How to Do Gymnastics Jumps

Keen on trying out some gymnastics jumps? There are various core jumps in gymnastics which can help improve the height, speed and agility of the gymnast when performing her or his routines. Many of these jumps have uses in other endeavors, such as dance, parkour, acrobatics, trampolining, ice skating, exercise routines and the like. This article provides a brief explanation of each jump style.

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Before you even consider jumping, choose a suitable soft surface to minimize the risk of injury to your body. A suitable surface is one that is both flat and soft. Ideal surfaces include grass, exercise mats and soft playground surfaces specifically designed to break the impact of falls. Moreover, in each case you are advised to have a spotter, a person who can watch you and help if needed. Preferably, have someone who knows how to perform the jumps teach you how to do them; an article explanation can never take the place of a real life demonstration and hands-on help.
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Start with the star jump or jumping jack. This jump has a pedigree that extends beyond gymnastics––it's also used for training military recruits, as a physical education exercise in schools and as part of numerous exercise programs worldwide. It's an energizing exercise that can be performed almost anywhere there's space to jump!^{[1]XResearch source}
- Warm up first or you risk hurting yourself.
- Stand with your legs apart, shoulder-width and knees slightly bent. Have your arms to your sides, slightly bent.
- Squat down by bending your knees.
- Jump up vertically, as high as you can go.
- At the same time, bring your arms up to point at a 45 degree angle from your head toward the sky, while extending your legs out similarly. This will form the "star" shape.
- As you begin to descend, bring your legs and arms back in. Aim to land back in the same spot with your knees bent.
- Repeat as often as needed––the landing position prepares you for each successive launch.
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Next, try the straight jump. Straight jumps are used in more than just gymnastics, for example in parkour, martial arts and even snowboarding and each method may differ slightly. The method explained here is based on the gymnastics version:^{[2]XResearch source}
- Warm up first or you risk hurting yourself.
- Stand in a straight body position. Keep your legs together and arms by your sides.
- Bend into a plié.
- Now jump straight up. As you enter mid-air, point your toes and extend your arms upwards, past your ears to reach above your head.
- Land back in a plié.
- Repeat as often as needed––the landing position prepares you for each successive launch.
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After perfecting the straight jump (do it at least 10 times), try to do a tuck jump. Another exercise that extends beyond gymnastics, the tuck jump is often used to increase the vertical jump of athletes, increasing both power and agility through repeated practice.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Warm up first or you risk hurting yourself. This step must not be overlooked.
- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Have your knees slightly bent. Keep your head up and your eyes forward.
- Squat low by bending your knees.
- From the squat position, push yourself upward as powerfully as you can. As you reach mid-air, bring your knees up to your chest.
- Bring your arms to clasp together around your bend legs.
- As you start descending, let go of your legs and bring down to land, knees bent.
- Descend straight into another squat. Repeat as many times as desired.
- This jump is for infrequent use (about weekly only) as it can damage your joints if overdone.
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Follow with a straddle jump. Often used in cheerleading, dancing and trampolining as well as gymnastics, the straddle jump is also known as the "toe touch." Before attempting this jump, be sure you are able to perform a center split. Also, practicing on a trampoline often helps to improve your technique. Be aware that this jump doesn't "just happen." It takes a lot of practice and concentration on improving your technique; some people find it is just to hard to do, so don't push yourself too hard, especially not without help from a qualified trainer. As this jump can be quite risky done alone, always do it with a spotter. In fact, the spotter can help you by holding your back at waist level to give you extra lift.^{[4]XResearch source}
- Warm up first or you risk hurting yourself.
- Use a chair for support for your first tries. Weight the chair with something heavy to prevent it from toppling over.
- Hold onto the back of the chair and simply practice jumping up and down, as high as you go. Only add the split if you feel confident.
- Remove the support. Stand with both feet together, you arms dangling by your sides in a relaxed fashion. Stay relaxed all over.
- Squat down to the floor. Use your hands to balance you on the floor and raise your heels off the floor slightly.
- To take off, look up, breathe in and then push yourself up from the floor.
- Jump up into the air as high as you can, relying on the strength in your legs to get you into the air.
- Bring your legs out to the sides when up high in the jump and point your toes out. Your arms should also be stretched out toward your pointed toes (you may even try to touch them). Your head should be upright and your eyes facing forward.
- As you begin to descend, quickly pull your legs back together before landing, knees bent.
- Repeat as often as required.
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Finally, practice doing a split jump. As with the straddle jump, this jump is popular in dance, trampolining, cheerleading and gymnastics. Figure skating is another area where a split jump is used but its technique is not covered here. It is also a general gym or exercise technique but in this case, you barely leave the ground, so this method is not covered here. In gymnastics, the aim is to show 180 degrees of separation of the legs.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Warm up first or you risk hurting yourself.
- Stand with both feet together, your arms dangling by your sides in a relaxed fashion. Stay relaxed all over.
- Jump upward, as high as you can.
- Split the legs when mid-air. Pull one leg forward and the other behind as you are in mid-air. Point the toes.
- When you are about to land, pull your legs back into the original position and land gently, knees bent. For gymnasts, this jump is often landed on a beam, but never practice this without appropriate supervision from a qualified gym instructor.
- Repeat as required.

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For the jumps, should I do them barefoot?
Emily
Community Answer
It depends. If you are going to perform barefoot, it is good to practice barefoot. If you are performing in shoes, wear shoes.
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Do I need to get a mat?
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A mat is nice to have, but not completely necessary. You can get a nice, cheap yoga mat instead, if you can't afford a gymnastics mat.
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Can I do gymnastics if I am fat?
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Of course! Body size does not matter. Gymnastics is a sport, so you will be fit in no time.
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Tips

The split jump may be easier beginning with a running start.
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For the straddle and split jumps, it helps if you know how to do all the different kinds of splits.
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It's recommended that you watch others perform these jumps, or at the very least watch a video of the relevant jumps, before attempting them.
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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of How.com.vn readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on How.com.vn, please submit it in the field below.

If you're practicing straddle jumps, try using a sturdy chair for balance support to start. Hold on to the back of it as you jump up and down to get comfortable. Then you can try the full straddle jump with the leg split when you feel steady.
When you land tuck jumps, make sure to bend your knees slightly to cushion yourself, then sink back into the squat to prep for the next one. Go easy on how many tuck jumps you do though — overdoing it can be hard on your joints.
I'd really recommend warming up properly first — take 10 minutes to dynamically stretch out your muscles before attempting any jumps. Having a spotter who knows gymnastics can keep you safer while you're learning, too.
After you finish jumping, hold stretches like the inner thighs, hamstrings and calves for 30 seconds each. It'll make you more flexible and less sore the next day!
Work on fully straightening your legs, arms and body when you jump — point those toes too! It helps perfect your form and reduces injury risk on the landing.
Wear fitted workout clothes so you can move freely and go barefoot if the floor's safe. Bare feet really help with balance and stability.

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Warnings

All of these jumps are dangerous if not properly done and/or done on hard ground. Always have a spotter with you, preferably someone who knows how to perform these jumps and can guide you.
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