(please Read) My Back Handspring Is Getting Worse Not Better!

[Emerson_Cheer]

so i have had my back handspring since September last year and i knew that it was ugly with bad technique. so for tryouts i had a private with my coach and she made me do drills in the gym that really made them better but next training session they just went straight back to being really bad then after holidays they got even worse! just so you know, i actually look like a frog when i do my back handspring, bent arms and knees and my legs are apart. everyone tells me to squeeze my legs together but i cant squeeze when i jump back! can anyone help me so that my back handspring becomes consistent with good technique?? things i can do at home or quickly at the gym because i cant live with having a terrible back handspring!

 

[Megan(:]

Try putting a rubber band around your ankles ( my gym has thick ones that are about as big as a headband) and try that for keeping your legs together! And for keeping your legs straight try thinking about getting them as straight as possible before your hands get to the ground! Good luck!

 

[yojaehs]

so i have had my back handspring since September last year and i knew that it was ugly with bad technique. so for tryouts i had a private with my coach and she made me do drills in the gym that really made them better but next training session they just went straight back to being really bad then after holidays they got even worse! just so you know, i actually look like a frog when i do my back handspring, bent arms and knees and my legs are apart. everyone tells me to squeeze my legs together but i cant squeeze when i jump back! can anyone help me so that my back handspring becomes consistent with good technique?? things i can do at home or quickly at the gym because i cant live with having a terrible back handspring!

Well it seems like to me that you are focusing on the "flip" more than the "jump". What I would recommend for you to work on at home is JUMPING. Don't just think "jump" think jump with arms locked by your ears and toes pointed (I often tell my kids don't just point through your toes point all the way through your toe nail) that is how important pointing your toes is.

 

[Emerson_Cheer]

I try that but some reason my legs always come apart and im in the front for standing tumbling and i get so nervous when i throw my back handsprings because if the people behind me don't throw their pass properly or move a bit i will hit them with my insane legs :/ is there some sort of technique that i was never told about?

 

[GreenStormLucy]

I've been tieing (spell check - tying?) shoe laces together. First they go back doing it with a spot, because they tell me they can't do a BHS with their shoe laces together. So, they could and no one got hurt.
But in the end it's just a little help prop, you need to get the body control to feel where you body is, how to stay tight, how to keep your legs together.
I would say do snap downs with really focusing on your legs/knees.

 

[Nothanks]

I've been tieing (spell check - tying?) shoe laces together. First they go back doing it with a spot, because they tell me they can't do a BHS with their shoe laces together. So, they could and no one got hurt.
But in the end it's just a little help prop, you need to get the body control to feel where you body is, how to stay tight, how to keep your legs together.
I would say do snap downs with really focusing on your legs/knees.

That's one of my favorite things to do with crazy legged backhandsprings. It works so well!

 

[GreenStormLucy]

That's one of my favorite things to do with crazy legged backhandsprings. It works so well!

I'm so glad i'm not the only one - the first time i did this i felt like a psycho coach because of the scared looks i got. I felt like using old school methods of raising kids like "Go and stand in the corner". :-D
But once they feel that it works and they can do it this way, everything is fine.
I also tried this one:
Put something between their legs, like a shirt with a knot. They have to squeze and jump so it stays between the legs.
To be honest, i never had a girl land the bhs with the shirt still there. It always flew through the gym. But trying to hold it while doing the bhs helped to get the feeling of keeping the legs together.
If one if my girls will ever complete this drill with the shirt between her legs, i'll buy her a big icecream with a hundret toppings.

 

[Nothanks]

I'm so glad i'm not the only one - the first time i did this i felt like a psycho coach because of the scared looks i got. I felt like using old school methods of raising kids like "Go and stand in the corner". :-D
But once they feel that it works and they can do it this way, everything is fine.
I also tried this one:
Put something between their legs, like a shirt with a knot. They have to squeze and jump so it stays between the legs.
To be honest, i never had a girl land the bhs with the shirt still there. It always flew through the gym. But trying to hold it while doing the bhs helped to get the feeling of keeping the legs together.
If one if my girls will ever complete this drill with the shirt between her legs, i'll buy her a big icecream with a hundret toppings.

I've put a roll of paper towels (not a new one...it was almost gone so it wasn't too wide), pieces of foam and various other things in between feet/legs/knees too! It is rare for a kid to keep them there, but I've seen it done!! lol

Kids used to get so scared and hated the "Keep your feet together or I'm tying your shoe laces together" threat, but there was one girl that whenever she knew her feet were getting loose and apart, she'd ask me if it was okay for her to tie her own shoes together! haha

 

[Emerson_Cheer]

tying shoe laces seems like a great idea!!! ill try it on monday thankyou so much!!

 

[MissBee]

I would recommend NOT tying the laces together. If something were to go wrong, and the child were seriously hurt-the tying the laces together could be the thing that finds you culpable in a lawsuit. Stick with putting a piece of foam, paper towel/toilet paper roll between the legs. The act of binding the legs together makes it so that the kid can't "bail out" if they want to, meaning they could be injured in the process.

Plus, tying the laces together doesn't teach them to do the work themselves. Tying keeps their legs together for them. When you place an object between their legs with the directions "squeeze to keep it there" you are teaching them what to do, and building muscle memory.

 

[cheerisloving]

The foam cubes from the pit and the rubber band made me the tumbler I am today. I never had super froggy tumbling, but my legs could definitely get closer. And just focusing on what your're doing!

 

[cupieqt]

Break down the bhs into the three major sections and work on each individually. The jump, like @yeojahs explained, make sure you're sitting back correctly and swinging your arms back by your hips here, then exploding through your jump and swinging your arms back behind your ears. Check the handstand and make sure your form is correct--head neutral, abs tight, seat squeezed in. Then work the snap down--your arms and chest should be up as your feet come down. If you're not blocking through your shoulders during the handstand snap down then gravity will take over and your body will crumble, giving you "crazy frog legs".

Ask your coach to spot you on a bhs and STOP in the handstand. I do this when I'm teaching the bhs and also for kids that have it but with bad form (I call it bhs rehab--its for the kids we get from other gyms that don't work on perfection before progression). Do this many times and you will see an improvement. I can post a video if you need to see this in action. Feeling what your body is doing when you hit the handstand portion of the bhs is essential. That's why stopping at the handstand works so well for fixing this problem.

 

[MakeYourMark]

Emerson_Cheer when doing your back handspring, focus on the jump, before your hands hit. You should be thinking about pushing all the way through your toes. If you're pushing through your toes, the should be pointed. Even just trying this sitting down, you can feel how when you fully point your toes all the way through as hard as you can, your entire legs stiffen up. This will help with straight legs

 

[MamaMya04]

I like tying shoe laces together. It helped my daughter and of course she was spotted until she got the hang of it. But now if she gets sloppy, only the idea that I will tie her shoes together f I have to whips her back into shape.

 

[ceanz-victoria]

For something to do at home to help your back handspring, condition! It does sound like you have a technique rather than strength issue, but you may find that building up muscle and strength may really help you with mastering the correct technique.

Back handsprings take a lot of strength in your arms, shoulders, core and legs. I'd focus on your legs (since they are coming apart) and arms (since they are bending). For your legs, try Whitney Love's 'tuck' conditioning - it's on the 'for the love of tumbling' website and it's really good. She might even have a specific back handspring workout on there (I'm not too sure though). For your arms, I don't know of any specific workouts, but try push-ups, holding handstands against the wall, planks and front support holds. You could also try some weight training.

Good luck!