Parents Proud mom sharing and advice needed

[bogwoppit]

To the OP, we have rules against personal attacks, if I had seen any here warnings, or even bans, would have been handed out.

You are new here and so you have no idea that new, enthusiastic parents of young phenoms show up here daily asking for advice and often resenting the advice they receive from coaches and parents who have been in the sport for a long time.

In fact some of those newer parents really resented the advice they got at first, but they stuck around and began to see that we care, care about learning things properly from the start, having good coaching and a supportive parent.

More than that they have learned that when they post on a forum asking for advice they will get all kinds of input, some they will like and some they really will not. The ones who stick around learn to filter the advice and read between the lines.

Giving up on the CB after one thread is an unfortunate choice, but it is one only you can make.

 

[Amusibus]

Awww don't get all offended. She is awesome!! I am *very* impressed that such a tiny little kid can do all that amazing stuff! My kiddo doesn't even come close! I totally get wanting to show off your very talented child. The response you will get from the general public is very different than what you'll get from people here, 'specially coaches as I imagine they have seen it all a million times. They are starting from a totally different place than us parents. Well as a parent and a non-coach, I think she is awesome, and you should be very proud! I also don't know anything about the technical aspects of gymnastics....I guess I'm trying to say, if you have great coaches as you say you do, trust them. They will take care of the head-flinging or whatever. Your job is to just be proud of her!

 

[LJL07]

You have not posted any videos of your daughter doing BHS with form that would lead me to believe she is ready to do back tuck. I have coached more than one five year old with a roundoff back handspring, and they too WERE NOT close to ready to do correct back tucks. But I am sure if you persevere your child can learn a head out whip back close to the ground. Your question was how to correct it and the answer to that is wait until she's older. That's just the bottom line. I can't make the story different.

Out of curiosity, how many 5 and 6 year olds do have the correct form on RO Bhs? Not that I've seen many, but the young ones all seem to have similar issues with hands turned out and legs not tight together.

 

[gracyomalley]

I think this is why our gym doesn't compete until new L4 - and when they know they can't compete until they are 7, and generally don't move to team until they are 6, they rarely are even tempted to do these tricks when too young...we do have a couple of stunning 5th grade level 8s who will be 11 year level 9s next year for sure....neither were allowed to do ROBHS, let alone ROBHSBT at age 5 - and I know because they were busy doing hand stands, pointing toes on beam and conditioning and bar swings with my DD in a pre-school hot shots program...my DSs gym is more lax about this and although their girls have great form by L7, they often repeat L3, L4 and L5....so doing things early doesn't lead to getting up in levels early for them...that's the gym that has the 6 year old boys doing double backs (in the pit by the way....) for kicks and grins....but as I mentioned those boys are spending practice time doing round offs...and will likely repeat the lower levels until their form catches up with their momentum!

In any case, there is great advice to be had here - for the next olympian and for the rest of us too!

 

[iwannacoach]

I honestly feel any of the comments I've read, and no I didn't read them all, have been offered as advice and insight that is difficult for a "first around" mother to appreciate in the context it's been offered...... that context is that we care, in my case quite deeply, about your child's long term experience in the sport.

Yes, she's talented, and if there was such a thing as a gymnastics store where a coach could go to bargain for talented kids, she'd be on the upper middle shelf where she'd be noticed before the other offering. Rest assured that I'd max out my Visa and MasterCard to get as many (of her) as I could afford and train.......

The comments about her technique are offered, in part, as a warning that while she is "all that and a bag of chips" the technique being taught her really isn't. I know you want it to be done correctly, and sure there's times when it looks better than the video you posted, but there's no way to get there from here on the technical path her coach has allowed her to journey down..... other than to learn it the wrong way, entertain herself and others with it for a few years, and then suffer through the process of realizing it needs to be done differently, and some kids just hate even admitting things they do need to change..... much less working through the entire process.

Certainly there's a possibility she could learn the skill and make that tuck on her own with good technique, but the odds are she'd have to be "the one" out of five hundred 5/6 year olds whose effort seems identical to your dear daughter's. Sadly, there are long term problems created for those who aren't luck enough to be the one. Some of the pit falls are physical, some emotional, and some psychological, but all are unwelcome and you won't know to avoid those consequences until they're being suffered.

