HELP - back handspring on beam

[gym-mama]

HELP - My daughter is competing level 7 this year. She is competing without a back handspring on beam. He coach says she has one of the best back haNdspring stepouts he has ever coached on beam. But she just doesn't have the confidence to do it by herself. She has never gotten hurt on beam so i am not sure what is causing this. Three different times she has done it by herself thinking that the coach is going to spot her. but when he doesn't and she does it, she is too scared to go again until the next practice. Please help with suggestions on how she can get over this fear and do it.

 

[hunde2]

I'm just a mom but my daughter sometimes has trouble (fear) with her skills too.She has overcome alot of fears already.The coaches are patient.She had trouble on beam before also.Does daughter do her bhs on lowbeam or floorbeam by herself?
What they do in my daughter's gym sometimes is put a really big mat under the highbeam to get them used to it and it makes them feel more confident too.They had also done counting with them before,were they count from 1- 3 and go for the skill at 3.
They also start out doing skills on a 6 inch floorbeam.Sometimes with mats on each side.

 

[gym-mama]

I'm just a mom but my daughter sometimes has trouble (fear) with her skills too.She has overcome alot of fears already.The coaches are patient.She had trouble on beam before also.Does daughter do her bhs on lowbeam or floorbeam by herself?
What they do in my daughter's gym sometimes is put a really big mat under the highbeam to get them used to it and it makes them feel more confident too.They had also done counting with them before,were they count from 1- 3 and go for the skill at 3.
They also start out doing skills on a 6 inch floorbeam.Sometimes with mats on each side.

yes she has been doing them for quite awhile on the floor beam, and they have done all of your suggestions. still hoping. thanks for your thoughts

 

[Maria]

I'm a level 7 gymnast to. I just got moved up and I am also having trouble with my back-hand-spring on beam. What I'm doing is I'm going to compete a dive cart-wheel until I'm comfortable enough to do my back-hand-spring by myself. Good luck.



Maria Isa=)

 

[gymjoy]

My dd has had her share of fears. Right now she is having a mental block on bars. Just today I was reminding her about her mental preparations for getting through these things.
Here is her drill: Visualize. See what you are going to do in your head and feel it in your body. Make it perfect. Do this as often as you can - and especially just before your turn.
Next - Breath and think I can.
Then -GO!!
She told me she tries not to think about the skill as she's doing it, only before she goes. Instead she just thinks - GO.

Good luck

 

[gymkat]

It sounds like some of the fear is coming from the coach stepping back unexpectedly, and I don't blame her for being scared. I have to say that as a coach and gymnast, this is one of the best ways to lose a gymnast's trust, and telling a gymnast that you'll spot and then not actually spotting is absolutely unacceptable IMO.

I've always used the blank mind method- I just try to stop thinking about the skill and focusing on counting to 3 and going. On beam, she could also take the BHS down to a low beam, then to a medium beam, then a high beam. Will she do it on the medium beam? If so, then she needs to tell herself that it's the exact same beam, and that there isn't really a difference between the medium and high beam (if you fall on one, you'll fall on the other!). At some point, if you've done enough BHS on the low beam, there isn't anything that the coach and/or parents can do- the gymnast has to want it more than they do.