Parents technical handstand question

[Committed]

Not a gymnast, so please bear with me.

In a handstand, head should be in "neutral" position ? Meaning facing the wall, not floor, right?

So..... where are the eyes looking?
DD is convinced she's not supposed to look at the floor, or beam, but that just doesn't sound right.
She's a real stickler for rules, so any help is appreciated.

 

[iwannacoach]

They should tip their head no farther than needed to see the floor between their hands with peripheral vision.

 

[profmom]

Ha, the coaches were all over the boys for this during their presses yesterday -- they want their heads straight forward (arms by their ears) rather than tipped.

 

[gymbeam]

thank you for asking this! i was going to do the same because initially (dc's only be in gym 1 year) she was being told neutral head, but she insists that one coach has been telling them to look at their hands and it has resulted in her head being back very far all the time.

 

[Kiwi]

DD's coach and other coaches I know have all said to look at your hands using a slight head tilt and rolling your eyes up to see your hands. DD hates this because she says it hurts her eyes. You can't really push your shoulders up properly if you stick your head way out, plus it encourages arching.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

Looking at hands, but the shoulders should cover/hide the ears in a shrugged position.

 

[gymbeam]

thanks so much for the visual! ill show her.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

I actually prefer these handstands as they have a rounder back with the chest in and flatter hips. It also shows that a kid with a bit more shape to their body (the little dark girl) can still achieve a nice looking handstand line without having the pencil straight genes like the Chinese.

We spend a lot of time with young gymnasts, laying on the floor/hanging on the bar in the right shape and doing the tucked handstands on a box.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I always tell my kids they should be able to see their wrists, but not their finger tips.

 

[marie83]

Has your dd got a chin up bar at home? I often get my gymnasts to hang on the bar, no gaps between shoulders and ears, and try to look at their hands without tipping their heads out. This seems to help them to understand how to achieve the neutral head position required.

 

[Committed]

Thanks everyone! I never knew handstands were so darn complicated! I'll have her try the pull up bar drill.