I'll start you out on a one of those and let you use your imagination to add to the list:

Some kids enjoy quick success in the sport and are able to learn skills quickly that their physical development is not prepared to support. Each landing after that back tuck is roughly equivalent to landing after jumping from head height, Figure ten to fifteen of those each time she goes to gym, and then ask yourself if you'd let her do those same jumps from head height at home onto a double layer of carpet and padding.

Sure, the gym has a spring floor, but that only spreads the landing force over an increased moment of impact, but it does not reduce the cumulative wear on a very vulnerable skeletal structure. The jump example with the wear on her body is the best case scenario. Add in the possibility she may land too stiffly with her low back slightly arched, and then please google spondylolysis. Better yet ask the woman throwing her into a low back arch, while she's upside down, to google it.

Consider the notion that I'm a "lifer" who hasn't spent a day without gymnastics in his head or heart since the first day 43 years ago. Complete that thought with the knowledge that I many things I want to do today, and then wonder why I've taken the past 20 minutes (slow typing) to offer some help. It ain't ego, greed, or jealousy....... so figure out why, and then consider what you've read.

Let me know if you need more, and I'll get back to you if you're patient because there's some other folks in line ahead of you.

 

[Mileyfiveandfabulous]

I honestly feel any of the comments I've read, and no I didn't read them all, have been offered as advice and insight that is difficult for a "first around" mother to appreciate in the context it's been offered...... that context is that we care, in my case quite deeply, about your child's long term experience in the sport.

Yes, she's talented, and if there was such a thing as a gymnastics store where a coach could go to bargain for talented kids, she'd be on the upper middle shelf where she'd be noticed before the other offering. Rest assured that I'd max out my Visa and MasterCard to get as many (of her) as I could afford and train.......

The comments about her technique are offered, in part, as a warning that while she is "all that and a bag of chips" the technique being taught her really isn't. I know you want it to be done correctly, and sure there's times when it looks better than the video you posted, but there's no way to get there from here on the technical path her coach has allowed her to journey down..... other than to learn it the wrong way, entertain herself and others with it for a few years, and then suffer through the process of realizing it needs to be done differently, and some kids just hate even admitting things they do need to change..... much less working through the entire process.

Certainly there's a possibility she could learn the skill and make that tuck on her own with good technique, but the odds are she'd have to be "the one" out of five hundred 5/6 year olds whose effort seems identical to your dear daughter's. Sadly, there are long term problems created for those who aren't luck enough to be the one. Some of the pit falls are physical, some emotional, and some psychological, but all are unwelcome and you won't know to avoid those consequences until they're being suffered.

I'll start you out on a one of those and let you use your imagination to add to the list:

Some kids enjoy quick success in the sport and are able to learn skills quickly that their physical development is not prepared to support. Each landing after that back tuck is roughly equivalent to landing after jumping from head height, Figure ten to fifteen of those each time she goes to gym, and then ask yourself if you'd let her do those same jumps from head height at home onto a double layer of carpet and padding.

Sure, the gym has a spring floor, but that only spreads the landing force over an increased moment of impact, but it does not reduce the cumulative wear on a very vulnerable skeletal structure. The jump example with the wear on her body is the best case scenario. Add in the possibility she may land too stiffly with her low back slightly arched, and then please google spondylolysis. Better yet ask the woman throwing her into a low back arch, while she's upside down, to google it.

Consider the notion that I'm a "lifer" who hasn't spent a day without gymnastics in his head or heart since the first day 43 years ago. Complete that thought with the knowledge that I many things I want to do today, and then wonder why I've taken the past 20 minutes (slow typing) to offer some help. It ain't ego, greed, or jealousy....... so figure out why, and then consider what you've read.

Let me know if you need more, and I'll get back to you if you're patient because there's some other folks in line ahead of you.

Thank you for putting it into perspective like you just did. Yes you are correct, it is very hard as a new comer to put it into consideration in the context the criticism was being offered which was from a caring place..I now get that, and have had some nice people reach out to me ..BUT being really new to the board and new to the sport, some posts well a couple in particular didn't strike me that way and I found it to be very unfriendly and arrogant. ..and most likely rightfully so, I'm sure they are awesome...but some comments I didn't deem necessary. As a new comer, it came off as unfriendliness. I already know my child needs work she 5 for goodness sake..this is just the beginning for her lol

 

[iwannacoach]

....... some posts well a couple in particular didn't strike me that way and I found it to be very unfriendly and arrogant.....l

There are some coaches and parents that who urgently want to present their experienced reality while not taking the time to produce an argument that supports their position. That's about the worst you'll find here, and that isn't so bad considering the people who comment can be anywhere from early teens to late older than we care to admit.

