Coaches Back walkover advice

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Hi all,

Could you guys let me know what you think of my daughter's back walkover please?



She has recently learned this skill so we are still working on straightening that second leg - any tips on how to do that would be much appreciated.
She's currently in recreational and in her age group they haven't even started working on back bends let alone this skill but it is not easy to get moved up as it's a small club and progression is soooo slow.
Also, my daughter can do a back bend no problem and has amazing back flexibility but she is still struggling to stand up from a back bend, every time she tries she says her back hurts? Any tips on this would be much appreciated, I obviously don't want to force it and cause an injury.
Thank you so much!
Federica
 
beautiful back walkover! the only thing i saw is her right leg bending and make sure her arms are by her ears when she is landing and standing up. to keep her leg from bending, have her stretch her right leg split because sometimes the cause of a bent leg in a back walkover is not being flexible enough to keep them straight. if that’s not the problem, don’t worry! it will get easier for her to make corrections and straighten her leg as she gets more confident with her bwo. her toes are pointed and her legs are both straight other than the one part where one of them bends, which is very impressive for someone her age, especially if it’s a new skill for her!
 
beautiful back walkover! the only thing i saw is her right leg bending and make sure her arms are by her ears when she is landing and standing up. to keep her leg from bending, have her stretch her right leg split because sometimes the cause of a bent leg in a back walkover is not being flexible enough to keep them straight. if that’s not the problem, don’t worry! it will get easier for her to make corrections and straighten her leg as she gets more confident with her bwo. her toes are pointed and her legs are both straight other than the one part where one of them bends, which is very impressive for someone her age, especially if it’s a new skill for her!
Thank you so much for your reply and yes, I was also impressed with how quickly she seems to have picked this up as it took a few spots from me and then she just seemed to get it. It was the same when she learnt her back bend kickover, it all clicked after a few tries. She has nice splits too, so I think any corrections will probably come naturally as you said.
Would you be able to advise re standing up from a bridge? Is it possible that, despite having excellent back flexibility, her core might not be strong enough yet to make her get up? Every time she tries she says her back hurts yet she can literally bend over backwards without feeling any pain!
I'm amazed she even learned a back walkover before she can even do a front limber, I remember learning all my forward skills before my backward skills when I was a little girl.
Thanks so much for your time,
Federica
 
Thank you so much for your reply and yes, I was also impressed with how quickly she seems to have picked this up as it took a few spots from me and then she just seemed to get it. It was the same when she learnt her back bend kickover, it all clicked after a few tries. She has nice splits too, so I think any corrections will probably come naturally as you said.
Would you be able to advise re standing up from a bridge? Is it possible that, despite having excellent back flexibility, her core might not be strong enough yet to make her get up? Every time she tries she says her back hurts yet she can literally bend over backwards without feeling any pain!
I'm amazed she even learned a back walkover before she can even do a front limber, I remember learning all my forward skills before my backward skills when I was a little girl.
Thanks so much for your time,
Federica
Yes, I think it could be that her core and back muscles just might not be strong enough yet, as you said. That’s normal for younger kids, and her muscles will develop and get stronger as she gets older and does more gymnastics. In the future, remember that it’s important to strengthen the muscles around flexible joints to prevent injuries (ex. strengthening ankle muscles if you have flexible ankles to prevent sprains and rolls). To help her strengthen the muscles she needs to stand up from a bridge, she can do exercises like hollow holds for her core and superman holds for her back muscles. I hope she gets this new skill soon! :)
 
She has recently learned this skill so we are still working on straightening that second leg - any tips on how to do that would be much appreciated.
She's currently in recreational and in her age group they haven't even started working on back bends let alone this skill but it is not easy to get moved up as it's a small club and progression is soooo slow.
Also, my daughter can do a back bend no problem and has amazing back flexibility but she is still struggling to stand up from a back bend, every time she tries she says her back hurts? Any tips on this would be much appreciated, I obviously don't want to force it and cause an injury.
how's your daughter hamstring flexibility?
 
I am just going to add that if your daughter is saying her back hurts when practicing skills - I would stop. She looks young and if she is having back pain she is most likely over-doing back work. There is valid reasons younger classes don't focus much on them.
 
Be careful with back pain. See a physio, right now. I was ten when I got ligamentitis from back bends and walkovers (both ways), it took forever to fix. Make sure she's not using her back too much to stand up. SHe should use her abs.
Yes, I'm aware of the risks and I am making sure she doesn't overdo it. I think you're right, she's using her back too much instead of her abs when coming out of a back bend so I am not going to let her try that unless she's practising that particular skill with her coach.
 
I am just going to add that if your daughter is saying her back hurts when practicing skills - I would stop. She looks young and if she is having back pain she is most likely over-doing back work. There is valid reasons younger classes don't focus much on them.
Yes, it's just when coming up from a bridge that she says her back hurts. Her back never hurts with any other skill like back walkovers or back bends. I'll leave her to try those with her coach as it is definitely safer.
 

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