WAG Backhandsprings on beam

[gymnast-mac]

I've started working on backhandsprings on beam, and I'd like some tips...
I'm just wondering if anyone has any "tricks" that will make it easier
thanks

 

[cbifoja]

Don't miss.

 

[MeetDirector]

There are no "tricks" to make any skill easier. The only way to make a skill seem easier is to practice, practice, and practice. Oh, and do your conditioning and strength workouts.

 

[happychaos]

My DD has been working these recently, and her coaches like to see the girls do a BHS-stepout UP onto a folded panel mat. Your feet start on the floor, and you jump backwards and have your hands land up on the mat. DD has a fine BHS-stepout on floor and floor beam, but the tumbling UP is hard for her. Once girls learn this, they seem much more confident moving the BHS onto the high beam.

 

[iwannacoach]

Tips for anyone ready to work bhs on beam......

Do the progressions your coaches have shown you, and try to concentrate on doing each movement as close to perfection as you can. Work faster, and try to do as many of each exercise as possible in the amount of time set aside for that task. If you can do 3 repetitions of a drill in a minute, try to increase as soon as you can wrap your mind around it. If you can get into the range of 4 repetitions in 30 seconds, or 7 in a minute, you'll be better able to shut out every distraction, and concentrate on what needs to be done.

If you've graduated from the earliest progressions and are working them on the floor beam, do them with as little fuss possible without spending the agonizing 15 to 45 seconds in the ready position. It's a waste of time, and considering the number of weeks or months you've been preparing, pretty silly to think that those extra seconds are going to somehow prepare you to do the back handspring at that moment. If those extra seconds were worthwhile, your coaches would have taught you to spend 15-45 seconds before every skill attempt you've ever done. So just get up on the beam, raise your arms while taking a breath, exhale, and go. You don't need any more time than that to do the backhandspring you've practiced hundreds, if not thousands of times.

As soon as you can do one and remain composed, immediately do another, and keep doing them immediately one after the other as long as you feel composed and able to repeat them in rapid fashion. Try to get three done in a turn that lasts about 20-25 seconds, and increase that number when you feel ready. Remember to stop as soon as you get any sense of stress or fatigue. You'll end up doing a lot more each day by doing them in batches of 3-5 in time spans of 20 to 35 seconds, and probably get nearly twice the numbers most kids get in the same amount of time.

That's a big deal because you'll be way more prepared than anybody else, and probably be ready to move to a medium/low beam before your coach realizes, so that just makes you more prepared than the coach figures. That's a pretty big deal because you may even get to the point where you're thinking it's silly to keep doing them on the floor beam, and want to move up on your own. I'd say to keep them on the floor beam for about another 60 -75 repetitions if your coach will allow it, because when you move to a low/medium beam it's much better to be thinking "at last" instead of "whoa, I'm not sure I'm ready.

Convince yourself, or let the facts convince you, that this is an easy skill learned by countless thousands over the past few years. Think about how long you've had a back handspring on the floor, and how long you've done them easily on the floor line. Really, you could probably do them while half asleep.... with your eyes closed.

Most important of all is to understand that your body and brain have worked together for a very long time to learn the back handspring you're doing with such ease on the floor line. Keep them easy when you do them on the beam. They're great just the way they are, so do the "easy one" when you get on the beam, instead of some crazy "Frankenspring" you whipped together to make it safer (yeah right) and easier. Nothing, but the ones you've practiced, will be safer and easier.

So there's six tips you can work with under your coaches eye. There are others, but only one of them is really more important than the rest....... that being the understanding that your coach wants you to learn according to your abilities, cares about you and keeping you safe, and understands their role includes a responsibility keep you safely working progressions until you're ready for the next step.

 

[reillysmom2]

iwannacoach, you are awesome.

 

[Gymmom495]

reillysmom2- that's why I call iwannacoach the Mr.Miyagi of gymnastics. We should start a fan club.


Sent from my iPhone using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[iwannacoach]

I'm kinda puzzled by the number of likes this one got. As a coach, I often wonder what makes a correction tick, as well as what makes the kid tick along with it, so, if it''s not considered hi-jacking the thread, will anybody who liked this one tell me what moved you to go to the effort of clicking the like button.

