Can your daughter explain to you where her problems might be coming from or no? Where is she getting stuck and why she thinks she may not be getting up.
It took me 4 years to learn a straddle cast handstand, so it is a difficult skill if timing and body shapes are not correct.
Common problems (some apply the just straddle to hands and some apply to straddle and straight-body:
- Not leaning over the bar (in kip-cast-hands this is caused by the shoulders not being over the bar following the kip)
- Pushing backwards away from the bar with the shoulders (this usually happens if you don't lean)
- Arched body position
- Legs straddling backwards rather than down and then circling around the sides to handstand
Tips (most are for straddle to hands and all can be done with or without ankle weights around the ankles):
- I did a lot of sets of straight body casts. I tried to keep my stomach pressed hollow and my arms straight. Typically I did sets of 5-10. All drills on the bar, except for this one, can be done from a kip as well.
- Cast to straddle with feet on either side of the hands, jump off over the bar.
- Cast to straddle with feet on either side of the hands, fall to back on other side of bar (stack 1-2 8-inch mats behind either a low or high bar for this).
- Cast to straddle with feet on either side of hands, small jump/punch off the bar, fall to back on other side of bar. << This can be done with a jump or press to handstand progression next, but I was never able to do it.
- Cast to straddle with feet on either side of hands, DO NOT TOUCH BAR WITH FEET THIS TIME, fall to back on other side of bar.
- On floor bar, put feet/shins on physio-ball and roll to from extended position with shoulders extended (completely or not completely, either are beneficial, completely just requires more abdominal strength) to hollow position with shoulders over the bar. Sets of 10+. For all floor+ball drills remember to keep stomach pressed towards back in a hollow at all times.
- On floor bar, put feet/shins on physio-ball and roll to from slightly or completely extended position to pike position with toes on ball and shoulders over the floor bar. Sets of 10+.
- On floor bar, put feet/shins on physio-ball and roll to from slightly extended position to straddle to handstand. Remember to aim toes towards bar and then circle to handstand (like a punch to handstand with hands on the floor).
- Press handstands (on floor, from a sit, on a wall, off a mat, it doesn't matter where as long as body positions are good they are helpful).
- Free handstand holds on the floor or paralettes.
I'm sure there's more than this, but this is what I've done and helped me finally get my cast. I did hundreds of the "on bar" drills before I got my cast, but I had to correct 3 years of bad habits, so I don't think it'll take your daughter anywhere near as long. Once the cast is achieved doing sets of multiple kip to handstands and periodically doing single "stationary" cast to handstands with a couple pushing over the other side of the bar is beneficial (or at least it is for me).
I realize now I should make a video of all of these drills at some point haha! Good luck to your daughter and I hope she gets her cast to handstand. Reassure her she's not the only one who has trouble with handstands, I still have trouble to this day, but she can get it. I believe in her.
