BACK WALKOVERS :)

[acrogymnastics]

Hi everyone!

I have a few questions about back walkovers. I can do the splits, a front walkover, and a backbend kickover. When I go into my back walkover, I can do the first part where I do a backbend on one foot but then I can't kick over from there immediately when my foot hits, but when I land I can kick over from there without putting my foot down. How do I kick over immediately when my hands touch so that it's like a fluid motion? I have to pause in the middle during my back walkover. I'm not sure if it's a flexibility issue because my shoulders aren't unflexible, I can push them over my hands in a backbend and my back isn't super unflexible either. I stretch my shoulders and back before working on my back walkover. Any tips on making it a fluid motion and not being scared? I want to be able to connect it and not have to pause in my back walkover. Thanks!

 

[kiwi2406]

Three tips I can give you are:

1. Push your weight into your shoulders instead of keeping it planted in your base foot, even though this may feel unnatural, it will shift your centre of mass to the right place.
2. Try to make your bridge as small as possible, by bringing your hands as close as possible to your feet. This will also force your weight into your shoulders.
3. The most important one. Start your BWO with your leg in the air above horizontal/ parallel with the ground. This is important because when your hands touch the ground, your leg should already be past being vertical, so that you don't have to actually 'kick' per se, but your momentum carries you over.