When practicing gymnastic drills, floor drills take up the most space. However, floor drills make up for the fundamental gymnastic core exercises and gymnastic flexibility exercises.
Instructors teach these exercises to gymnasts worldwide. Floor drills allow gymnasts to warm up for complex gymnastic exercises. And in every gymnastics tournament, the floor drill makes up a large part of their presentation.
Gymnasts need to stay in top shape and peak flexibility to perform well in competitive tournaments, and to keep their physical wellness. Besides strengthening your core and improving your flexibility and control, drill exercises also help improve muscle and joint balance, reducing the risk of injury.
Here are the top basic floor drill gymnastics exercises for gymnasts of all levels you can start practicing at R&R!
Cartwheel Wall Drill
All gymnasts must learn core-strengthening gymnastic exercises to improve their gymnastic performances. The Cartwheel Wall Drill is one of the best gymnastic core exercises that also improves flexibility.
How to do a Cartwheel Wall Drill
Use tape to create a straight line on the floor. This line will help you align your cartwheel, which is necessary for appropriate drill movement.
Raise your arms towards the ceiling, besides your ears.
Get in the position of a mountain climber and lunge to step through.
One hand at a time, bring your body in the cartwheel position.
Perform a side handstand by kicking your legs to the straddle position. Make sure to place your feet against the wall, with your stomach facing the wall. At this point, the placement of your hips should be flat.
From below your arms (the armpit), look in the direction you're going.
Move your hips, turning them straight towards the wall.
Complete your cartwheel by moving through the lever and stepping down. Remember, your arms are up by your ears at this point.
The cartwheel drill ends at squared hips and one of your feet in front of the other.
Knee Floor Cartwheel Drill
After mastering the cartwheel wall drill, you can move on to practice a more complicated version of this gymnast flexibility exercise. Time to try the cartwheel drill away from the floor! Known as the Knee Floor Cartwheel Drill, you need to perform this exercise on the floor.
How to do a Knee Floor Cartwheel Drill
Use tape to create a straight line on the floor. This line will help you properly align yourself.
Kneel halfway with one knee on the floor and the other leg at a 90-degree angle.
Shrug your shoulders and raise your arms beside your ears.
Taking one hand at a time, bring your hands in the cartwheel position.
In the cartwheel floor drill, perform a side handstand.
Look under your armpit to look in the direction you’re going.
Turn your hips square in the same direction you’re looking.
Return to the standing position. Your arms should be by your ears.
Front Handspring Drill
The front handspring drill is one of the best gymnastic drills that prepare a gymnast for complicated gymnastic exercises. Not to mention, practicing this floor drill exercise also enhances Vault skills and prepares you for preflight gymnastic core exercises.
While this gymnast exercise is excellent for beginners to improve gymnastic skills, you will need a tumble track trampoline to do the front handspring drill. Fortunately enough, R&R has you covered with that.
How to do a Front Handspring Drill
Using the tumble track trampoline, bounce in a rounded shape onto your knees. Engage your core to ensure you experience maximum benefits.
Bounce your body into a handstand at a 45-degree angle from this position. This is the preflight position, critical in Vault gymnastic core exercises.
After completing the handstand, get back in the starting position: to the knees.
Repeat the steps: bounce to your knees, into a handstand, back to your knees, bounce, and so on.
Back Handspring Drill
Like the front handspring floor drill, the back handspring drill is also one of the best flexibility exercises for beginners.
Besides improving flexibility, this gymnastic exercise also helps you gain much better control over your body during movements. The back handspring floor drill exercise strengthens the core and prepares gymnasts for difficult Vaults.
To perform this exercise, you need to stack panel mats; the number varies from gymnast to gymnast, depending on their height.
How to do a Back Handspring Drill
Place the mats parallel to each other. Make sure they're not too close, as you need to have enough space for you to stand.
Place another set of mats at the other end. Connect this set with the previous one to create a U-shape with the panel mats. Then, use a circular mat and place it on two parallel mats to create a bridge.
After setting up your mats, begin your drill by jumping up and back. Make sure to engage your hip muscles and focus on turning them.
Press your hands on the other side of the mat.
Straighten your knees to pike the legs, bringing your hands upwards.
Knee Floor Roundoff Drill
The knee floor roundoff drill is a great place to start if you're looking for flexibility core exercises for beginners. It is one of the best floor drill gymnastic exercises as it helps strengthen your core and improve flexibility.
How to do a Knee Floor Roundoff Drill.
Use tape to create a straight line on the floor. This line will help you perform the exercise in proper alignment, which is necessary for the drill.
Begin with one knee and raise your arms above beside your ears.
Place both your hands on the line you created with the tape.
Then, kick back into roundoff.
Snap your head to look under your armpit where you're going.
Keep your hips flat at this point.
Now, push your hands off the floor with force. Bring your feet together as you do it.
Get out of the roundoff by standing up. Raise both your arms at this point.
Bottom Line
Floor drill gymnastic exercises help all levels of gymnasts, from beginners to experts, strengthen their core and improve their flexibility and control. Cartwheel Wall Drill, Knee Floor Cartwheel Drill, Front Handspring Drill, Back Handspring Drill, and Knee Floor Roundoff Drill are excellent gymnastic core exercises for gymnasts of all levels.