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[Tally Ho]

Hi, I just wondered what age you started coaching gymnasts to do round off back handspring? Also is there any good drills you have for a younger gymnast who is very close to getting this move except she bends her arms in the back hand spring?

 

[catou]

There's not really an age... I start coaching roundoff when they have a good cartwheel and handstand. But I would start by very basic drills, like finishing their roundoff on their belly. For the back handspring, it's the same thing. I start with having them just jump backward on their back, hips toward the ceiling, alone with a rolling mat, finishing on their belly, then with help, finishing on their belly again. I do this in so many different situations: on the trampoline, on a declined mat, from a springboard, in the pit, etc.

For the bent arms, it would be nice to have a video to know why she bents her arms. Is she advancing her knees? Does she throw her head? When she arrives on her hands, are her legs alreardy at vertical? Does she have get good distance and height by herself?

 

[bogwoppit]

I am kind of assuming from your post that you are thinking of helping her at home? If so it is such a bad plan. A back handspring Is a very technical skill and learned the wrong way it can take many, many hours in the gym fixing it. Please try to resist the temptation to teach her at home, it will slow her progress down in the long term. If she wants do gym at home, stick to basics like handstands, press handstands and basic flexibility.

 

[Tally Ho]

Wasn't thinking of coaching at home! I was just wondering country to country what age you like your kids to tumble at and if you had any new drills we could use in our gym!

 

[bogwoppit]

Kids compete earlier in the US than in the UK or Canada, so the emphasis on early tumbling isn't such a big deal. Here they can compete in their eighth year, so development of skills leads to that. Wheras in the USA they can compete L4 at 6 years, which includes a back handspring. SO I imagine that leas to coaches pushing tumbling skills earlier. If you use the search function you will find a ton of drills for BHS.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yes, Bog. much earlier. i just recently hired an Obstetrician who is now spotting them upon delivery in to the world. our training is very sophisticated and now begins in the womb. we have figured out how to project youtube videos thru the ultra sound equipment in to the mother's womb. it is working out quite nicely. russia and china don't have a thing on us here in the states.

 

[bogwoppit]

yes, Bog. much earlier. i just recently hired an Obstetrician who is now spotting them upon delivery in to the world. our training is very sophisticated and now begins in the womb. we have figured out how to project youtube videos thru the ultra sound equipment in to the mother's womb. it is working out quite nicely. russia and china don't have a thing on us here in the states.

Which is exactly why you dastardly USA coaches need watching. Next it is going to be genetically modified zygotes. Lord help the rest of the world.

 

[fliptwisttwirl]

Yep, the ones who have been in gym since pre-school start them at about age 6. I don't remember doing a lot of drills except maybe the one where you do a round off and then rebound onto your back like onto a rezie or a small stack of 8 inchers. Usually we use that one for girls that are a older when learning them though. (11+) The youngins can just be spotted through once they have a good round off.

 

[momofthreegirls]

Our gym begins round-offs and back handsprings at a very young age. Lots of drills and progressions - snap downs off panel mats, round offs off panel mats, jump to back into the resi pit, round-off jump-to-back into pit, BHS over barrels, spotted BHS down large wedge mats, BHS into the pit.

The very basics of round-offs and BHS are introduced in Intermediate/Adv. Kinder classes (4-5 yos), and the pre-team (5-11 years old, the majority being 6-7) spends a lot of time on tumbling to be ready for level 4.

 

[marie83]

As Catou says above there isn't really an age. We begin roundoff drills once a gymnast is competent in cartwheel quarter turns. We begin bhs conditioning from day 1 and drills as soon as they are able to backward walkover. We spend a lot of time working on the roundoff and bhs completely separately and only think about joining them together when the gymnast has mastered them both to a suitable degree (I don't think it is possible for a young gymnast to have a technically perfect roundoff until a lot later on in their career, and only then if the coach is constantly reminding them!)

I would be happy to teach a roundoff bhs to a gymnast who could:

Standing bhs with good technique
Roundoff from 1 step with good technique, including a rebound jump
Roundoff from a ski-jump, in a straight line, with arms by ears, and good hand placement.
Cartwheel quarter turn into bhs

Gymnasts need to be super consistent with all of the above before I'd think about linking the 2 together.
There is a lot of conditioning and plenty of drills I'd be doing from day 1.

The roundoff is an extremely important skill and very very difficult to achieve well, especially by 7/8 year olds and even some older gymnasts. Therefore it is even more difficult when you add another element onto the end of it!

As for your gymnast bending the arms - it could be a strength issue or a technique issue - it's really difficult to tell without a video!
If I get chance I will post some of our conditioning exercises later on!

 

[iwannacoach]

yes, Bog. much earlier. i just recently hired an Obstetrician who is now spotting them upon delivery in to the world. our training is very sophisticated and now begins in the womb. we have figured out how to project youtube videos thru the ultra sound equipment in to the mother's womb. it is working out quite nicely. russia and china don't have a thing on us here in the states.

All gymnastics begins at conception!!