WAG Changing from a straight body cast handstand to straddle handstand

[htimcj]

So DD has been struggling to get kip cast hand stand with a straight body. She has only every tried to do them with a staight body has never even tried a straddle cast UNTIL yesterday when her coach said to try to do straddle up to handstand then giant giant flyaway.]

My question is the straddle cast handstand easier? DD can usually do just a plain cast handstand with nothing connected to it about 90% of the time. The trouble comes when she tried to do kip cast handstand.

On her first meet she got killed because of her cast height on bars so I am wondering if this approach will help her. I am also concerned because she is trying to change this in the middle of meet season. She has until Jan 18 to get it this way.

She doesn't have the best upper body strength but has great form on everything except that darn cast handstand!

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

The straddle is easier for most girls, I think its more about timing than the strait body which is more about strength. My DD is working on her strait body cast she tells me it will make it easier to do pirouettes.

 

[LizzieLac]

I believe it is different for different girls. I have seen some that struggle with the straddle cast handstand and do better with straight body cast. Makes sense for her to take a couple of weeks to try both. Good luck to her.

 

[htimcj]

I have heard in the past that the straddle requires a bit less strength and that once you get the timing down it is easier. I am hoping that is the case

 

[Quadqueen]

My DD finds straddle much easier. Of course, once she could do that, which she got rather quickly, she really stopped working on a straight body cast and probably couldn't even come close right now.

 

[Flossyduck]

Whilst straddle casts are supposedly easier I think it depends on the gymnast. My dd got her straight cast handstand pretty quickly when she first started learning them. Then they started working straddle casts (not sure why) and she always found that harder - she tended to overcook it or undercook it and rarely hit that handstand perfectly. Went back to working straight casts and was fine. Got kip cast straight cast within a couple of weeks of trying. Still can't control a straddle cast properly!

It makes sense to let her try and see which she prefers.

 

[htimcj]

I am glad that she is getting the option to try each way since straight body doesn't seem to be working so well. I just wish coach had her start BEFORE meet season

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

If you can straight body cast handstand most if not all can also straddle cast within a few tries. It is not the same the other way.
According to JO they are worth the same, in FIG though straddle cast is an A and straight is a B.

 

[stxrdusty]

Straddle cast handstands are easier because they require less strength. Both types require timing (I've struggled for 4 years with this). If she's not too far from handstand with straightbody learning a straddle shouldn't be too hard.

 

[Natasha]

My dd learned her straddle cast very quickly (a few tries I think) after getting dinged all season last year on straight body casts either not high enough or horribly arched.

 

[fliptwisttwirl]

I tried straddle casts for over a year and then after my coach gave up trying every drill, we switched to a straight body cast and I started hitting them after a a few months. Guess it just depends on the person!

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Straddle casts are very easy for a gymnast when taught properly and will not mess up a straight body cast, so long as you still work them. My kids do both, and mostly compete the straddle because it just scores higher.

 

[BlairBob]

If you have poor active straddle flexibility the straddle cast HS won't come easy. I've known girls who actually preferred to train/do straight body because they were just hopeless doing a straddle. Yeah, go figure.

If you can cast about 30-45 degrees above horizontal and do a straddle on and know the action of a straddle press HS, you can probably figure out straddle cast HS.

Also, sounds like she needs work on her kip.

 

[htimcj]

I do think some of it is her kip. She tends to not glide long enough and then kills her momentum.

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

DDs level requires both in her routine. Her straight body is fabulous from just a cast, but by the time she does it on the high bar from a kip half way through her routine, not so much. Her straddle to HS from a kip is beautiful though.

 

[htimcj]

Interesting that both are required in Canada. Here we can do either one.

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

Not all levels here require this.... As it is there, in our version of JO you can do one or the other. The vast majority of girls choose straddle. Her program is a parallel program, with different requirements.