My
daughter is working on her back hand spring but 8 out of 10 times she
will land with her arm bent and her head almost on the mat, she has distance
but can not get the arms to support her, what can she do better? She works
really hard but i think she is starting to feel discouraged.
Thanks for the help.
Arm
and shoulder strength is critically important for the handspring. The
best advice is to practice more Handstands, Handstands, Handstands! Nothing
can replace HOURS of handstands.
The handspring DEMANDS very powerful shoulders and elbows and wrists.
Your daughter is not only diving backward ONTO her hands as she enters
the handspring, she must ALSO pass through a long, straight handstand
position. THEN she must aggressively spring OFF the hands onto her feet.
That requires ENORMOUS strength.
So...
Get her upside down in her handstand more often!
Is your daughter upside down while she’s watching television? Try
it!
Is she standing on her hands while talking on the phone? (speaker phone
recommended.)
Is she reading school homework with her feet over her head?
You must use GOOD JUDGMENT about when and where it is SAFE to practice
handstands. Be creative; the trick is to make the handstand position something
that she's EXTREMELY comfortable moving into and out of. Count how many
handstands she currently practices each week. Next week, do TEN TIMES
as many! The stronger her handstand is the stronger her handspring can
be.

Have Coach Wayne come
to YOUR
gym!!!
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Make sure she practices well-formed, superbly executed handstands. There's
no point in rehearsing sloppy ones. Any errors that occur in the handstand
will probably occur in the handspring, only with exaggeration! That means
EVERY time she's upside down... regardless of HOW or WHEN she gets there,
she should maintain ALL these elements:
pointed toes
feet together
straight knees
thighs squeezed tightly
hips and buttocks squeezed tightly
back taut and straight
shoulders slightly hollowed (not arched)
head neutral (neither tucked nor arched)
Arms shoulder-width apart (thumbs almost touching each other
Remember that there are MANY exercises to help strengthen her arms. In my
"Better Back-Handsprings" video I guide tumblers through dozens
of such exercises that can be practiced at home in front of the TV in order
to be better prepared for class.
~CW
Coach Wayne is the Head Coach for the
Savannah College of Art and Design Cheerleading team and Executive Coach of
Olympic Gymnast Zuzana Sekerova. His articles, videos and books have been
used by students and instructors world wide since 1991. Coach Wayne is available
for in-gym instructor training and performance tumbling clinics throughout
the year. For booking information, coaches/owners should call 912.398.8082.
Students and parents should request coaches/owners to contact Coach Wayne.
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