Handsprings

[super2]

I have a few kids that are strong enough to be doing handsprings but they cant seem to speed up their legs coming over for them.
It's like their legs are full of cement and just dont want to leave the ground to catch up to the rest of the handspring- what can I do to help this? not enough explosion after they sink for the handspring? what are some drills etc?

 

[2legit2quit]

This could be a problem with shoulder mobility. Can they move their arms back far? Do they have a good bridge? If so, are they getting their arms up before they leave the ground? If the arms aren't up, the legs are probably gonna be slow (at least, this is the mental picture that I am getting based on your description). If you post a video of one of your athletes I can help more.

 

[super2]

Yes shoulder flex is good- I've got 1 girl specifically with this issue! She can back walkover no problem, just a slowwww handspring!

 

[2legit2quit]

Yes shoulder flex is good- I've got 1 girl specifically with this issue! She can back walkover no problem, just a slowwww handspring!

Is she getting her arms up before she jumps?

 

[cheyylovee98]

my coach had everyone look at this and do these drills. some of us don't have back walkovers. (not me) I also had that problem, my legs would turn into bricks. but this should help. sorry if it doesn't,

!

 

[Goosepatrick]

As a parent, I would read into this that you are not trained to teach back handsprings. There are lots of coaches training that can provide you the tools to help athletes. You might reach out to experts like Debbie Love or a gymnastics coach in your area to help you fill your tool box with some basics.

 

[cheernerd5678]

Have you tried teaching them shoulder blocks? My coaches would have me do a handstand against the wall and block 5 times... It really helped!

 

[2legit2quit]

As a parent, I would read into this that you are not trained to teach back handsprings. There are lots of coaches training that can provide you the tools to help athletes. You might reach out to experts like Debbie Love or a gymnastics coach in your area to help you fill your tool box with some basics.

No coach goes into a coaching position knowing all of the answers. One of the cheer gyms that I have coached tumbling at didn't provide any training (outside of teaching me how to spot) prior to hiring me. The fact of the matter is that no coach will immediately know the answer to every problem without the coaching experience to identify and remedy these problems. Even if a coach is trained by the gym, it is not possible for training to cover all possible bases, so there will still be some questions. As a parent, I would be glad that this coach is comfortable enough with herself to admit that she doesn't know all of the answers, and that she is taking the initiative to find them.

 

[TheTalkedAboutMinor]

Core muscles will help flick their legs over. Condition, condition, condition!

 

[Goosepatrick]

No coach goes into a coaching position knowing all of the answers. One of the cheer gyms that I have coached tumbling at didn't provide any training (outside of teaching me how to spot) prior to hiring me. The fact of the matter is that no coach will immediately know the answer to every problem without the coaching experience to identify and remedy these problems. Even if a coach is trained by the gym, it is not possible for training to cover all possible bases, so there will still be some questions. As a parent, I would be glad that this coach is comfortable enough with herself to admit that she doesn't know all of the answers, and that she is taking the initiative to find them.

Trying to find them on a board is not the most reliable.

 

[Matt Faherty]

As a parent, I would read into this that you are not trained to teach back handsprings. There are lots of coaches training that can provide you the tools to help athletes. You might reach out to experts like Debbie Love or a gymnastics coach in your area to help you fill your tool box with some basics.

As a parent, you should also read into this as a coach that cares about his/her athletes. This aspiring coach wants to see his/her athletes get better and has taken free time to go research, and learn more about the skills being taught. And although there is some formal training available out there, less experienced coaches might never know it exists without coming to online communities like this looking for guidance.