Front Drops for Beginners

A Guide to Performing the Skill Correctly on the Trampoline

Jul 19, 2009

Front drops are trampolining skills in their own right but they can also be progressed into higher level skills or incorporated into somersault landings.

Front drops can be progressed by adding full and half twists. The result can be a half twist into front drop, front drop half twist out, full twist into front drop or less commonly, front drop full twist out.

Position of a Front Drop on the Bed

Trampolinists are always taught the front drop position while lying on the bed. They lie on their front with their navel over the cross. Their legs should be together with the toes pointed and lifted from the bed. The knees should be bent by no more than 45°.

The trampolinists’ arms will bend with the elbows pointing outwards so the fingers can come together underneath the chin. This not only protects the chin from scrapes but also creates a flat landing area for the upper body. The trampolinist will look either at the floor through the bed or towards the end of the bed.

Hands and Knees Front Drop

A trampolinists’ first attempt at a front drop should be from a hands and knees position on the bed. From this height it is very unlikely that they will sustain an injury if things go wrong. The trampolinist can rock the bed slightly whilst on their hands and knees to create a small bounce.

At the top of the bounce the trampolinist should push their hips backwards, extend their feet behind and bend their elbows to create the arm position. The trampolinist should land as flat as possible, if the body lands unevenly the back may jar and cause pain.

The trampolinist should be able to use the natural rebound action of the bed to return to the original hands and knees position.

Progressing to a Standing Front Drop

When the trampolinist can confidently perform a front drop from their hands and knees they will want to progress and start on their feet. Their coach will often place a crash mat on the bed for the first few attempts as this will create a soft landing. Once the coach is satisfied the trampolinist can perform the skill safely the mat can be removed.

Trampolinists are first taught to stand on the cross whilst bending forwards from the hips so their upper body can create the position required for the landing. This gives the trampolinist one less thing to think about as they take a small bounce and push their hips back to land in their front drop. As the trampolinists’ confidence grows they can stand up straight and add height to their bounce.

Making a Front Drop Look Professional

To avoid stumbled landings trampolinists’ push themselves off of the bed with their hands and use their feet to help propel themselves upright again. To achieve this movement the trampolinists’ feet will kick downwards after their body makes contact with the bed.

As with all skills, the arms should stretch up during the upwards bounce before being brought down to make contact with the bed and pushed upwards again with the next upwards bounce.

Once the front drop has been perfected the trampolinist may wish to develop the skill further into tucked and piked front drops.

The copyright of the article Front Drops for Beginners in Gymnastics is owned by Kim Ford. Permission to republish Front Drops for Beginners in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.