 

[flippingtogether]

Because, iwannacoach, you took the time to go through it step by step in both a way that addresses the physical side of things as well as the mental. The art and science of BHS on beam. Something that the vast majority of posters would not take the time to do, and thus it is VERY appreciated.

Another part of this question to get back on topic. I have a young 9 year old DD who was doing BHS fine on high beam (not her favorite thing to do, but she did them) for some time. But then she first got a "beam bite", got over that within a couple of practices and was "back on the horse" (now even less of her favorite skill), but then soon after had a harder fall (her coach says she bailed in the middle of the skill, DD says she slipped upon take off. End result = not pretty.). DD finds herself back to low beam slowly making her way through BHS there again, dragging her feet so she doesn't have to get back up to the higher beam before time on the rotation is up.

I wish more than anything she could process iwannacoach's fabulous response above, but my DD is not mentally at the point to do anything productive with it. I have been told time and patience will get my DD through this rough patch....I hope.

 

[iwannacoach]

Sorry to hear about the beam bite, and the HumptyDumpy. I'm hoping some Karma comes her way.

 

[flips4fun]

[video=youtube;g2YJ-J3i3bY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2YJ-J3i3bY[/video]

I am also in search of back handspring help. One of my gymnasts is having the hardest time mastering her back handspring on beam. Granted I have only been coaching her a few months, since her previous coach decided to retire from gymnastics; and she had some horrible habits (still tends to lead forward when sitting) when I started coaching her. She has worked really hard and has made some great progress. The drills I have her currently doing include BHS onto a panel mat, lay on a pacman and "fall" into a handstand with BHS hands, BHS on a floor beam on the tumble trak, and handstands (including snap downs) with BHS hands. Any additional tips or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[iwannacoach]

It's not that bad , and I've seen worse beginning turn out way better than that. Would I be correct in guessing her bhs on a floor line looks 100% better?

Freeze frame, if you can, the brief moments just prior to her hands touching the beam, It looks pretty doable from the beginning up to this point, and she should be able to finish with little problem. Next, go to the moment her hands first touch the beam, and look at how her head, shoulders, and torso continue in a circular effort that breaks her shoulder line and causes the collapse.

Maybe, like a lot of kids, she's thinking about how important, because it's beam, it is to get upside down quickly to get an early peek at the beam and/or she's trying to avoid putting pressure on the beam with her hands because, ya know, she thinks that's gonna make them more likely to slip off the beam.

I'd try and get her to understand you can't pull yourself through the air so she gets that you don't reach for the beam as much as you prepare to support on the beam. Then see if you can get her to look at the end of the beam and concentrate her efforts to jump straight away from that "spot" and give her more momentum down the length of the beam. That will keep her from going up any higher, maybe get her an inch lower, and to be practical about the height issue, if I was upside down going head first toward the beam I wouldn't want to drop to it from any height at all. I'd rather skim along at a pretty constant height with no more lift than necessary to give me time to spot the beam and place my hands.

Here's a drill I've used with my kids. I usually skip the preliminary stage because I know their abilities and they trust my judgement, but give your situation it's likely you don't have even that to work with. So give this a try if you want......

If you feel comfortable spotting her on a floor line, and feel she's capable, spot her while she does the bhs and closes her eyes as her hands arrive, and keeps them closed throughout the rest of the skill until she's supporting herself in a lunge. Let her do it that way by herself on every other repetition as soon as she's ok with it, So one normal, one eyes closed. Don't be surprised if her eyes closed reps are better than her eyes open. Over the period of 2 or 3 session, see if you can extend the eyes closed portion to include the last moment of flight to her hand placement, and then to the moment she feels extended on her jump.

It'll make her very aware of her body tension and alignment, and force her to rely heavily on a straight take off. It will also build a heap of confidence when she realizes she can hit that line repeatedly with her eyes closed. Since you don't want her to close her eyes while on the beam, have her alternate while doing them on the floor line.... one with shut eyes, one with open eyes, and give her a week of just eyes open before having her work on a hard beam with no pads/

 

[Salto]

A trick for me is to put your bad hand in front, it should help you keep your body square...
Hope this helps:jump: