Press handstands- okay to work at home?

[cbone]

My daughter is starting to work on press handstands at the gym. She's doing remarkably well at it and she wants to do them all the time. We've made it clear that she can't work back handsprings at home. Should this skill be on the "do not do this at home" list?

 

[flipflopcrystal]

i encourage working on press to handstands and handstand holds at home, granted the area is free of furniture that kids might end up kicking, obviously.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Press handstands are an excellent skill to practice at home as long as she's doing them correctly.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

lots of them.

 

[cbone]

Guys, would you help me to understand why certain skills (like the back handspring) are no-nos and others (like press handstands) are okay at home? It will help me to quit asking dumb questions all the time and help me keep my little one safe.

 

[justanothergymmom]

My girls all learned their press handstands at home--Coach encouraged them to practice these daily since at that time they were only at the gym 1-2 days per week....I think it is relatively safe, provided that they have an area that has enough space so they will not kick something, and also that they don't overdo it (If they do 100 a day everyday, they can end up with sore wrists).

Which skills are safe to do at home may depend on the level of your gymnast and what skills she has been cleared on at the gym to work on independently--In our home, any skill that requires flight is a no-no: Round-offs, handsprings of any kind, tucks, layouts, aerials are all NO! The reason these are not ok to do at home is partly due to safety..tumbling on unsprung floors can put undue stress on their bodies/bones and lead to sprains/stress fractures. You also don't want them practicing with incorrect technique. Sometimes the skill may look great to the parent even when the gymnast's technique is incorrect. All those repetitions at home may lead to forming bad habits that can be hard to break!

Handstands, cartwheels and walkovers are fine with me, as well as stretching, splits, and presses, as long as they are on a padded surface.

 

[CoachGoofy]

If you can crash & burn doing it, don't do it at home. So handstands, press work, sure go for it. Flight? Absolutely not. And I can live with working limbering tricks & cartwheels at home, though fixing some technique issues can be annoying.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Guys, would you help me to understand why certain skills (like the back handspring) are no-nos and others (like press handstands) are okay at home? It will help me to quit asking dumb questions all the time and help me keep my little one safe.

No such thing as a dumb question.

Generally, the ones that are safe to do at home are the ones which are very basic and very safe. Skills where they are extremely unlikely to hurt themselves, and where they know the technique well enough that they won't be practicing bad habits.

(I did two articles about this on my blog awhile back)

 

[ivyagogo]

I got my first press handstand against the wall in my friend's kitchen.

 

[iwannacoach]

Guys, would you help me to understand why certain skills (like the back handspring) are no-nos and others (like press handstands) are okay at home? It will help me to quit asking dumb questions all the time and help me keep my little one safe.

Working on press handstands, even with incorrect technique, will easily contribute to a gymnasts over-all strength, and I can't think of a down side as long as she's wanting to do them and uses reasonably proper body positions.

The "at home" stuff gets a little complicated when a child goes nuts on a new skill they've just learned or are in the process of learning. The coach can say good-bye at the end of Fridays practice to a child who's just made a positive change on a straight arm back extension roll and "solidified" it toward the end of the week. Fast forward to Monday, and the coach feels that a completely different child has walked through the door.

This enthusiatic learner, come to find out, has done over 100 back extension rolls over the week-end with slowly deteriorating technique. By the time she got to number 25, she's right back to square one and likes the "new and improved" back extension roll she perfected over the next 75 repititions. Possible it "feels" so right by Monday that she has the opinion that her coach is the one who deserves the (*&^ sandwich when she's told she has to do it another way....again! Conclusion....,Grown-ups! The things I have to do to keep them off my case!

 

[wallinbl]

Guys, would you help me to understand why certain skills (like the back handspring) are no-nos and others (like press handstands) are okay at home? It will help me to quit asking dumb questions all the time and help me keep my little one safe.

Worst case in a press handstand is probably a bruise if she falls over because she lost her balance, but realistically, she will probably be falling back towards her feet, not away from them given the nature of the movement. Worst case in a back handspring is a neck injury if she does one and plants her hand on a stray Barbie doll or the panel mat on the tile floor slips.

I'm sure the coaches will also point out the technique issues and learning bad habits.

 

[serenity's Momma]

We practice press handstands all the time at home. If you are afraid of her falling or otherwise hurting herself you cal always suggest she use a wall or like my daughter the front of the couch. Just watch her technique. Some girls don't have the technique down before they start practicing at home. Other times practice at home is wonderful. My daughter just got her round off Back handspring down at practice. She doesn't combine both moves at home but does them individually and has figured out how to put them together.