WAG 5 year old round off back handsprings-average age??

[Deleted member 14190]

Our HC won't let a child even try a spotted BHS, no matter the age, if they can't pass "the arm test" ... They have to be able to reach over their head and grab their ear on the other side (or something like that - lol). If they can't reach, they get to do some of the drills, but no BHS.

Do share exactly what the arm test is .

 

[raenndrops]

Do share exactly what the arm test is .

It goes something like this (I may be a little off, but this is at least close):
Raise your left hand so your arm is straight. Look at my finger (something to focus on to help keep the head straight). Lay your arm on top of your head ... and still look at my finger. Try to tickle your right ear with your hand.
Then repeat on the other side.

She looks at how far over the child can reach. She looks at the position of the elbow in relation to the top of the head.
From what I have seen, she wants the crook of the elbow to be a minimum of half way between the top of the ear and the top of the head ... but almost always, it is at least close to the top of the head if not over.

We had a couple girls on our L3 team this past season who didn't do the back handspring on floor (they just took the deduction) because their arms weren't quite long enough and if they were to attempt it, and they could risk head injury if their arms bent. They both grew over the summer and they have started training BHS ... and because of the drills they DID do last year, it is going well for them

 

[Muddlethru]

I greatly appreciate your wisdom! I try not to fall down that rabbit hole and I’m definitely not a parent who thinks my kid is going to the Olympics or will get a college scholarship. I actually turned down a spot on a team for my daughter when the gym told me how they produce college level gymnasts. That was their selling point for my daughter to join their team. I told them that my daughter was four (at that time) and that I didn’t know if she would even like gymnastics a month from now. It’s definitely easy to get caught up in the excitement of new skills and I definitely tell my daughter how proud I am of her. For competitions, I tell her to go out there and have fun and work hard. I also tell her that it doesn’t matter to me if she gets a medal or not, but if she wants one then she has to work for it. I’d love to see her stay in the sport for awhile so I try to be very cautious not to be a crazy gym dad.

 

[Gymnast738282]

I got mine when I was 6