Floor beam: walks, turns and jumps on the line

Warm-up for the artistic gymnastics and acrosport unit that recreates balance beam elements on a painted or taped line on the floor. It activates the ankles, calves and core and trains postural control with no risk of falling.

How to play

1. Each student on a 13-foot line: tiptoe walk with arms out to the sides, there and back (2 min).
2. Cat step and forward chassé without stepping off the line (2 min).
3. A 180-degree turn in relevé on the balls of the feet at the end of each length (2 min).
4. A small tuck or scissor jump landing on the line, with a quiet landing (2 min).
5. In pairs, one links three elements and the other scores stability from 1 to 3; then switch (2 min).

Rules

• Land jumps with knees bent and lined up over the feet.
• Only one person uses each line at a time.
• Barefoot or in socks only if the floor allows it; if it is slippery, wear sneakers.

Variations

Adaptations

• Ankle injury: walk with the whole foot down and no jumps.
• Visual impairment: replace the tape with a rope on the floor that can be felt with the foot.
• Overweight students: swap the jumps for heel raises and add more turns.

Learning goals

• Activate the ankle and trunk muscles for the gymnastics session.
• Improve dynamic balance with basic beam elements.
• Assess a partner's performance with a simple criterion.

Equipment for a class of 25

• tape: 2
• speaker: 1

Teacher tip

Tape the lines before class so no time is lost. The same elements later work as transitions in the acrosport routine.

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