Coaches Question about cast-handstand on bars

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KimmieS

Hi, I'm in college and just started coaching at a small gym close to school. We have 6 team members in level 5 and 6. I'm trying to get them to a handstand on bars, but I'm not strong enough to lift them if they have a weak cast. Some of them are close but some of them can only cast to horizontal.

So, I need some cast drills for cast-handstands. Any ideas?
 
Cast to high straddle on to single rail, press to HS.

Lay out a panel mat. Have them put their hands on the floor while laying in seal stretch on the mat. Lean over the hands, jump off the toes, piking or straddle-piking to HS.

You can also do these with a yoga ball, too. Try leaning over a barrel, grasping a floor bar and driving your heels to a handstand. you will not make it unless you are very tight. Be careful if you tend to arch because you may arch right over into a limber

Planche work. Either spot planche press HS.

When it gets down to it...a lot of planche and HSPU work. Of course, they still need to be able to do reverse leg lifts off a beam for torso strength/heel drive.
 
Cast Handstand Drills

These may seem like weird ideas but they have worked for me over the years.

1.....Find the biggest inner tube you can, and have it blown up (obviously...lol) have the gymnast stand in the middle of the tube and then lie down with their thighs on the tube and your hands either on a low floor bar or on the floor in a good hollow front support position and do bounce to handstands( keep the body tight as possible & do not bend elbows) and if you have two inner tubes they can work on bounce to handstand half turn to bounce handstand onto the other tube.

2.....This one is if you are an experienced spotter, and i hope i explain it so you can understand. Use a mini tramp and have the gymnast stand facing the low end, and place their hands on the steel frame and then ask the gymnast to kick to a handstand with you spotting them. Once in a handstand with you holding them slowly lower them so they land on their back in a hollow position and having a firm grip on their legs lift them back to handstand and repeat*****ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE AN EXPERIENCED SPOTTER AND FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THIS DRILL***** I WILL GET MY GYMNASTS TO DO IT AND POST A VIDEO ON HERE WITHIN A WEEK.

3.....If you have a large trampoline and are able to put two blocks from a trapezoid on either side of the trampoline you can place a high bar on the blocks and have two students hold the bar (one on each block) and have a gymnast hold the bar and bounce with straight legs into handstand and fall onto their back onto a landing mat which is on the trampoline behind where the gymnast is bouncing. You can do this also with an inground trampoline and just lay the high bar across the middle of the trampoline and do the drill.

Don
 
much better to have them cast smaller w/ good technique and shape- then build OVER TIME to higher cast. To do a good cast an athlete must be very strong- the above conditioning & drills are great. Patience is an important factor in developing good bar workers!!!:D
 
Cast to high straddle on to single rail, press to HS.

Lay out a panel mat. Have them put their hands on the floor while laying in seal stretch on the mat. Lean over the hands, jump off the toes, piking or straddle-piking to HS.

You can also do these with a yoga ball, too. Try leaning over a barrel, grasping a floor bar and driving your heels to a handstand. you will not make it unless you are very tight. Be careful if you tend to arch because you may arch right over into a limber

Planche work. Either spot planche press HS.

When it gets down to it...a lot of planche and HSPU work. Of course, they still need to be able to do reverse leg lifts off a beam for torso strength/heel drive.

Ditto...it works like a charm. I'm a huge straddle-on fan from the developmental levels. I don't spot cast handstands except in the case of reverse casts, which is where the kid does a straddle cast, and I help her lower through a planche to a front support. They actually get stronger lowering down from the handstand because they don't have the momentum of swing, plus they don't want to crash on their hips.

Also...it's better to teach a kip cast horizontal-kip and build up the cast than ever allow a gymnast to kip cast and fall off the bar. It leads to horrible, horrible habits.

Good luck
 
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