Game version
Skill-card game: pick a card with a skill you already know and show it with your coach nearby. The pair collects five clean skills together.
Rocking Chair to Stand
Rock back and forth in a tuck and stand up with no hands, the first step toward rolls.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Sit in a tight tuck holding your shins.
Core: Your usual skill. Move up only with your coach’s OK.
- Ages
- 7 and up
- Time
- 6 min
- Players
- Just you
- Space
- Small room
- Bring
- Soft mat
- Level · skill
- Beginner · Tumbling & Vault
The steps
How it works
- Sit in a tight tuck holding your shins.
- Rock back to your shoulders with your chin tucked.
- Rock forward and stand up without using your hands.
- Do 10 rocks.
Coaching point
Stay round, rock and rise.
Safety: Do this on a soft mat with a clear space around you. Tuck your chin and stop if your neck hurts.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Pick a level: Less (a shape or roll), Core (your usual skill), More (a clean skill with a stuck landing). Move up only with your coach’s OK.
Story
You are a circus star performing your favorite act.
My best
Beat your own count
Move up only with your coach’s OK. Only your own number counts: today against last time.
Practice makes progress
Print it now, or save it free
Free for families and teams
Save this drill to your child or team, free
Sign up and the free gymnastics week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.
14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free
Does your child's coach know about this?
An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.