Trouble on A Backwalkover on beam...

[*abby*]

I have been working on a backwalkover on beam.
I have probably been working on it for about 10 months.
I can do it on low beam without panel mats on the side, but whenever I go to the medium sized beam (about 2 feet above the groound), my coach will stand thre ready to spot me and i just dont go! Fear is whats overcoming me. How should I get over this fear? I pray pray pray, but I still just freak out. I really need this skill. HELP!!!

 

[gym4life123]

Put mats under the beam until they are level with it, do some until you are comfortable with them, then take a mat out, do some more, and continue like this. When learning a new skill, my coach has us start on the high beam with mats equal to it, this way it's like a floor beam, but you are used to seeing the floor in front of you, and then we talk one mat away at a time.

 

[gymnastbeth]

Count in your head, 1, 2, 3, GO! Or, say to yourself I...Can.... GO! And then just lean back and look for the beam. It always helped me while I was going to picture myself already done, and standing in a lunge on the beam. Just tell yourself that this is all in your head, and if you can do it on the low beam, you can do it on ANY beam! Good luck! I hate going backwards on beam, so I feel your pain.

 

[gymnast695]

Using the panel mat idea is a good one. Start with it even to the beam. Then slowly pull them out or unfold them until your doing it at a pretty good height. That way you gain confidence! Also just think about stretching tall, and lean back. You'll see the beam instantly making it much easier to put your hands on! Or, just have your coach put their hand on your back so you go for it, and once your hands touch the beam they pull away. Soon enough you'll be confident that your hands won't miss and you'll be doing them perfectly by yourself! Also, don't get freaked out because that will make them so much harder! Just relax and go for it! Mental blocks are common but once you do one or two by yourself, it'll go away and you'll feel so relieved!

 

[Ayi]

I had the exact same problem for a while, you need to feel safe with it and just convince yourself that you can. It's mental work. Once you do it sometimes you will feel safer and start doing it. I can tell because i've been there with the same skill for some years. Once you get to do it, repeat it as many times as you need to feel confortable with it.

 

[babyelfgymnast]

The only reason you're having trouble with it is because you're scared. I had the same problem with my handstand and split jump on the high beam; my coach told me to tell myself she was spotting me. I counted to three out loud, and went back, watching my hands hit the beam. It all comes naturally. Just do it like you'd do one on the floor

 

[mom2kazkids]

Two words: Doc Ali
My DD has been fearful of the BWO on beam for about 2 years now, and about a month ago I bought her the gymnastics visualization CD from Doc Ali's site (headgames WS). In this week alone she went from not doing them to getting them nearly consisently on the low beam--no mats, to getting up to the medium beam, with mats. I did hear from a friend that when was she on the medium beam she did hesitate some, but when the coach just walked over and stood by her, she went herself with no spot. This is a major accomlishment for my DD. She listens to the track of Overcoming Fear and Doubt on a nightly basis.

 

[Gymnast1775]

Build up pannel mats on the medium beam so they are almost level with the beam. Once you've made about 10, unstack 1 level of the mat and do 10 more, then unstack again and so on. One level of a pannel mat is only about an inch so slowly unstacking the mats like this should help. I use this little technique all the time with my girls, even the ones doing bigger tricks like back tucks. Just remember it's all mental. If you can do it on the low beam you can do it on the medium beam, and the high beam for that matter. It's only you're mind keeping you from being able to do this skill. You're just psyching yourself out.

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

One trick that usually works with me is to tell myself I want this skill more than I'm scared of it. I.E., I must try it now or I will have to do it for the first time later, when the fear will have been in me longer and there will be more pressure. When I did my BWO on the medium beam for the first time, I'm pretty sure I was thinking "Who cares if I get hurt? I'm gonna go for my BWO! What's the worst that could happen? A couple bruises." My coach always tells me that my hands are sort of magnetically attracted to the beam when I do backwards skills. Since my shoulder/back flexibility is good, I won't ever just put my hands wide and land on my head. It may not be perfect, I might fall, but I won't land on my head.

 

[tumbling.gymnast!]

Well.. My best friend was the one who actually taught me my back walkovers at gym!
I had that fear as well because i HAD fallen on my head and yeah it hurt but i was alright Anyway.. She was doing her normal training and my coach was extremely busy coaching the boys as they had a comp that weekend. My coach told me i was fine to do it by myself on our comp beam and also said "Man Up". I tried and tried to overcome my fear but thats all i could see happening. My Best Friend Jazzy saw me standing on the beam for 10 minutes just hesistating. She stopped training and came over. I told her i couldn't do it and i was extremely scared (I'm pretty sure i cried a bit!) Jazzy went mat hunting.. She piled the mats up so they were beam height and she even piled mats next to the beam so if i fell i would fall onto a soft mat I think I was using every mat in the gym that day :S Jazzy then went to spot me, I fully trusted her but i just couldn't do it. I sat down on the beam and She told me the wisest and most useful piece of advice... She said:
"Trust Not Fear."
That is all she said.. I didn't understand.
She said i need to trust myself not her and that way if i trust myself to do it then i can. She said its not about trusting the coach because they aren't doing the skill, they are just spotting.

And after all that.. I can now back walk over straight away, by myself and stick it

THANK YOU HEAPS JASMINE!!! Your an amazing girl! xxx​