WAG The Wrist Shift-HELP!

[kendalleverly]

I am 30 years old and compete in the AAU ladies division Xcel Gold/Platinum. I used to do gymnastics as a child, so the skills I am working on are not new...just re-learning. Currently, I do a kip cast handstand for my B requirement, but we are trying to work B circling elements now. I have been doing a free hip private lesson every Tuesday (in addition to my regular 3x a week practice) since November. I cannot for the life of me get the wrist shift. My wrists stay fully underneath the bar until I am around and then I'll shift with extremely bent arms.

Drills we have tried: 1. laying on a mat, hands on floor bar, candlestick over the bar. 2. Same drill but on the regular bar. 3. multiple bhc in a row. 4. multiple sole circles in a row (these I have the same problem with not shifting correctly and my wrists stay under the bar until I get to the top). 5. Hanging on the bar in a candlestick and the coaches lift me to handstand. 6. Being on the bar in front support, leaning forward and sitting back up to front support.

I can do clear hips, sole circles, and small toe hands on the strap bar with straight arms. But when I get to the regular bar the shift just does not happen. Please help, I was hoping to compete one of these hopefully by nationals, but now I'm not feeling too confident that I will get the skill anytime soon. Thank you in advance!

 

[gymisforeveryone]

Do you think you are afraid off falling when sifting the wrists?

And can you co multiple back hip circles in a row? What does it look like?

Do you have the same speed on regular bar and on strap bar? If you are lacking speed you can't sift your wrists properly.

Can you do a underswing dismount? I have had success teaching clear hips to handstand by teaching a very high undershoot at first. When they can wait long enough they start sifting the wrists in the undershoot, but then just drop to the back in the pit.

This drill is the first drill towards that

I can send you a link to a video of one of my own girls doing the underswing with wrist sift. It really helped one of my gymnasts to get the concept of wrist sift in the clear hip.

Good luck!

 

[kendalleverly]

Do you think you are afraid off falling when sifting the wrists?

And can you co multiple back hip circles in a row? What does it look like?

Do you have the same speed on regular bar and on strap bar? If you are lacking speed you can't sift your wrists properly.

Can you do a underswing dismount? I have had success teaching clear hips to handstand by teaching a very high undershoot at first. When they can wait long enough they start sifting the wrists in the undershoot, but then just drop to the back in the pit.

This drill is the first drill towards that

I can send you a link to a video of one of my own girls doing the underswing with wrist sift. It really helped one of my gymnasts to get the concept of wrist sift in the clear hip.

Good luck!

I don't feel afraid, but maybe subconsciously I am? I can do 2 back hip circles in a row with straight arms, when I go beyond 2 it gets slow and pikey, but I am shifting correctly in those. But the moment it becomes toe circles or clearhips, the shift goes away. That video above looks great, I will have to give that drill a try. Yes, if you could send that other video it would be great. We have a pit bar so that sounds like something I would easily be able to do.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

I'll PM you a link to a video!

 

[gymjunkie]

Without seeing it, my guess is you are trying to do a CH with bicep strength (pulling) instead of shoulder strength (pushing). The poor wrist shift is the effect, not the cause.

 

[kendalleverly]

Without seeing it, my guess is you are trying to do a CH with bicep strength (pulling) instead of shoulder strength (pushing). The poor wrist shift is the effect, not the cause.

I agree. People always are telling me to pull down in the drop. Should I just focus more on pushing rather than on the drop? What would you recommend? I will try and video one next week so I can post it.

 

[gymjunkie]

I agree. People always are telling me to pull down in the drop. Should I just focus more on pushing rather than on the drop? What would you recommend? I will try and video one next week so I can post it.

The tension on the bar in any in-bar skills comes from pushing, there should be no pulling. A video would definitely help, because there may be other issues too. Do you have a Forster bar to practice with? Those are very helpful. https://www.tumbltrak.com/forster-bar/

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Hard to say for sure without seeing it, but

Most of the time, a lack of wrist shift isn't the problem; it's a symptom. If you come around the bar with enough speed and power, the wrist shift should happen more or less on its own, unless you have the grip-of-death.

There are two drills I'd do for this.

First, the easy one: back hip circles (as in, several in a row) from no cast. Just support, let your chest and shoulders fall back, and do two or three back hip circles. At the end of the last one, push (don't cast) away from the bar, so you land on your feet with the bar still in your hands (I'm assuming this is a low bar), arms straight, wrists extended. This serves two purposes: first, it is a good way of practicing good tight body positions through the circle. Second, it allows you to practice getting yourself around the bar without just relying on the momentum from the cast to do all the work for you.

The second one is my absolute favorite clearhip drills, at 1:08 in this video:

The idea is to drop the chest back hard while driving the feet forward into the mat, causing the bar to bend backwards. Do it like you're trying to break the bar. (Elliot's arch in the video is more exaggerated than you want, but otherwise the video should give you the idea).
Now, when you take it back to the regular bar, you want exactly this same aggressive drop back in the chest and shoulders, like you're trying to break the bar, when you initiate the clearhip. As you finish the circle, don't think about shifting your wrists; rather, think about pushing the bar down and forward.

 

[amanda.christine]

I'm also an adult competing in Xcel and a former L9 and have always struggled with clear hips. Love the video you posted @gymisforeveryone I haven't seen that kind of drill before and I think it will be very helpful! Can't wait to try it.

Sorry I don't have any useful advice besides some moral support from someone in the same position struggling with the same skill lol