Coaches Freehip handstand -- from giant?

[Geoffrey Taucer]

For both skill development and routine construction purposes, I've pretty much always had my athletes do freehip handstand from back uprise and/or cast.

I never really bothered with training them from a giant, because I never saw the need. For training purposes, starting from behind the bar reinforces all the habits I want to see. For routine construction purposes, a free hip handstand just makes perfect sense as an easy, consistent way to hit handstand, even if you don't hit a strong uprise or cast right before it.

But I'm seeing a lot of athletes lately competing them after a giant in their routines.

So I guess my question is: what am I missing? What are the benefits of training or competing giant-freehip handstand?

 

[JBS]

We have always trained it just as something to train. Shoulder movement and control.

 

[Gymgirl84]

I think in higher level routines MAG seem to connect everything from a giant, so it could make sense in that regard.

 

[Dahlialover]

Free hip from a giant is a bonus in level 6 and a requirement in 6E and 8E. My son learned them on the strap bar out of giants and did it for the first time out of a giant. I think they look cool out of a giant and looking cool is something I personally value on high bar.

 

[fuzi]

On the women’s (USAG WAG) side, a free-hip handstand is a C, while a giant is a B. Assuming someone needs the skill value of the giant, doing the clear-hip after the giant and before the dismount ensures a “C” into the dismount.

For level 9, a C into any B dismount is 0.05 in dismount “up to level” compared to 0.10 for a B (giant) into a B dismount. Also, in level 9, C + C gets bonus, so free hip hand + double back gives a 0.1 bonus.

Similar logic in level 10, but gymnasts can use C + C + C dismount to lessen composition deductions (0.05) if they don’t have that D/E dismount (no composition deduction). Free hip full pirouette is also an E, so if gymnastics can progress to this into their dismount (or toe full/stalder full), it’s a great way to rack up bonus (really common in NCAA too).