Skill: Practice 4 of the basic positions: Tuck, straddle, pike, arch
Family:
Body Awareness Family
Rationale: teaches terminology they'll use
later in gymnastics skills, and body awareness
o
8
Chart number: 22 -30a
I Can Do Gymnastics! Activity Cards - produced by PENultimate - Phone: (864) 268-7740
©2000, PENultimate
SKILL: Four Basic Positions: Tuck, Straddle, Pike and Arch
STEP I
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Instructions
& Teachin!!: Hints
Four of the basic positions in gymnastics are the Tuck, Straddle, Pike,
and Arch positions.
These are not that hard for preschoolers to comprehend. What is
hard is for them to do is to apply
this knowledge to skills. One thing
that will help is if the teachers use
the correct terms when they are
teaching the children the skills.
Start with the Straddle position. Tell
the children to sit on the mat with
their legs wide apart. Tell them that
this is called a straddle. Ask them
to repeat the name
back to you. Stretch in
that position, sideward
and forward. Use the
term as often as
possible in class after that, especially ifthey
do a skill like the spider ••••..•...
' .,
hang or straddle scoot on vault,
which are done in the straddle position. (They are actually doing a
stradd Ie-pi ke.)
Explai n that a
straddle means "legs apart."
Note that this skill is on the Free Sample Coloring
Sheet (included in the introduction of this book)
part of the ~®O®[fD[M)@"'G~filli}UD~~O~ Coloring
Sh ee t s f rom; [){:j\j
~!
/J-;: ~~. --:j.~
"{vL/!-~qT--V~j.-;:'_
Next cover the Tuck position. Again,
show the kids the position & tell
them the name. Havethem
repeat it back toyou. This
would be a "teachable
moment" for doing
Grandma's Rocking
Chair.
The Pike position
is actually just a sitting
down position
with the legs
.0
straight: Have
the children
:.::' ~;" say
the
~
'4- name. Good
...
exercises to
\:
do in this position are: Pencil points and Fish Hooks, Pike
stretch.
Then cover the Arch position. The best way to
practice it is laying on the
stomach and to arch up
as in the picture. Again,
show the children the position and tell them the
name. Have them repeat
it back to you. This would
also be a teachable moment for doing bridges
and arch-ups on the
tummy. For an advanced
variation, have the children arch sideward.
L
The straight position is self
explanatory and the hollow is too difficult for
most children. But they
can try it with a teacher's
help. They will use it
later. The hollow is covered in Grandma's Rocking Chair (page 1-1a.)
THEME & VARIATIONS
1. Have the children perform
the positions with theireyes
closed as you call them out.
Do not worry if they peek!
2. Performing the positions
standing, sitting, upside
down, hanging from a bar
etc. This reinforces understanding of the positions.