Flexible gymnasts question

[NGL780309]

My DD had a very flexible back and shoulders and has a hard time holding a handstand. They are working on holding it for 60 seconds which she really struggles with. She usually falls into a backbend. What can she do to help her get this? She does the same thing with her press handstands. She's the only one in her Level that can do a press handstand, but she presses up and falls into a backbend some of the time. Which actually kind of looks like a cool skill. LOL Is it just lack of core strength?

 

[gymnut1]

Core and shoulder strength.

 

[gymnastbeth]

This is going to seem a little "out there", but along with core strength, it could be hand/wrist strength. Falling into a bridge happens a lot because the gymnast can't push their fingers into the floor well enough, which is necessary for balancing in a HS . Mainly core strength, but a little of that.

 

[Deleted member 9865]

Sounds like a lack of tension in her back.

Do a lot of Dish and Arch work.

Also it can be problematic if your shoulders open too much in your handstand, so really focus on trying to hide your ears the whole time.

 

[NGL780309]

Any suggestions would be helpful. She seriously has the worst handstand hold in her group. To me it looks like her back is just too loose. She practices them at home all the time and she can do about 20 seconds before falling. If she splits her legs she can go longer and she has discovered if she wears shoes she can hold it longer. I have no idea about that, but she says shoes make it easier for her.

 

[gymmom14]

My dd is the same way. Extremely flexible back and shoulders. I blamed her early troubles on bars and vault (archy) on this too. Beam and floor it seems to help. Anyway, our coaches always worked on her core strength to try and tighten her up so she does not get hurt by landing arched in her tumbling and dismounts. Anyway, she was never good at a handstand. Once she started losing the handstand, she cannot save it. She goes right over. She is 14 now and it is somewhat better, but no where near a minute.

PS- her core looks strong. She has a great 6 pack. Her coach made a comment about how good her abs are, now she just needs to use them. Maybe this is part of it. Maybe they don't know how to be tight.

 

[AGM78910]

I have posted about this before. My DD has the exact same problem. It was really severe when she was younger. It was very tough for her to hold a handstand, do L hangs, giants, and back walkover on the beam was very tough. It also took her longer to get some of the skills. She was diagnosed with Hypermobility Syndrome by her Sports medicine physician. This condition is also called double jointedness. The previous posters have it totally right. Lots of core conditioning and shoulder conditioning. We took her to a physical therapist who gave her extra conditioning which included light weights. The good news is she is very flexible. It has gotten better the older she gets. It is just that the tendons are more stretchy.

 

[Bajanswife]

My dd is the same way. Extremely flexible back and shoulders. I blamed her early troubles on bars and vault (archy) on this too. Beam and floor it seems to help. Anyway, our coaches always worked on her core strength to try and tighten her up so she does not get hurt by landing arched in her tumbling and dismounts. Anyway, she was never good at a handstand. Once she started losing the handstand, she cannot save it. She goes right over. She is 14 now and it is somewhat better, but no where near a minute.

PS- her core looks strong. She has a great 6 pack. Her coach made a comment about how good her abs are, now she just needs to use them. Maybe this is part of it. Maybe they don't know how to be tight.

This totally my DD! She has extremely strong abs (men would kill for her 6-pack lol) - she just doesn't use them! She forgets to use any muscles that aren't directly involved in a skill, which means she's never tight. It affects her scores terribly. She can't hold a decent handstand for more than about 5 seconds, 10 seconds if she arches and bends her knees etc.

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

At my gym they'd recruit her for the rhythmic team

 

[NGL780309]

I think DD actually does have pretty good core strength. The do testing like L hang on bars and leg lifts and DD always wins or is 2nd. And doesn't a press handstand take core strength? Like I said she is the only one who can do a press handstand, yet she has the worst handstand. Maybe she just hasn't figured out how to use those muscles in her handstand. I know she's only 6 and she's doing great for her age so time will help. She probably just needs more experience. Her old gym really never worked on handstands. Crazy huh? Her new gym spends a lot of time on basics every single practice. Her handstand on beam has improved tremendously. The girls on her team that grew up at this gym have better basic skills than her by far, but she is catching up.

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

I think you have something there with the "hasn't leaned how to use those muscles in a handstand" statement. I think sometimes young kids don't know how to identify and isolate certain areas of strength. DD has a hard time when you tell her to engage/tighten her stomach muscles in a handstand. I think one day it will click with lots of practice.

 

[gymdog]

It will click. I also have them practice holding split handstands too because they can often balance longer that way faster, which will eventually transfer. Practicing it on different surfaces and trying to balance is helpful too (like on a softer mat, or paralettes).

 

[NGL780309]

It will click. I also have them practice holding split handstands too because they can often balance longer that way faster, which will eventually transfer. Practicing it on different surfaces and trying to balance is helpful too (like on a softer mat, or paralettes).

Yes, DD can hold it longer if she straddles or splits her legs. It's when she tries to hold it with her feet together that her back arches and she falls.

 

[tumble-ready]

I would also agree it is core strength. I would try handstands against the wall, but with her body facing the wall during the handstand. This may help teach her body to use the muscles that keep her against the wall instead of falling to the bridge. Her hands should only be about a foot (max) away from the wall and the only part of her body allowed to touch the wall is the top of her pointed feet. Try to build up to a 2 min. handstand with arms fully extended, hips tucked under, and bootie squeezing tight. The body should be straight from the hands, through the shoulder, body, and hips. It is OK for the legs to be "slightly" piked to the wall.

Another good core exercise to teach the stomach and lower back muscles to work together is to have the athlete lay on her back in a hollow position and arms extended over head. Have someone grab her ankles (one ankle in each hand) and stand up with arms down so the athlete is only touching the floor with their upper back and arms. The athlete must try to keep their feet together while the person holding is releasing one leg or the other in no pattern or order...totally random. This forces the stomach and lower back muscles to work in a manner that maintains a good hollow just like the handstand above. Be sure the athlete doesn't let the hips sag or pike when a leg is released.
Hope that helps.