Tick tocks, and no I am not talking about the super popular app right now. This is a skill that can be done on the forearms or hands and is super great for working on back/leg control.
What is a tick tock?
Tick tocks are a skill where you are either on the forearms or hands, and you kick a leg up and over and land with it "in front" of you, in a bridge position...then you kick it back up and over into the starting position. Tick tock might not be the formal term for this skill, but that is the name I was taught and I am sticking to it lol. Tick tocks are great for strengthening the back/legs and also practicing control of the body in an inverted position. If this skill is comfortable, it is a great addition to routines where there is floor work involved. I love this skill and think it is just so much fun, ugh!
Baseline of flexibility...
With tick tocks, I believe there needs to be a baseline of flexibility before attempting these...I think the best way to test to see if you could do this skill, is if you can do a forearm bridge. If a forearm bridge is not possible at the moment, or it is super difficult, try working on them. Forearm bridge, in itself, is a great way to stretch the back and shoulders. So even if you do not get to the tick tock part of it, at least you will be getting a phenomenal stretch!
~Partner Plz~
I think when first learning tick tocks, having a partner to assist is excellent. They can help with controlling the legs coming to the floor in the first part of the tick tock and then helping the kick over in the second part of the tick tock. But not everyone is #blessed to have a partner with whom they feel comfortable with to assist them. And if that is the case, then head to the wall! The wall is a phenomenal partner: strong, sturdy, and does not move. The wall helps much more in the second half of the tick tock. You can place your foot on the wall and then push against it and kick over. I remember using the wall to help with my kick overs/ticktocks as a kid all the time! My mom wasn't too stoked to have foot prints on her wall, but nevertheless, the wall really helped!
~5 essential exercises to help you achieve your tick tock~
There are many different drills you can do for tick tocks...these are five that I think are really helpful and beneficial. They also work on both the forearms and the hands. So all of the exercises listed below can be done in either position. For these drills, the back, shoulders, and legs need to be super warm. If you need any help with stretching/warming up, check out all my flexibility videos on my Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/functionalflexibility
Bridge with close hands and feet: practice walking hands and feet as close together as possible and then really lifting hips up to the ceiling.
Lifting leg up and down in bridge: when doing this, have attention to not letting the hips drop as the leg moves. Hips need to stay pushed up to the ceiling.
Kicking up onto the wall: as you get more comfortable, you can move further and further away from the wall.
Kicking off the wall: opposite from the above exercise. Start in an arched position and place foot on wall and kick out of the bridge.
Jumps: in bridge, lift one leg up and then practice jumping bottom foot off the floor without letting top leg drop.
~"But Rochelle, I need to see you do these drills"~
And you can! Head over to my Vimeo page (https://vimeo.com/ondemand/functionalflexibility )
and subscribe! I have a video of me showing and explaining all 5 of these drills!
