WAG Back handspring stepout on beam?

[livelifetumble8dx]

Since the beginning of last summer i have been working BHS stepout on beam. I have made absolutely no progress since then. If a coach is spotting me, i get my hands on, my bhs is fine. If a coach isn't spotting me ( not even spotting me, literally just standing there for support with there hands touching me.) I either don't get my hands on at all or I i do get my hands on and my BHS gets all weird and icky. ( Like, landing on my head or really archy...)
I really need to get this skill on high beam in the next few months & I have no idea what to do! My coach said it was all in my head but i am not afraid of it? I don't understand! I place my hands like i would in a backwalkover also. The coach really doesn't care how we get our hands on as long as they are on. Are there any drills i could do by myself at home? Thanks in advanced xx

 

[cbifoja]

That seems a weird statement for your coach to make. My daughter's coach insists the girls place their hand in a very specific manner so that if one slips off, the other is still there to prevent them from bashing their skulls in. And this does seem rather important.

Can you do them at open gym with mat stacks? My daughter works them at home on a low beam with a panel mat on each side of the beam. So even if she were to misplace her hands on the beam, she still won't bonk her head. Have you done that drill? If so, how does it go for you?

I don't really have any coaching advice as I'm just a mom. I was just thinking about the drills my daughter does since she is transitioning hers up to no spot on the high beam.

 

[iwannacoach]

So let me see if I get this right......

You can do an excellent floor line "bhs-layout step out" on just about any surface imaginable..... spring floor, rod floor, tumble track, vault runway, fold out mat, and 4 inch landing pad. You can keep your rhythm and alignment on most if not all of these surfaces, and keep your arms straight, get a decent and straight push from your hands to transition into the layout and move strait and centered into the layout.......

So did I get that right?

If I got it right, I'll tell you what I think may be going on. You want this skill, and just don't quite see yourself as being either capable or ready, and it doesn't matter which because if either is true you're going to make the same mistake. So what's the mistake?

It just may be that you're feeling you have to do your best possible bhs to have a chance to make it through to the layout well enough to at least land safely, but hopefully to stick it as well. So how should you do your best bhs?..... by trying harder.... or having faith in the bhs you've done easily for a very long time. My vote would be to do the same bhs you've done for the past year, because that's what you're used to. It's the basis for the timing, core tension, hand push energy, and step-out alignment that all happen before you set for the layout.

These small parts of the bhs must be done correctly to feel comfortable as you set and commit to the layout, just ask your coach, and then ask your coach if he/she feels a deep level of responsibility to limit your new skills to those you can do within a reasonable level of safety and success. I'm sure you already know the answer, but ask it anyway because it never hurts to hear those answers straight from the coach's mouth.

So you might be wondering why you shouldn't try harder. Well, things change when you try harder, unless you're already trying harder all of the time...... which really helps to make gymnastics easier...... and if you are trying harder all of the time there's no way you can put any more effort into the skill. That means, in a very real sense, that trying harder is going to cause something to change, like more arch tension, faster arms and hands, earlier or wider step-out, or slightly turning your hips to get the first foot down (too early of course).

So here's the deal..... Do not change a single thing. Do not try harder. Concentrate on your rhythm, timing tension, and alignment..... or just relax and let your body do what it remembers from the thousands of back handsprings you've let it do in the past, because it's "been there and done that".

Respect your body, respect your coach, and respect yourself.

 

[livelifetumble8dx]

So let me see if I get this right......

You can do an excellent floor line "bhs-layout step out" on just about any surface imaginable..... spring floor, rod floor, tumble track, vault runway, fold out mat, and 4 inch landing pad. You can keep your rhythm and alignment on most if not all of these surfaces, and keep your arms straight, get a decent and straight push from your hands to transition into the layout and move strait and centered into the layout.......

So did I get that right?

If I got it right, I'll tell you what I think may be going on. You want this skill, and just don't quite see yourself as being either capable or ready, and it doesn't matter which because if either is true you're going to make the same mistake. So what's the mistake?

It just may be that you're feeling you have to do your best possible bhs to have a chance to make it through to the layout well enough to at least land safely, but hopefully to stick it as well. So how should you do your best bhs?..... by trying harder.... or having faith in the bhs you've done easily for a very long time. My vote would be to do the same bhs you've done for the past year, because that's what you're used to. It's the basis for the timing, core tension, hand push energy, and step-out alignment that all happen before you set for the layout.

These small parts of the bhs must be done correctly to feel comfortable as you set and commit to the layout, just ask your coach, and then ask your coach if he/she feels a deep level of responsibility to limit your new skills to those you can do within a reasonable level of safety and success. I'm sure you already know the answer, but ask it anyway because it never hurts to hear those answers straight from the coach's mouth.

So you might be wondering why you shouldn't try harder. Well, things change when you try harder, unless you're already trying harder all of the time...... which really helps to make gymnastics easier...... and if you are trying harder all of the time there's no way you can put any more effort into the skill. That means, in a very real sense, that trying harder is going to cause something to change, like more arch tension, faster arms and hands, earlier or wider step-out, or slightly turning your hips to get the first foot down (too early of course).

So here's the deal..... Do not change a single thing. Do not try harder. Concentrate on your rhythm, timing tension, and alignment..... or just relax and let your body do what it remembers from the thousands of back handsprings you've let it do in the past, because it's "been there and done that".

Respect your body, respect your coach, and respect yourself.

I am not doing BHS layout stepouts. just BHS step-outs hahah! Sorry for the confusion. I am trying really hard. I feel like i am disappointing my coaches & i hate when they are angry with me. All the girls on my team can easily get their hands on the low beam, i am not sure why i am having so much difficulty comparatively. It's frustrating that my BHS on beam changes when a coach isn't standing there, touching me with their finger tips. I don't feel like i am afraid but something is obviously holding me back. Ugh!

 

[iwannacoach]

I'm sorry about having misread your original post, but the idea I tried to present to you still applies to a single bhs. It sounds like you have a good back handspring that works well right up to the moment you're coach isn't giving you a "finger tip" spot. There isn't some invisible force that makes you miss your hands or get "all wierd and icky" so it's got to be something else. The first place to look is in the mirror, because it's probably you're either focusing on "yikes!! I'm doing a back handspring", or you try to get the upside down part over more quickly than you would on a normal bhs, which is a big mistake.

Provided your coach knows you're capable, and is willing to spot however heavily you need, here's something worth a try. Have your coach spot you as you do a set of five back handsprings where you land in the step-out position and immediately take two or three steps forward to where you started from, quickly move into your ready position, exhale, and go for the next bhs. The entire set of five should take about 40 seconds, which is going to give you no time to do anything but rely on your instinctive, normal effort.

Allow your coach to gradually reduce their spotting efforts while you concentrate on your skill. If you concentrate on the skill and trust the coach, who's already taught several kids how to do these, you'll do a good bhs through the entire set and build confidence for the next set of five.

So talk it over with your coach before or after your next practice to see if they like the idea or not.

 

[CoachTodd]

If you can do them on floor beam, then use the mat stack method where you stack mats up beam height and lower them after a certain number of successful attempts.
A good drill is the do them from the floor onto a mat so you get used to the height that makes it easier to get your hands in position and make sure you are splitting early enough to pull the weight off your hands as they land. This will keep you off your face .