severe arch in handstand

[isaelijohjac]

Hi there. My daughter is 7 years old and has just finished her 2nd year as a level 4. She had a wonderful season and have been told by many judges that her form is beautiful. We left a very competitive gym on LI and moved upstate and she is currently at a YMCA program.
I have noticed that her handstand arch has gotten pretty severe in the last few months. Her vault, and beam, and floor routines are sometimes affected by the arch. Any suggestions on how to fix it, or the reason. I am wondering if she is going through a growth spurt.
Thank you for any help.

[teachrugratswga]

Check her head position. If her head is sticking out, she will arch. Also good shoulder extension, and pull your stomach in. This should help. Handstands are very important. Good luck to your daughter!!!

[hammy]

One way to work on it is to have her stand with her back against the wall and arms up by ears (straight). This is her handstand position, except she's on her feet instead of her hands. Have her work on pulling her stomach muscles in so thight that her back is pressing (or attempting to press) into the wall. Hold it for about 15 seconds, rest, and repeat.

After doing that a few times have her to her hanstand with her stomach against the wall. She should try pulling body flat against the wall. Have her hold the handstand for about 20-25 seconds, rest, and repeat.

While doing this be sure that her head is in and eyes are looking at hands. teachrugratswga is right--a common reason for an archy handstand is because the gymnast is sticking their head out. Sometimes it is because the gymnast isn't squeezing their stomach and bottoom.

[medic3188]

Where are you in upstate New York? What gym do you go to? We are in binghamton. My daughter is also 7.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I find that the best way to fix this is not to focus on fixing the arch, but on fixing the shoulder angle. If she makes sure she has her shoulders straight and her arms by her ears (so her head isn't sticking out), she'll really have no choice but to fix the arch.

[ACoach78]

The arched back could be caused by a variety of factors. As others have expressed, she may simply be sticking her head out which is anatomically termed as neck extension. This causes an extension (arching) of the chest and spine. However, there are multiple other factors that could be contributing. If she has tight shoulders (shoulder flexion), then this could be contributing. Having a natural lordosis (sway back - natural lumbar curve) could be contributing. This is often caused by in imbalance as such: tight hip flexors, weak abdominals, shortened back extensor muscles, and weak hamstrings. Also, I believe that having tight lats (latissimus dorsi) muscles and tight pecs (pectoral muscles) may also contribute to the shoulder tightness.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of factors that could be contributing.