Kip Cast HS Help!

[gymfan4ever95]

I am a level 7 and I am haveing trouble with my kip, cast handstand. I really need it to be able to make my giant! (right now...on high bar, my cast is about horizontal!) I can't do a cast handstand either...but i am really close! Well, I guess I can do it, I am just afraid to!

It is really frustrating because I have been improving so much lately, but my kip cast handstand (mainly on high bar) just isn't getting any better!

Can anyone think of any tips to help me get this skill...soon??
I would REALLY appriciate it if anyone has drills that I can do at home!

 

[jitta_bug123]

im in the exact same situation. I can giant too, i just cant get to handstand with out a spot its quite annoying, sorry i cant help

 

[T.Gymnastics]

May i join the giants, but no casts club?? hahaha well my giants have left me for a while but i would also love some help here. sorry i cant help though.

 

[gym4life915]

First of all make sure you are leaning your shoulders over the bar. It might feel like you are going to fall but you want your shoulders to be far enough over so that you will be able to get to handstand. Also, make sure you are driving your heels. For help I would suggest doing lots of heel driving drills. And don't be afraid to go over the bar, if you think you are going to fall over then just do a half turn (like the level 4 or 5 beam dismount) and end facing the bar. Hope I could provide some help!

 

[jitta_bug123]

May i join the giants, but no casts club?? hahaha well my giants have left me for a while but i would also love some help here. sorry i cant help though.

thankyou, glad to know i'm not the only one

 

[jitta_bug123]

First of all make sure you are leaning your shoulders over the bar. It might feel like you are going to fall but you want your shoulders to be far enough over so that you will be able to get to handstand. Also, make sure you are driving your heels. For help I would suggest doing lots of heel driving drills. And don't be afraid to go over the bar, if you think you are going to fall over then just do a half turn (like the level 4 or 5 beam dismount) and end facing the bar. Hope I could provide some help!

thankyou, il try tonight at gym. Sorry to sound stupid but could you please post some heel driving drills?

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

Can you do press handstands? I would work these any chance you get,uch easier to cast to a handstand if you can do a press handstand.

 

[gymfan4ever95]

Can you do press handstands? I would work these any chance you get,uch easier to cast to a handstand if you can do a press handstand.

Nope, sadly, I can't do a press handstand. Could that be a factor into why I can't make it?

 

[GikiGirl]

Nope, sadly, I can't do a press handstand. Could that be a factor into why I can't make it?

Yes, I would works some press handstands with your feet off something slightly raised up, in the gym it could be a panel mat, or the equivalent at home. Ask your coach what conditioning he/she thinks you need, because he/she can see where you are missing in your cast.

 

[gymfan4ever95]

Yes, I would works some press handstands with your feet off something slightly raised up, in the gym it could be a panel mat, or the equivalent at home. Ask your coach what conditioning he/she thinks you need, because he/she can see where you are missing in your cast.

My coach said that I need to lean my shoulders over the bar more...scaryy!

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Two pieces of advice I'd give you.

First, you need to be mentally ready for the skill. You need to get over what sounds to me like fear of success; that is, it sounds to me like the thought of actually getting your shoulders forward and making it to handstand scares you enough to prevent you from doing it. The best way to get over this, in my opinion, is to learn to overshoot the handstand, and learn to bail from it.

Find the thickest softest mat you can and put it under/in front of the bar (or just get on a pit bar) and deliberately overshoot the handstand; that is, cast so far over the bar that you fall over it and land on your back. Get a spot on this if necessary. Once you're comfortable with this, get to handstand (again, with a spot if necessary) and bail to your feet over the bar (the easiest way to do this, in my opinion, is to do a level 4 beam dismount off the bar, if that makes sense).

As long as the handstand scares you, you will, whether consciously or subconsciously, hold back on the cast every time.


Second, be patient at the end of the kip. The most common problem I've seen with kip cast handstands is that gymnasts try to initiate the cast too early. Wait for your shoulders to come over and past the bar, THEN kick the heels back for the cast.

 

[CoachTodd]

Two pieces of advice I'd give you.

First, you need to be mentally ready for the skill. You need to get over what sounds to me like fear of success; that is, it sounds to me like the thought of actually getting your shoulders forward and making it to handstand scares you enough to prevent you from doing it. The best way to get over this, in my opinion, is to learn to overshoot the handstand, and learn to bail from it.

Find the thickest softest mat you can and put it under/in front of the bar (or just get on a pit bar) and deliberately overshoot the handstand; that is, cast so far over the bar that you fall over it and land on your back. Get a spot on this if necessary. Once you're comfortable with this, get to handstand (again, with a spot if necessary) and bail to your feet over the bar (the easiest way to do this, in my opinion, is to do a level 4 beam dismount off the bar, if that makes sense).

As long as the handstand scares you, you will, whether consciously or subconsciously, hold back on the cast every time.


Second, be patient at the end of the kip. The most common problem I've seen with kip cast handstands is that gymnasts try to initiate the cast too early. Wait for your shoulders to come over and past the bar, THEN kick the heels back for the cast.

The one thing I would add to Geoff's advice is to try to stay piked in your kip as long as possible. If you have any men's P-bars, kipping to an L-support is a great drill to keep that pike as long as possible. You will find that your body will tend to want to lean forward when you try to stop in the L-hold. (being able to stop without falling forward isn't the point of this drill. The more forward you end up the better)
If you can keep as much of the pike as possible until your shoulders are far enough over the bar to feel like you are going to fall, the cast to handstand pretty much happens on its own. If you can press to handstand from a straddle stand on floor, you can cheat to make the cast work if you don't quite get far enough forward.
If you have a foam pit, I think it's fun to just cast over the bar into the pit to help eliminate any fear involved.

 

[Gymnasticcoach2]

The kip cast handstand takes a tremendous amount of core and shoulder strength. Make sure you are doing conditioning that will help these areas.
Press handstands, alternating cast position/push-up positions with feet on elevated surface. And just like the others said practice a 'HUGE" lean out of the kip, your shoulder's have to be way over on the other side of the bar during your cast. If you are going to fall over on the other side of the bar, because your arms bent, just bail out over the bar like a handspring. Put a crash mat down to protect you on your landings.
Good luck!