Coach
Wayne, I am considering getting your video for my daughter who is on a
all-star cheer squad. She is 5 and just got her roundoff back handspring.
We call it her "headspring" for obvious reasons. She lets her
head touch about 8 out of 10 times. She claims it does not hurt and is
determined to keep throwing them. She is so proud of herself! I am working
with her at home on her handstands and she even has tiny weights that
she sits and presses when she watches cartoons. Her coaches are great.
They say that they are trying to correct the problem. They said it is
not so much her arms because she is pretty strong for her 39lb body but
she sits too low going into the back handspring and leans too far back
on her heals that she is not getting enough height so her hands are landing
about where her feet have left the ground. What would be a good way to
correct that so that she is using her head for other things? Do you address
those type of issues on your video?
Thank you.
Elizabeth
Hey,
Elizabeth,
The headspring phenomena is usually a combination of two errors.
1) the arms aren't "reaching" back down to the floor aggressively
enough. This may be due to an incomplete "shoulder-open" position.
Have her practice a few simple back bridges (Arch Stands) before each
handspring. When she's UP in the archstand make sure her FEET are together
with straight legs and that the SHOULDERS are as OPEN as possible, ideally
pushed as far AWAY from the feet as possible. As an advance on this position,
have the feet off the floor and UP against the wall. Then have her perform
a few PUSH-UPS in that position.
2)The leg push (jump/rebound) at the beginning of the skill is upwards
rather than backwards. If the jump at the beginning of the handspring
is too high, all her weight (small as she is) lands straight down and
drives her head into the floor, like a rock being tossed into the water
and sinking to the bottom. Ultimately, what you're aiming for is a backwards
motion in which her arms are just one more force (contact) that continues
to move her body backwards across the surface of the floor, more like
a rock skipping across the water.
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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: www.CoachWayne.com,
coach@coachwayne.com or 912-238-1747, 912-398-8082.
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I recommend a "push back" exercise onto a wedge or 12"/porta-pit
mat. This is just a straight jump back, landing FLAT on the back. This
exercise re-orients her body to driving BACKWARDS rather than upwards.
For the next few months have her perform one or two "push-back"
repetitions IMMEDIATELY before attempting a standing handspring.
It sounds like your daughter would enjoy working out with the better back-handsprings
video (VHS or DVD) at home.
https://www.coachwayne.com/webstore
Have fun, be safe, push hard.
~CW
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