Front hand spring vault, mental blocks

[Sophie]

Hi everyone! This is my first post so I hope I'm doing this right. Anyway, I used to compete level 8, then I quit for 5 years, and now I do competitive school gymnastics. I've lost most of my skills. I haven't lost my front handspring vault, but today, I had a huge block. I physically know I can do it, I did it the first time I tried today. But then when I went again, I kept running into the vault because I was scared. I did squat ons for fun for a while, then tried to fhs a again, and did it. Then I true again and couldn't do it. What is wrong with me? Does anyone have tips to get over this weird block?

 

[BlairBob]

Lots of visualization.

 

[iwannacoach]

You didn't say how long you've been back into training. Skills can be about knowing how to do them from memory, but that's not always the case. It could be you need to get used to your running speed and hurdle before you can confidently vault. Try working some shorter runs, still going as hard as you can, and vaulting with less speed. If that doesn't work you can spend some time on running into punch fronts off a spring board and land them on a low stack of mats. Raise the mat stack when you start getting higher, and always challenge yourself to run as hard as you can in the amount of distance you decide is right.

 

[Sophie]

Iwannacoach, sorry I forgot to mention, it's even about 6 months since I've returned to gymnastics, maybe less. But I've been doing tumbling my whole life. Running faster is great advice, and Ill try it. But I do feel like running faster will simply scare me more and ill balk again. When doing handstand flatbacks on stacked mats, I don't have any problems going for it, and my coach says it pretty good. Thank you for your advice!!!

 

[BlairBob]

I prefer a run that accelerates from start to hurdle rather than an all out, hit the afterburner sprint.

 

[iwannacoach]

I meant for you to understand that you may not be able to cope with running fast into a hurdle, and suggested you work on a shorter run to reduce your speed to a point you can wrap your gymnastics mind around. It only takes 6 or 7 steps to make a handspring vault if you run those steps as fast as is reasonably possible. You can increase your speed by adding two steps once you have a consistent result with 6/7 steps. Just a tip....... a set of 2 steps will require you to move back, depending on your stide length about 9 -10 feet.

So figure it like this. Do your handspring flat backs, on a mat stack right?, with a 4-5 step run (maybe) and your handsprings from a 6-7 step run...... if you're able.

Accelerate from from the beginning through to the end if you'd like, but you'll have to acelerate exactly the same way each time if you want you're hurdle spacing to be the same each time. That's why I've said to run the steps, you allow yourself, as hard as you can, because most people will run the same length or close to it when they're going all out.

 

[Sophie]

That makes a lot of sense to me actually, I'll try it all out today. Than you so much!

 

[Kittykatti]

Stack up mats behind the table so you can get the feel of it..

 

[KatieG]

This forum is interesting to me because last year before I got sick I was like rocking my FHS but after I got sick I just kept running into the table and not able to jump very high.