 

[LJL07]

I honestly feel any of the comments I've read, and no I didn't read them all, have been offered as advice and insight that is difficult for a "first around" mother to appreciate in the context it's been offered...... that context is that we care, in my case quite deeply, about your child's long term experience in the sport.

Yes, she's talented, and if there was such a thing as a gymnastics store where a coach could go to bargain for talented kids, she'd be on the upper middle shelf where she'd be noticed before the other offering. Rest assured that I'd max out my Visa and MasterCard to get as many (of her) as I could afford and train.......

The comments about her technique are offered, in part, as a warning that while she is "all that and a bag of chips" the technique being taught her really isn't. I know you want it to be done correctly, and sure there's times when it looks better than the video you posted, but there's no way to get there from here on the technical path her coach has allowed her to journey down..... other than to learn it the wrong way, entertain herself and others with it for a few years, and then suffer through the process of realizing it needs to be done differently, and some kids just hate even admitting things they do need to change..... much less working through the entire process.

Certainly there's a possibility she could learn the skill and make that tuck on her own with good technique, but the odds are she'd have to be "the one" out of five hundred 5/6 year olds whose effort seems identical to your dear daughter's. Sadly, there are long term problems created for those who aren't luck enough to be the one. Some of the pit falls are physical, some emotional, and some psychological, but all are unwelcome and you won't know to avoid those consequences until they're being suffered.

I'll start you out on a one of those and let you use your imagination to add to the list:

Some kids enjoy quick success in the sport and are able to learn skills quickly that their physical development is not prepared to support. Each landing after that back tuck is roughly equivalent to landing after jumping from head height, Figure ten to fifteen of those each time she goes to gym, and then ask yourself if you'd let her do those same jumps from head height at home onto a double layer of carpet and padding.

Sure, the gym has a spring floor, but that only spreads the landing force over an increased moment of impact, but it does not reduce the cumulative wear on a very vulnerable skeletal structure. The jump example with the wear on her body is the best case scenario. Add in the possibility she may land too stiffly with her low back slightly arched, and then please google spondylolysis. Better yet ask the woman throwing her into a low back arch, while she's upside down, to google it.

Consider the notion that I'm a "lifer" who hasn't spent a day without gymnastics in his head or heart since the first day 43 years ago. Complete that thought with the knowledge that I many things I want to do today, and then wonder why I've taken the past 20 minutes (slow typing) to offer some help. It ain't ego, greed, or jealousy....... so figure out why, and then consider what you've read.

Let me know if you need more, and I'll get back to you if you're patient because there's some other folks in line ahead of you.

This is a very helpful post. As another new mom with a 6 yr old doing robhs, the spondylolysis info kind of freaks me out. My child certainly doesn't have great form, and she's pretty small. It's kind of hard to get a super active kid who loves flipping around to stop doing it. They are at school on the playground, with friends, etc.

 

[wallinbl]

Thank you for putting it into perspective like you just did. Yes you are correct, it is very hard as a new comer to put it into consideration in the context the criticism was being offered which was from a caring place..I now get that, and have had some nice people reach out to me ..BUT being really new to the board and new to the sport, some posts well a couple in particular didn't strike me that way and I found it to be very unfriendly and arrogant. ..and most likely rightfully so, I'm sure they are awesome...but some comments I didn't deem necessary. As a new comer, it came off as unfriendliness. I already know my child needs work she 5 for goodness sake..this is just the beginning for her lol

Consider how, in real life, you'd perceive certain comments differently if they came from a friend versus from a stranger. Stick around, get to know people, and you'll find that you'll perceive a lot of it differently once you know the other posters better. Compared to the message boards for many youth sports, this is a really good place.

 

[SignHere]

I have been on CB for a few years now, and I have seen a lot of posters get their feelings hurt by well -intentioned CB 'ers who offer (constructive?) criticism of videos posted on these boards.
God help the poor parent of a talented young 'un mention their DD going elite!

Some of the veterans, though EXTREMELY well-meaning, can come across as a bit abrasive.

I think it can be hard, as well, when you are happy with your DDs gym and her coaches , to have CB posters plant that "seed of doubt" about the gym/coaches in the back of your mind.

