Bridging the Gap of Gymnastics Lingo
Skills, Drills, Progressions, Conditioning, & At Home Training
Bridge Progressions & Drills
The Basics
To introduce a bridge have gymnast lay on their back, bend their knees and plant their feet on the ground. Have them put their hands by their ears (like 'pizza hands'). By engaging their tummy muscles, have them push their tummy to the sky and push their head off the ground
Tabletop
Have the gymnast sit in a tuck position.
Have them place their hands behind them and with their feet planted, push their tummy to the sky.
Pizza Hands
To introduce a hand placement in a bridge, have the gymnast lay down on their back, and place their 'pizza hands' by their ears. Fingers should be pointing towards their feet. Hands should stay as close to their ears as possible-we don't want them to be too far apart when they push up to a full bridge.
Yoga Bridge
Start seated in a tuck shape, then lay back onto back, while keeping legs bent. Extend arms flat by your sides. Make sure palms are flat on the ground. Engage tummy muscles and life your tummy off the ground. Shoulders and head should remain on the ground.
Over A Rollie
Standing in front of a SMALL rollie, sit on the rollie and place hands on the ground. Push into a bridge over the rollie, using it as support on the back.
Take It To The Floor
Lay on your back, position your hands, bend your knees and plant your feet. Push yourself up into the bridge. To achieve this, you need to push with your legs to get your legs, hips, back, and chest off the ground. At the same time, use your arms to push your head, neck, and shoulders off the ground as well.
***If you have trouble pushing into bridge, try tucking your feet in closer to your body and placing your feet farther apart
