Front Tuck *CRYS* With video.

[Duckzilla]

[ACK! I have been working this thing for a while and i am getting nowhere! People are telling me it is the way i am using my arms for my take off. What are the different ways to prep and stuff using your arms?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8RFs_S76_U

[TKD_Andy]

you're throwing yourself forwards and down.

Try and jump UP... you're really not getting any spring off the plyo, i dont quite understand how!!

[Duckzilla]

I know i have a hight problem...I am having a hard time understanding on how to use my arms. There is like different types of arm swings like russian style or something like that...Someone explain.

[thereid]

Front tucks are weird I've seen people with fairly good form land terribly and people with similar form land perfectly, I think it just takes a lot of practice.

[Matthew.]

I see your problem. You might not improve a great amount of height but I don't know for sure. I think you are hopping too much into it. Try to take a small little leap and then pounce as hard as u can. With that huge hop you did that, right before the front flip, it stalls you for too long and probably slows down a bit of momentum. When your doing these tricks, remember its the speed of the shifting of movements that make the difference.
Another problem is what TKD_Andy pointed out. You are throwing your arms downwards basically. Try to swing it towards the sky, like you want to grab something ahead of you, like a basketball rim, stall for like a split second, and then tuck like a fuck!

EDIT: Also, since you mentioned it, you can also try swinging your arms from underneath you and up into the air if you don't feel comfortable with swinging it straight into the air.
Swinging it from head level, straight into the air might be hard at first because, some novicer's feel that that won't rotate enough if they don't include some sort of swinging downward motion.

[shengoikee]

you need to bloooooock dude!

send your legs out in front of you and jump straight upwards

[Bryanimay]

Similar to what shengoikee said , be sure to block , this can be done by punching the floor with your toes infront of your hips , which will send your body UP instead of forward .

Also , it would help to keep your arms closer by your head , they should stay by your ears , this would lead to better rotation , control , and even help you travel UP .

[kamikaze!]

Main problem here is blocking.

Search for DOGENS BLOCKING TUTORIAL.

edit: where's dogen nowdays anyway?
I havent seen him on the forums for a long time now.

[diogoo]

You need to block to get height. Jump more up then forward, and, if possible, tuck harder.

[Siphin]

ok for your arms try to think of it as a slam dunk put ur arms up above ur head when u take off and go up as if u were gonna slam dunk a basket ball then when u start to slow down going upward use those arms to swing down into ur tuck which will give u the momentum needed to land the move..if done correctly u should be rotating over your head also watch dogens blocking tutorial for what to do with ur feet..

[thx4btwst]

try putting a shoe or something small on the the ground. run and jump and put your feet together at the object and flip over it that is how I learned.

[Kid Knuckles]

lol paramore in the background

[Tocano]

idk where dogen is i just called him and he didn't answer

[tristan]

lol paramore in the background

paramore got to seen by us. twice.

[BoredArnold]

when you jump, keep your arms down. the way you're using them right now it to flip, not for the height. when u jump, swing your arms up high, similar to how you set up a backtuck. after its set up, just swing your arms back down.

[007lemur]

i agree with arnold. arms down then up is the way to go. your arms are way more useful for getting height then for getting rotation. it also makes more sense; throw them down, you go down. throw them up, you go up!

[Dave]

I know i have a hight problem...I am having a hard time understanding on how to use my arms. There is like different types of arm swings like russian style or something like that...Someone explain.

Find your own rhythm to the move, make sure you feel comfortable.

The main essential is blocking and jumping UP, the rest should be you finding a comfortable flow for the move, e.g. where and how you tuck, what you do with your arms, etc.

[Aerex]

The hop you take befor actually blocking is far to long. It totaly eliminates the momentum you get out of the sprint. And what was said befor is also right. I heard someone once saying you have to throw your hips over your head, instead throwing your head under your hips.
Dunno if this makes any sence. Just trying to help.
Good luck!!

[Crunch]

block correctly and tuck.