So, to mileyfiveandfabulous... You have a talented little girl. However, the best advice I ever got as a gym parent was, leave the coaching to her coaches. Do you trust them? Then your job is to tell Miley that " I love watching you do gymnastics. You look beautiful on the beam. I'm so proud of how determined you are to stick that dismount."
You will note, you are not praising anything she is DOING. You are praising what she is BEING.

Gymnastics is a young person's sport, and even if she competes in the Olympics or college, her career in actually doing the skills will be over by the time she is in her mid 20s. She will have the character she develops from gymnastics for her entire life. She was not put on this earth to do gymnastics, she has some other gift, so celebrate that.

Ok. Off my soapbox. And back to my DD, who has retired from gymnastics with spondyliolysis and a torn ulnar collateral ligament at 13.

 

[kandkfunk]

This is a very helpful post. As another new mom with a 6 yr old doing robhs, the spondylolysis info kind of freaks me out. My child certainly doesn't have great form, and she's pretty small. It's kind of hard to get a super active kid who loves flipping around to stop doing it. They are at school on the playground, with friends, etc.

I think most of us can relate to our kids wanting to do gymnastics all the time when they were little. Whether it was flipping around the house or literally climbing the walls. The info on the medical conditions was not intended to scare but to give a word of caution and educate. For a lot of us, these resources did not exist when our kids were 6 years old. Had I known even half of what I have learned from this board, I think my DD's journey through this sport would have been much more successful, healthy and low stress. Although it is fun to see them progress and sometimes "show off" their skills, there really are correct ways for kids to progress in this sport. Our duty as parents is to educate ourselves about the sport (not to be confused with coaching) to ensure that we are making the best decisions possible at the time. Good luck in your journey!

 

[gymdog]

There are some coaches and parents that who urgently want to present their experienced reality while not taking the time to produce an argument that supports their position. That's about the worst you'll find here, and that isn't so bad considering the people who comment can be anywhere from early teens to late older than we care to admit.

I feel like I gave many points to "support my position." If I wanted to just be arrogant I wouldn't have tried to point out the physiological problems with this. The only reason to offer advice rooted in sports science is if you care enough to see that all children are being given appropriate training.

But if anyone wants to prove me wrong, go ahead and show me a five year old that does perfect back tucks without throwing their head and arching their back. But I've NEVER seen it. Not in real life, not on hundreds of YouTube videos.

And I think it would do people a disservice not to present the reality of the situation. It's not about the kid wanting it or if the kid is not scared, or has coordination. It's about the joint stability and development of the child.

I'm not amazing. Nobody is all knowing, and no one can predict the future. But I CAN tell you if I was your daughter's coach I would be proceeding very differently and what I see in the video greatly concerns me.

 

[Mileyfiveandfabulous]

Thank you all for your insight, it did help me tremendously to see the bigger picture and I will try to stick around and learn from this. I know i won't be sharing anymore lol but I will use this board as a learning tool as to what's to expect in the future through those who have went through whatever it may be before. This is just the beginning for her...there's still much learning to do..and i agree I am there only to support her, I never have and will continue not push her to do anything..my job ands mom is just to love and support her. She pushes herself enough, one of the most enthusiastic kids I know..lol

 

[iwannacoach]

I feel like I gave many points to "support my position." If I wanted to just be arrogant I wouldn't have tried to point out the physiological problems with this. The only reason to offer advice rooted in sports science is if you care enough to see that all children are being given appropriate training.

But if anyone wants to prove me wrong, go ahead and show me a five year old that does perfect back tucks without throwing their head and arching their back. But I've NEVER seen it. Not in real life, not on hundreds of YouTube videos.

And I think it would do people a disservice not to present the reality of the situation. It's not about the kid wanting it or if the kid is not scared, or has coordination. It's about the joint stability and development of the child.

I'm not amazing. Nobody is all knowing, and no one can predict the future. But I CAN tell you if I was your daughter's coach I would be proceeding very differently and what I see in the video greatly concerns me.

Indeed you did, so count me in..... Me too, me too, and me too. and in case I missed one.... me too!

 

[mommyof1]

The only reason to offer advice rooted in sports science is if you care enough to see that all children are being given appropriate training.

