Parents Backhand springs!

[Deleted member 18037]

Oh okay. She usually does them on the trampoline I didn't think a backbend was as bad.
I know we would never ever try bhs outside the gym.
I guess we will just a stick to what coach think we should do.
Hopefully they arent as bad as my dd makes it sound.

First I would have her stop doing them on the tramp outside of gym as that may be hurting not helping/improving

Next I don't know how long it took my kid exactly as I don't watch practice. One day I saw her land one right before pick up and went, wow when did she start landing that. But I would say they drilled, spotted, tips blue tracked for over 6 months before the would let the kids do it. Probably started in the summer and it was spring before most kids were landing them cocdistantly w/o spot.

Really, watching practice makes it seem like forever before they get something. It's like watching grass grow.

 

[Sweetbrunette00]

First I would have her stop doing them on the tramp outside of gym as that may be hurting not helping/improving

Next I don't know how long it took my kid exactly as I don't watch practice. One day I saw her land one right before pick up and went, wow when did she start landing that. But I would say they drilled, spotted, tips blue tracked for over 6 months before the would let the kids do it. Probably started in the summer and it was spring before most kids were landing them cocdistantly w/o spot.

Really, watching practice makes it seem like forever before they get something. It's like watching grass grow.

No I wasn't suggesting or saying doing bhs at home. I was saying to practice back bends and back walk overs might help her with keeping her arms straight but her problem isn't bending arms.
I'm not concerned with how fast or slow it takes her.
My concern is with the consistency and how she falls when she does them and if the falling is normal. I just worry about her landing on her head

 

[meganliz77]

No I wasn't suggesting or saying doing bhs at home. I was saying to practice back bends and back walk overs might help her with keeping her arms straight but her problem isn't bending arms.
I'm not concerned with how fast or slow it takes her.
My concern is with the consistency and how she falls when she does them and if the falling is normal. I just worry about her landing on her head

Honestly, BWO's should be reserved for the gym only. They can cause back issues in girls.

I can tell you based on the oodles of practices I've watched--- falling is NOT normal. And it would be way too easy for poor form and bad habits to get stuck. It's not easy to unlearn bad habits.

 

[meganliz77]

Coach says that she isn't landing on her neck and occasionally shoulders bc she is jumping forward too much or she is in her handstand shape too long.
Coach says that her hands are straight and she's just more inconsistent than anything and just needs more practice.
Makes me feel a little better

I'm not really understanding this explanation... But it's been a long day so maybe I'm just missing something...

 

[Sweetbrunette00]

Honestly, BWO's should be reserved for the gym only. They can cause back issues in girls.

I can tell you based on the oodles of practices I've watched--- falling is NOT normal. And it would be way too easy for poor form and bad habits to get stuck. It's not easy to unlearn bad habits.

Yea makes sense I don't want bad habits.
Falling is normal when ur first learning a new skill no one does it perfectly every time.
I just was curious as to if other parents ever noticed their kids inconsistency and struggle when doing them on their own in the begining

 

[Sweetbrunette00]

I'm not really understanding this explanation... But it's been a long day so maybe I'm just missing something...

She told me that the reason she is falling is because she is jumping to much forward and not sitting enough.
She is protecting her head and neck and her arms are straight so she isn't bending them.
She is also too long in a hand stand shape once she flips backward and not getting the momentum to get back over.
Pretty much just needs more spotting and more drills..
It's just hard to understand when your not watching and you are trying to figure out what is happening from a 7 year old lol.
I trust her coach and know that they would never endanger her just scares me at how she says she is falling .
When I said falling her coach didn't act like she was falling just inconsistent with her form.
I guess I just need to try and get in to watch more of them to understand what's happening.. I just don't want to watch bc it makes me so nervous

 

[meganliz77]

Yea makes sense I don't want bad habits.
Falling is normal when ur first learning a new skill no one does it perfectly every time.
I just was curious as to if other parents ever noticed their kids inconsistency and struggle when doing them on their own in the begining

Okay, again not a coach BUT, I don't think it's normal to "fall" during a BHS when learning if the drills, progressions etc. are the primary focus to begin with. They'll be UGLY, no doubt... And inconsistent.... But falling seems risky, and tells me she shouldn't be doing them without a spot... Just my opinion.

Best of luck to your DD!!

 

[l.c.o]

Took my DD a good 3-4 months to get her BHS to the point where I was reasonably sure she wouldn't land on her head... and about four years later, it's still is far from perfect.

Coaches spotted her frequently through the process - she didn't "chuck" them often... which is good as her head was often seriously close to the ground (landed on head once, which set her back a good 4-6 weeks or so as she'd been afraid to work them). I'd have been nervous had she frequently been allowed to try them alone and was frequently actually landing on her shoulder/head. That said, I think doing that a few times while learning is probably fairly normal?

My DS can do a consistently ok BHS on a trampoline, but his RO-BHS has been hit or miss for quite awhile, though it sounds like he has the opposite problem. It either looks like a decent RO-BHS or like a RO-BT (misses hands - too much jump/power/crappy technique/whatever)... though that "RO-BT" looks fairly scary, too. Anyway, still waiting for coach to let him compete it yet. Maybe by state? LOL.

