Keeping balance with one leg up doing a BWO

[littlegirllost]

I'm a beginner, and I can do a back bridge to kick over easily, but when it comes to putting my leg up before, it's very hard, and many times my hands will reach to the ground and I will fall over to my side, especially if I'm trying to put my hands together as if I were doing it on beam. What can I do to keep balance throughout one leg on the back walkover?

 

[gymnut1]

Think about growing tall, going up up and back. Keep your tummy and legs tight and your arms by ears. It can help to rest the lifted foot lightly on a bench or block just to help if you wobble until you can do it more confidently. Sounds like you are nearly there. Well done.

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

You might not be arching your back enough if you are concentrating on other parts of the skill. Think about reaching up, arching, and having your front leg follow you over. Also do lots of backbend, kickovers to help your back flexibility and motion. Make sure your front leg doesn't go back down to the ground after you put it up - a lot of people drop their leg after they start to arch, but that's contrary to the walkover.

 

[CoachAngela]

Make sure you're looking for your hands on the way down too..

 

[CoachTodd]

Contrary to popular belief, The back walk over comes from an open shoulder angle and not an arch in the lower back. Lower back flexibility can make the skill easier but I've seen many girls that can't arch at all do nice walk overs.

I like the drill with putting your foot on a raised surface. It seems to help quite a bit. You want to focus on the following things:

1. Reach up and back before arching. This allows the shoulders to open more and makes the skill easier.

2. keep your weight on the back foot. Many people push their weight forward toward the foot that is in the air. This makes for some odd angles when the hands hit the ground and make it difficult to go straight and to balance.

3. try to keep the lifted leg moving the direction you want to go. This should keep you from pushing your hips too far forward to go backwards.

 

[littlegirllost]

Contrary to popular belief, The back walk over comes from an open shoulder angle and not an arch in the lower back. Lower back flexibility can make the skill easier but I've seen many girls that can't arch at all do nice walk overs.

I like the drill with putting your foot on a raised surface. It seems to help quite a bit. You want to focus on the following things:

1. Reach up and back before arching. This allows the shoulders to open more and makes the skill easier.

2. keep your weight on the back foot. Many people push their weight forward toward the foot that is in the air. This makes for some odd angles when the hands hit the ground and make it difficult to go straight and to balance.

3. try to keep the lifted leg moving the direction you want to go. This should keep you from pushing your hips too far forward to go backwards.

Thanks so much. I am flexible in the back, so I'm pretty sure that's not the problem. My coach tells me I push my hips too far forward. He had me face to face with a standing mat doing back bends so I wouldn't push them forward, so I'm practicing and keeping the leg up, really reaching up with my arms and then back, and keeping the weight on the back of the foot, it seems to be helping.

 

[Stretchsportguy]

I agree with Coach Todd about your shoulders and wish to add my two cents to this thread...

This is very common with gymnasts who are at the very phase of learning a back walkover as you described. Without the strength and ability to draw your body up off the floor using your shoulders, many gymnasts drift off to the side and even twist away or flip to the side.

Here is a great drill that teaches a gymnast what to do...get in a handstand against a wall with only your feet touching the wall and with your hands further away from the wall than you are used to. Without using your feet, (do not push the wall with your feet) lean and use your shoulders to pull yourself off the wall and come down. As you get used to this then keep starting further and further away from the wall. You can split down and step out if you want after your feet come off the wall.

Your goal is to be able to pull off the wall from a level position to the floor. That's right, bent way over in a handstand with your feet touching the wall and your legs level with the floor. If you can pull off the wall from there and come down then you have more than enough ability to do a back walkover starting with your leg up.

To improve the technique look in while you do this. Look at your belly as you pull away from the wall. If you are splitting and stepping out then you can look in hard at your knee.

Before you actually try the back walkover after mastering this drill it can help to do this same drill in a handstand split starting with your back leg foot touching the wall. To increase the difficulty, use a folded mat instead of the wall so you can start from a lower and more difficult position than the wall in a handstand split.

Remember not to push off your foot. Your back foot should lift and float off the folded mat. Same goes for the real thing when you get to it. The more you need to push off the supporting foot the worse your back walkover is even if you can do it by pushing off your foot. The point is that you should be able to draw yourself up off the beam without pushing off using the strength and lean of your shoulders. Yes, this is a hyper extension of the shoulders. Or a plange action, if you will.

 

[wendy1972]

Contrary to popular belief, The back walk over comes from an open shoulder angle and not an arch in the lower back. Lower back flexibility can make the skill easier but I've seen many girls that can't arch at all do nice walk overs.

I like the drill with putting your foot on a raised surface. It seems to help quite a bit. You want to focus on the following things:

1. Reach up and back before arching. This allows the shoulders to open more and makes the skill easier.

2. keep your weight on the back foot. Many people push their weight forward toward the foot that is in the air. This makes for some odd angles when the hands hit the ground and make it difficult to go straight and to balance.

3. try to keep the lifted leg moving the direction you want to go. This should keep you from pushing your hips too far forward to go backwards.

This explaination is perfect!!