Question about round-off back handspring?

[Amy]

hello....my DD joined her gym's team in June as a level 4 gymnast....she has been working on her back handspring for two years now and has been very close for at least a year now..she has it on the wedge and trampoline but when she attempts it on the flat mat her arms buckle....she knows she needs her roundoff backhandspring in order to compete and is very frustrated.....my gym offers private (one on one) lessons....should I hire a private lesson or wait and see if she gets it??? our first competition is in the end of october

 

[CoachTodd]

It's difficult to say without a video but my guess is that she has a different comfort level on the wedge and trampoline. She's not too worried about making it over so she jumps high enough to get her arms straight. I've seen it where, when the kid gets on the flat surface, they start focusing more on the flipping than the correct technique so the jam themselves into the ground or turn over too quickly to get their arms extended. One quick drill she could try at the gym would be as follows:
1. Do the handspring from the top of the wedge.
2. Once these have good form and maybe feel like they are a little too high, take a small step down the wedge and do the handsprings.
3. repeat step 2 until she's starting on flat surface.

A round off handspring is technically a bit different and relies on a good round off. Without video, there is far too much I could speculate would need to be corrected.

 

[Mom2G&D]

hello....my DD joined her gym's team in June as a level 4 gymnast....she has been working on her back handspring for two years now and has been very close for at least a year now..she has it on the wedge and trampoline but when she attempts it on the flat mat her arms buckle....she knows she needs her roundoff backhandspring in order to compete and is very frustrated.....my gym offers private (one on one) lessons....should I hire a private lesson or wait and see if she gets it??? our first competition is in the end of october

Amy.... You could be writing about my daughter as well! In fact, my DD was just getting her standing BHS and ROBHS last season - and then got a huge case of nerves. Because the ROBHS came easier to her teammates - and their first Level 4 meet was coming up - she kind of panicked. Unbeknownst to me, she decided she was going to practice a "quick backbend and then snap her legs over" move - something she felt resembed a BHS, but that she was more confortable with. Her coach was NOT happy at all (and I certainly understand why). To this day, she feels the need for a spot on the ROBHS (which her new coaches say she does not really need at all). But, if they don't spot her, she's likely to land on her head! The kicker is that she needs the ROBHSBHS to compete this year as a Level 5 (which was supposed to be the plan), so she's feeling pressure to get it on her own (which, of course, is not helping at this point) Her goal since last year: "Get my backhandspring!" Good luck to your DD!!

 

[Amy]

I will attempt to get video of it today at her practice. Thanks for the advice though.

 

[Amy]

Mom2G&D....Thanks for sharing your experiences with your daughter. I agree with coach Todd that I think it is more of a comfort thing. It's just tough (as you know) to handle her frustration when she leaves practice and the drive home when she is soooooo quiet cuz she is upset with herself. She wants to get it sooooooo badly!!!! Good luck to your daughter....I hope she gets her ROBHBH!!!