[Dragonic MiKe]

The problem you have with your arms is THEY'RE NOT THE PROBLEM!

Stop thinking about your arms and just plain jump higher! i.e UP and with more force.

[koentjuh]

didn't read the whole threat but your "hop" ath the beginning is WAY to big, try to do a little hop :)

[Celine23]

The hop is too big. You are not blocking cause your upper body leans forward after the hop. This is the reason you get no height. Oh and you also initiate the rotation too early.

[thaeds]

Everyone in this thread has really good advice, however the words they say aren't going to amount to much, because they are using terms like blocking, which while you might understand the concept of, you are not yet capable of doing!

when you jump, keep your arms down. the way you're using them right now it to flip, not for the height. when u jump, swing your arms up high, similar to how you set up a backtuck. after its set up, just swing your arms back down.

This is great advice for some people. It's also terrible advice for others, it's a fairly powerfull, but complicated method of setting that could easily confuse you and result in you landing on your head. I would practice that into a pit, or not at all. If it works for you, great.

THE FIRST THING you need to do, as many other people have stated before me, but I will try and state more clearly, so that you can improve, is to learn to set out of a low, medium length hop. DON'T FLIP YET. Practice taking as many steps as you like (I always use three, left, right, left, hop) and make your last hop equal, or lower than your previous ones, and of the same length. Make sure you land with your feet out in front of you (blocking), as far out in front as is comfortable, and then jump straight up. You should feel like you only touch the ground for a brief time (it takes a quick hop to get height, not a super muscular strong one). You shouldn't travel very far forward after this, I'd say about two to three feet? Give or take. Practice this SET at least three dozen times before you try another tuck.

Your arms are important as well, but nothing compared to getting your set right. Get that first! If you are wondering what to do with your arms, the easiest way I've found to learn a front tuck is to go into the hop with your arms straight, and behind your head, then as you leave the ground, throw them up and then forward while you tuck. (As you move into the hop, from the last step you can lift your arms up behind your head, keep them straight though until the tuck!)

When you go into your tuck, make absolutely sure that you are pulling your legs UP and BEHIND you, not in front of you or under you. Tuck tight, but tuck UP and behind you! If done right this will give you more rotation, which means you can jump higher, and open earlier!

Like I said, practice your set - LOTS be 100% confident that you know where every part of your body is going to be during the set before trying the tuck again. Once you have the right set, then worry about the rest.

[thaeds]

I know i have a hight problem...I am having a hard time understanding on how to use my arms. There is like different types of arm swings like russian style or something like that...Someone explain.

There are tons of variations on how to set, the three main ones from gymnastics are Russian, American, and Chinese.

American is starting with your arms up and slightly behind you, pushing them straight up on the set, and then pulling them forward on the tuck. Think about a bowstaff that is bent slightly, as it straightens out it pushes up.

Chinese is the one mentioned previously, that I commented on. It is setting bringing your arms up in front of you, and then straight up as you set, and then SWITCHING the direction to pull them forward, into the tuck. It's powerful but complex, I don't recommend it.

Arguably the "best" set is Russian, which is prolly why people were telling you about it. It's fairly simple, but it's not intuitive. Setting like a Russian can be varied a little as well, basically it means setting with your arms RISING behind you. I'll explain a little more.

One way to use the Russian set is to do a forward arm circle or two on your approach, right as you block off the ground, and begin to rise your arms should already be leaving the bottom of the arm circle (they are slightly behind you, and while your hands are near your waist, they are moving UP and behind you). Using the arm circles gives them momentum that is not otherwise available if you don't have powerful arms (read, power is not the same as strength)

Another way to Russian, is to go into the hop with your arms above you, or in front of you, and use lots of power to throw them down, and then as you set, up and behind you. More often than not this is how you will see people set Russian.

The trick to the Russian set is to keep it from making you lean too far forward, and to lock your arms, so that they do not rotate around, and back up. It is their action in locking behind you that gives you "LIFT".

Remember that word because it's basically the epitome of the Russian set, lift.