OT Slowest Progress Ever From Coach

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Mar 30, 2013
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So lately I've been with some guy coach named nick. And he won't practice back handsprings with me. I "have to learn a straight jump first" it's the slowest progress ever and I came to this gym to get my back handspring and he will not spot my BHS. Apparently I have to learn a straight jump. It's killing me how much I want my BHS, and maybe its the fact it's a gymnastics gym and in gymnastics you have to learn things really slow or something, but I'm about to just scream "IM DONE AT THIS GYM I CAN'T TAKE IT" and march over to my parents and demand that I take tumbling at rays or something. Lol. Would it be bad to ask him to spot my back handspring and not have me do "straight jumps". I don't want to complain to my parents and I'm very self conscious about the fact that I'm 12 and I don't have a back handspring and all the girls my age at the rays probably do. I'm confused.


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I would tell him that you really want to start accutally practicing your bhs because thats what you want to learn plus your parents are paying him to teach you how to do bhs not straight jumps

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If he is having you doing that and not spotting you at all, it would make me think you aren't ready for a bhs one way or another. A lot more then just spotting goes into a BHS.

Can you do a back bend from standing?

A back walkover or kick over?

A great handstand?

There are many things you should do well before you start getting spotted on a bhs. It can be very frustrating but him doing this for you is a stepping stone into a bhs and having the ability to be strong enough and execute those many different factors before you work on it, will probably make the bhs come quicker once you start getting spotted. As well as making it safer!!


Side note: I'm not saying you have to have a back walkover before you get a bhs because some never get them but its a good stepping stone!
 
Rays has a junior 1 team at both locations and a senior 1 at Marietta. So you wouldn't be the only one without a backhandspring.
That being said, if he's working that much on it, you probably aren't ready for a BHS. The drills he's having you do are probably important, and you're doing them for a reason. Going to rays wouldn't mean that you automatically get to work it. You'd still probably have to do a lot of drills before being spotted on it. Perfection before progression. Just because you want it doesn't mean that it's safe for you to start working it/throwing it - one thing that really leads to injuries. Technique is very important. It takes time, and I know it's annoying, because you want your backhandspring so bad that you wish you could just disregard technique. But later on down the road you'll be glad you learned good technique, when you start working harder stuff and when you get old! Just try to apply his corrections and perfect the straight jump. If you're worrying about your backhandspring and you're getting mad, you probably can't focus your energy on the drill he's having you do... which slows you down. Just focus on your drill and stop worrying about the backhandspring, it'll probably help you perfect the drill faster and then you can move on to backhandsprings!
 
Rays has a junior 1 team at both locations and a senior 1 at Marietta. So you wouldn't be the only one without a backhandspring.
That being said, if he's working that much on it, you probably aren't ready for a BHS. The drills he's having you do are probably important, and you're doing them for a reason. Going to rays wouldn't mean that you automatically get to work it. You'd still probably have to do a lot of drills before being spotted on it. Perfection before progression. Just because you want it doesn't mean that it's safe for you to start working it/throwing it - one thing that really leads to injuries. Technique is very important. It takes time, and I know it's annoying, because you want your backhandspring so bad that you wish you could just disregard technique. But later on down the road you'll be glad you learned good technique, when you start working harder stuff and when you get old! Just try to apply his corrections and perfect the straight jump. If you're worrying about your backhandspring and you're getting mad, you probably can't focus your energy on the drill he's having you do... which slows you down. Just focus on your drill and stop worrying about the backhandspring, it'll probably help you perfect the drill faster and then you can move on to backhandsprings!
The thing is, I have a very good round off, and a backbend. A my old tumbling gym all the guy did with me was spotted BHS, and I moved so I can't go to him anymore. It's very irritating that this coach is making me do things that I feel is wasting time, I would rather him spot my back handsprings and do back handspring drills with me.


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There are several pieces to a back handspring, from your first motion in your sit all the way through the rebound at the end. Sometimes it works better and faster to work on the pieces one at a time rather than trying to do the whole thing at one time.

think of it like putting together a puzzle- you don't just dump out the box and hope the pieces just fall into the right spot, you put it together piece by piece, it doesn't look like much at the beginning but eventually the pieces start to come together to form the whole picture
 
Good job to your coach... Too many people rush through tumbling, yes you might get a bhs quicker just doing it... But it will stop your from getting a ro bhs tuck or higher...

There is a reason all cheerleaders wish they could tumble like gymnasts.... Because gymnast spend weeks on straight jumps and handstands alike... = tumbling like a god

No great cheer gym rushes their kids through skills either, perfection before progression.

Listen to your coach


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I know right?? I was taught backbend kick overs but not backwalkovers. I can't do it smoothly... But I can do tucks and layouts


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I can fall in to the bridge but can't kick over. I was told it was back flexibility. But I've never had to have the skill other than for creative elements in the routine. And when I was placed on level two with a standing tuck....
 
They don't spot at our gym either. The coach stands to the side, talks to the kid and demonstrates in great detail how to begin, all the phases and it clicks for some kids faster than others. There is no cheese mat and no just sitting there on their knees while kids throw themselves backwards until they have to manhandle them less. But these kids that learn it right can actually perform the sync tumbling with the rest of the L2's when they get it. Kind of the just get it over and don't land on your head ones, like CP had been taught, have to relearn their technique. I about wet myself laughing in the parent room the first time CP got in the five or six kids across the mat line at new gym. They do back walkovers across, then bhs across, heck, even her cartwheel was on her own time in her own way. All of those girls, down at once, up at once, straight legs, pointed toes, CP, over and up, bent knees, just janky, the look on that coach's face. I asked her what he said later and she said he just asked who taught me how to tumble. The BHS is so important. It is used throughout the rest of your cheer career past L1. It determines how easily you can perform higher skills, etc. Do the drills, lift some weights. Throw off the I should be doing this attitude and truly listen to the little corrections the coach is saying. Say I think I am doing that, am I not? See if someone can video you and then have the coach show you where you're doing it wrong. That helps my CP a lot when learning a new skill.
 
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