Monkey Spins Drill

Complexity Rating   ★

Cardiovascular Rating   ★

Purpose

Teaches students to base and pivot on a posted hand while maintaining posture. Develops quick and precise lateral movement from side to side.

Description

Training partner starting position. Flat on their back with their legs bent and feet flat on the floor.  The hands should be in the Home Alone position.

Practicing Student.  The practicing student will start in a squat position, with posture, perpendicular to the assisting student just outside the legs. The practicing student will then take the hand closest to the assisting student’s head and make a fist, then place the fist on the floor between the legs of the assisting student.  The practicing student will then take their free hand and place it on the far knee of the assisting student.

To execute the drill, the practicing student will transfer all of the weight onto their hands and push off of their toes to create a circular spin, around the legs, to the assisting student’s other side. Once on the other side, the hands will be immediately switched and the practicing student will spin back to the original starting position.

Common mistakes

• It is common for the practicing student to compromise their posture as their legs get tired and exaggerate the bend at the waist.
• Some students will attempt to jump rather than slide their feet.  The goal is to have the weight supported by the hands to complete a smooth slide across the mat.  
• Coordination of the hand switch is difficult for some students initially.  Make sure they are using the correct hand placement otherwise their arms will bind while they are trying to switch sides.
• A good training partner should maintain firm and rigid legs to provide a good platform for the practicing student to base.  “Floppy legs” make this drill extremely difficult.

Testing Threshold

Time 30 seconds

Requirement 30 repetitions

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