more different. In this drill, our goal is to help the athlete understand how to stretch their RO and BHS to achieve an aggressive block angle and thus, height for end skills.
Stretching their RO this long might feel a little alien to your athletes – especially if they're use to doing compact, loopy tumbling lines.
But stick with it!
After a few attempts it'll become a breeze. What's more, the extra bounce allows the chest to come up out of the RO much faster than usual (assuming the athlete is tight and blocks from their shoulders).
Alternative Skill: Front Handspring
You can also use this setup for FHS Front Tuck passes. Like in the RO, only the hands should touch the Air Track, allowing them to land their FHS with in a positive angle (feet in front). This will provide massive height for front tucks, front layouts, front fulls etc.
Set Up #7: Flipping Off The Edge
The edges of most Air Tracks these days are are rugged enough to withstand most bumps, scrapes and scratches. This makes them perfect for standing tucks.
Just make sure the air track is pumped to the maximum allowable pressure for this set up. Soft edges will throw off your athletes. The psi you'll need should be in your owner's manual (depending on what brand you have).
The beauty of this setup, is that if you have a 20 or 30 foot Air Track, you can literally have an entire team of athletes work their standing tucks at once. Just separate them into 2 groups and place them in a staggered position (see diagram below; black dots represent athletes).
Set Up #8: Off The Block
If you don't have the room for long Air Track/Floor, then this setup will be ideal. The height of the block provides just enough gravity assist to help an athlete's RO gain power and momentum.
Alternative Skill: Jump to Tuck
For most high level cheerleaders, this is a must-have requirement to join a team. While you may think the above set up will work, I actually don't like any jump to back tuck combinations that originate on the air track because most athletes cheat by rebounding as they come out of the jump.
So instead, have them jump on a block then tuck off it and land on the air floor. Again just like Setup #7, you can have multiple athletes working this at once (See diagram below; arrow indicates where they are facing).
How To Shop For The Perfect AirTrack
So, you're thinking about springing for an air track but aren't sure what brand, style or size to get? No problem! As a retired power tumbler and now a co-owner of 2 gyms, I've done my fair share of flips on air tracks while also making sure every dollar counts. Below, I've laid out my recommended choice based on your situation and experience level. Note that I have no relationship with any particular brand of manufacturer (such as SA Sport or TumblTrak) so I've done my best to be as objective as possible.
For Home Use
Buying air tracks for your back yard is quickly becoming a safer and more cost effective option to trampolines. For personal use, the biggest factors are:
- Set Up/Take Down
- Reliability
This is why I highly recommend buying the Air Floor PRO. Since it's thicker, you don't need to place it on a padded surface (such as carpet or rubber floors). Plus it comes with a velcro attachment so if you need to work connected skills or passes, you can buy another and attach it together instead of lugging a 20 foot floor around.
(be sure to use code addicted1 during checkout for a discount!)
For Coaches/Gym Owners
Since most gyms are equipped with some type of carpeted surface and the athletes are either training with indoor shoes or bare feet, the chances of puncture is greatly reduced when it comes to modern air tracks. This means the biggest factor for most coaches and gym owners will be size & cost.
My suggestion is simple: buy the longest one that you can get away with, and avoid modular set ups. This means instead of connecting two 10 footers together, just go ahead and spring for the 20 footer. Since most air tracks in the gym don't have to be deflated/inflated and moved around often, portability isn't an issue. For reference, the air track used in this article is a 30 footer and most of my athletes can fit their passes on it just fine.
(be sure to use code addicted1 during checkout for a discount!)
Picking Air Track Size Based On Skill Level
If you already have a brand and model in mind but aren't sure what size to get, check out the recommendations below.
10 Foot AirTrack
- Ideal for single skills only
- standing back handspring
- standing buck tuck
- back walkover
- front walkover
- can be used as a launch pad (i.e round off on air track and end skill off. Assumes you have a SAFE landing area)
15 Foot Air Track
- Ideal for 2 skill elements that generally don't require a run
- connected 2 standing back handsprings
- cartwheel back walkovers
- front/side aerials from power hurdle
- punch front tuck from 1 step
20 Foot Air Track
- ideal for 2 skill element passes form hurdle or steps (round off back handspring)
- ideal for 3 skill elements from standing
- connected 3 standing back handsprings
- standing back handspring back tuck
30 Foot Air Track
- ideal for most tumbling passes starting from a hurdle or 1-2 steps
- Useful for whip and whip connections
- Specialty entries such as barani or front tuck step outs
(be sure to use code addicted1 during checkout for a discount!)
What Can I Do on a Tumble Track
Source: http://tumblingcoach.com/blog/airtrackdrills/