Mental Block

[maddiekate]

I have this random fear of back extension rolls. And it's not purely mental either. I hurt my shoulder a while ago doing a back extension roll, and now every time I try it, I either hesitate or go over sideways. I'm scared I'm going to hurt my shoulder again. What can I do so that I don't hurt my shoulder?

 

[gymdog]

Start with straight arm pike or straddle backward roll (keep your arms tight by your ears and watch your toes, but don't shoot to HS, just try to bring your feet over to stand. I can vaguely recall doing this in L6 lined up against a wall and then we tried to put our feet higher on the wall after so many tries. I have no idea why we were doing this, I think it was just an issue with people arching over.

If you go over sideways, you're at a much greater risk of hurting your shoulders, though. Sometimes when we "bail" we do things that are counterintuitive. You have to "train" your brain also. You might try to think of a verbal cue to tell yourself before trying it, and while you go, like "straight over the top" and a physical cue (watching toes, pushing the space in your shoulders down to the floor as you roll through the candlestick) that you can focus for.