I love the sports science advice that several posters routinely provide here. Don't know where else I could find it. I like understanding as much as possible about this sport that is consuming all of my child's free time and lots of my money!

 

[krisnkids]

Your daughter is absolutely adorable. I was admiring the pictures on the page you have her video and wanted to comment on something. It looks like she is a competitive cheerleader as well as an aspiring gymnast. Cheer tumbling is very very different than gymnastics tumbling. Myself and many gymnastics parents, coaches and athletes have cringed when they see cheer routines with questionable tumbling. By questionable I mean the girl is doing a full and her feet hit the floor with her head just inches away from the ground. While your daughter is getting a lot more height than most cheer tumblers I have seen, her form for gymnastics tumbling is going to be knocked. The cheerleading world is a lot more lax in the quality of tumbling. If you do some research you will find that there is little to no regulations for coaches and competitions in cheerleading. On a tv show I saw a cheerleading gym coach spot a 2 year old doing a back bend and kickover. The USAG (gymnastics) is very specific on what age children can compete levels. A 5 year old can compete bhs and tucks in cheerleading but not in USAG.

You have a little one with a lot of talent. If I were you I would do some research into what a child your daughter's age and ability should be working on. Don't just go by one site, one coach etc., look around at different websites, see what people are saying, what experts in both the medical community, gymnastics community and cheerleading community. I am by no means an expert on anything, I am a mom who does her research to make sure that my kids are doing what they should, when they should and that they are doing it safely.

 

[LMV]

Yup. Stop doing them. The proportions of a 5 year old make it impossible/unlikely for them to do a back tuck without doing it like that. I have never seen a single one. There is no way to correct it because she is not physiologically ready to perform this skill. Her body is not developed enough.

A reputable gymnastics coach would never have a five year old attempt this. This is reflected in the USAG program. The youngest minimum that a child would learn and attempt this is 7 or 8 IF their BHS is technically correct for years and they are physically and mentally ready.

The RO BHS shown in the video is not anywhere near technically correct. In fact what is shown in the video will likely lead to injury, if not now then later on the form of stress related injuries. I would strongly advise you to seek higher quality coaching, but I'm not sure that is a gymnastics program or coach in the video. It seems to be a cheerleading place.

Sometimes I don't understand the rush to get skills. Other times I think coaches, gymnasts, or even parents, stack the deck against themselves when they push for skills but aren't willing to patiently lay the foundation the skill requires or wait for the developmental stage where it is reasonable to try. I often see a lot of posts lamenting picking a gym because "she is four" or "she is five". However, as a physician who sees a lot of misadventures of childhood when I work in our ED, and as a mom who has her own four year old I think that perhaps it is most important to pick the right gym when she is four.

The right gym doesn't have to be one that can train elite, or even one that has a winning L10 team, or even a winning L4 team. Maybe they don't have a team at all and that really might be fine. Perhaps in some cases it might be better. Ideally the gym has coaches who understand child development and coaches who at least honor the recommendations about not introducing skills before the appropriate developmental/skeletal maturity stage. A fun pre-school gym is an added bonus. It is a nice added bonus but you can have a good program without the aesthetics.

Our younger maybe gymnastic child is four now. She is at our older daughter's gym and she partly started gymnastics because her older sister convinced her that a gym was really just a very cool indoor playground. At her gym they have a very cool separate pre-school gym which they are in until they are at least five (and sometimes beyond that because kids develop and mature at different rates). She really likes the gym. It is her favorite indoor playground and she asked to add a second day. [For reference, she also LOVES the pool she would add a third or probably even a fourth, fifth, or sixth day a week of swimming if mommy and daddy would allow this. This summer she swam in our pool any time she could convince a responsible adult to supervise so she could.] However, she really isn't doing much of what most people would consider "real" gymnastics. In her gym they don't do any bridging skills before they move out of the pre-school gym so backhandsprings aren't even thought of. They play a lot of games which are kind of conditioning in disguise. They do obstacle courses where they use the ropes and bounce off the spring board onto mats and scamper across the beam. Bars seems to be the area where they may be actually doing skills like casts and pullovers. They have also worked on cartwheels and handstands. All in all she looks forward to gym days (probably partly because her big sister helps out with her class but I'm very ok with that) and she has fun. Perhaps she will go on to compete L4 someday (her gym doesn't compete before then) or perhaps the pool, or the soccer field, or some sport I've never imagined, will win out before then. Right now she is four, she is safe, and the gym is her favorite indoor playground.

 

[iwannacoach]

Sometimes I don't understand the rush to get skills. Other times I think coaches, gymnasts, or even parents, stack the deck against themselves when they push for skills but aren't willing to patiently lay the foundation the skill requires or wait for the developmental stage where it is reasonable to try. I often see a lot of posts lamenting picking a gym because "she is four" or "she is five". However, as a physician who sees a lot of misadventures of childhood when I work in our ED, and as a mom who has her own four year old I think that perhaps it is most important to pick the right gym when she is four.

The right gym doesn't have to be one that can train elite, or even one that has a winning L10 team, or even a winning L4 team. Maybe they don't have a team at all and that really might be fine. Perhaps in some cases it might be better. Ideally the gym has coaches who understand child development and coaches who at least honor the recommendations about not introducing skills before the appropriate developmental/skeletal maturity stage. A fun pre-school gym is an added bonus. It is a nice added bonus but you can have a good program without the aesthetics.

Our younger maybe gymnastic child is four now. She is at our older daughter's gym and she partly started gymnastics because her older sister convinced her that a gym was really just a very cool indoor playground. At her gym they have a very cool separate pre-school gym which they are in until they are at least five (and sometimes beyond that because kids develop and mature at different rates). She really likes the gym. It is her favorite indoor playground and she asked to add a second day. [For reference, she also LOVES the pool she would add a third or probably even a fourth, fifth, or sixth day a week of swimming if mommy and daddy would allow this. This summer she swam in our pool any time she could convince a responsible adult to supervise so she could.] However, she really isn't doing much of what most people would consider "real" gymnastics. In her gym they don't do any bridging skills before they move out of the pre-school gym so backhandsprings aren't even thought of. They play a lot of games which are kind of conditioning in disguise. They do obstacle courses where they use the ropes and bounce off the spring board onto mats and scamper across the beam. Bars seems to be the area where they may be actually doing skills like casts and pullovers. They have also worked on cartwheels and handstands. All in all she looks forward to gym days (probably partly because her big sister helps out with her class but I'm very ok with that) and she has fun. Perhaps she will go on to compete L4 someday (her gym doesn't compete before then) or perhaps the pool, or the soccer field, or some sport I've never imagined, will win out before then. Right now she is four, she is safe, and the gym is her favorite indoor playground.

A "home run" on all points brought into the post.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Yup. Stop doing them. The proportions of a 5 year old make it impossible/unlikely for them to do a back tuck without doing it like that. I have never seen a single one. There is no way to correct it because she is not physiologically ready to perform this skill. Her body is not developed enough.

A reputable gymnastics coach would never have a five year old attempt this. This is reflected in the USAG program. The youngest minimum that a child would learn and attempt this is 7 or 8 IF their BHS is technically correct for years and they are physically and mentally ready.

The RO BHS shown in the video is not anywhere near technically correct. In fact what is shown in the video will likely lead to injury, if not now then later on the form of stress related injuries. I would strongly advise you to seek higher quality coaching, but I'm not sure that is a gymnastics program or coach in the video. It seems to be a cheerleading place.

SPOT ON! the movement pattern shown reveals muscle memory already in motion. THAT is not a 1 time occurrence. the movement pattern shows this has been done repeatedly. bad idea...

 

[Deleted member D3987]

If your coach is having a five year old do RO BHS back tuck like that then you have a problem. But if you are not open to any "opinions" that aren't telling you how to magically make a five year old do something physiologically impossible, then I'm not sure what advice I can give you.

And 6 year olds doing double backs? I think people are getting ages wrong. Some 9 year olds are the size of six year olds but that is still completely different. 6 years old is never close to doing double back. To state that one gym has multiple kids doing it is impossible to believe. I know done parents will come on here and say that I am saying things are impossible without giving the kids a chance or whatever, and I guarantee they will be parents. So I guess we can just agree to disagree on what is correct gymnastics form and development.

You have not posted any videos of your daughter doing BHS with form that would lead me to believe she is ready to do back tuck. I have coached more than one five year old with a roundoff back handspring, and they too WERE NOT close to ready to do correct back tucks. But I am sure if you persevere your child can learn a head out whip back close to the ground. Your question was how to correct it and the answer to that is wait until she's older. That's just the bottom line. I can't make the story different.

AGAIN, SPOT ON!