 

[Sweetbrunette00]

Yea again idk what she means by falls because it's my 7 year old explaining them. Her coach hasn't let any of the girls do them except for two so far.
I know she is ready but I think it's just mainly the inconsistency.
Mainly I was just trying to figure out if it's normal for the ugliness and inconsistency in them in the beginning. I mean sometimes I still see experienced girls throwing bad ones.. It just worries me the possibility of her falling on her head bc it only takes once a to really get hurt.
I just need to watch more so I understand what she is talking about bc what she tells me is a different picture then what the coach tells me

 

[gymcat]

I wonder if your dd is going slowly, hitting the handstand and rather than blocking and completing the skill, she is basically crumpling to the ground.

 

[Sweetbrunette00]

I wonder if your dd is going slowly, hitting the handstand and rather than blocking and completing the skill, she is basically crumpling to the ground.

That sounds similar to what the coach was saying about the handstand part she was saying she holds it too long sometimes and that is part of her problem.
It just all sounds so confusing lol

 

[twinklytoes9468]

It is normal to do them looking like a frog to begin with .
Please please do not let your DD do BHS unsupported yet.She isn't ready and it only takes one awkward fall to crunch her neck.BHS are notorious for causing hand wrist and neck injuries.

Fro your description she is jumping upwards rather backwards (the distance between her feet and hands should be nearly a body's length) and I will bet your child' distance is 12 inches!Also she needs really strong arms and shoulders..If the impact of a backbend creates as much as a flicker in her arms then no way are they going to support the increased impact of a jump back onto them.
Save gymnastics for the gym and major on the conditioning at home!

 

[Sweetbrunette00]

It is normal to do them looking like a frog to begin with .
Please please do not let your DD do BHS unsupported yet.She isn't ready and it only takes one awkward fall to crunch her neck.BHS are notorious for causing hand wrist and neck injuries.

Fro your description she is jumping upwards rather backwards (the distance between her feet and hands should be nearly a body's length) and I will bet your child' distance is 12 inches!Also she needs really strong arms and shoulders..If the impact of a backbend creates as much as a flicker in her arms then no way are they going to support the increased impact of a jump back onto them.
Save gymnastics for the gym and major on the conditioning at home!

What are some good conditioning we can do to help her get stronger for them?

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I guess I just need to try and get in to watch more of them to understand what's happening.. I just don't want to watch bc it makes me so nervous

Really you don't need to watch more. It is only going to get worse as the skills get harder.
You need to watch less and trust the coach. If you don't find a gym/coach that you do trust.

After BHS, come FHS, Tucks, Layout. BWO and BHS on beam and aerial dismounts and connections. Kips, squat ons, flyaways, giants, bar changes. And so on.

The nerves won't be getting better.

I am currently practicing my game voice so my worrying doesn't end up on her videos going forward.

Its much better when you see something they have been working on for months for the first time and go Wow, when did she learn to do that. Because you haven't watched the grunt work. Its like you seeing your kid every day so you don't notice her growing and an Aunt who she doesn't see often, visits and goes Wow, she got so big. Watch less.

As far a conditioning, ask her coach to give you what she could/should do at home.Our coach actually has stuff for them to do on non gym days. And give it time, strength and a better skill come with time, practice, conditioning, time, repeat. Oh and did I say time.

 

[Sweetbrunette00]

Really you don't need to watch more. It is only going to get worse as the skills get harder.
You need to watch less and trust the coach. If you don't find a gym/coach that you do trust.

After BHS, come FHS, Tucks, Layout. BWO and BHS on beam and aerial dismounts and connections. And so on.

The nerves won't be getting better.

I am currently practicing my game voice so my worrying doesn't end up on her videos going forward.

Its much better when you see something they have been working on for months for the first time and go Wow, when did she learn to do that. Because you haven't watched the grunt work. Its like you seeing your kid every day so you don't notice her growing and an Aunt who she doesn't see often, visits and goes Wow, she got so big. Watch less.

As far a conditioning, ask her coach to give you what she could/should do at home.Our coach actually has stuff for them to do on non gym days. And give it time, strength and a better skill come with time, practice, conditioning, time, repeat. Oh and did I say time.

Yea originally after I saw the first one I was just planning on nod watching lol just the comments my dd says is what made me worry. I trust her coach completely I just wasn't sure what can be expected in the beginning. When she is not being spotted. She still is getting spotted and only gets to do one or two on her own they r just rough.

 

[Rose7777]

My daughter took forever to get hers. First, she did them on the trampoline with the belt harness thing; then the tramp with the harness with only one rope (i.e. couldn't help with form, but the coach could help if things went horribly wrong- I thought of it as an "oh, ****!" handle); then tramp with no harness. From there, she was doing them spotted on the squishy mats, then unspotted on the squishy mats before moving to spotted on the hard mats and then unspotted on the hard mats. Finally, she got to try one on the floor- her coach was ready to spot her, but she didn't need it. All of the older girls who were there clapped and it was the best moment of her short life, lol. She's been hitting them consistently and with pretty good form since then. She was able to compete it less than a week after getting her very first one and earned an 8.9.

I don't think I ever saw her fall on her head/neck/shoulders during the learning process- she didn't always make it back on to her feet, but I wasn't ever scared. Mixed in were tons of jump laybacks and round off jump laybacks and other drills that I don't know the names of.

 

[meganliz77]

I am currently practicing my game voice so my worrying doesn't end up on her videos going forward.

LOL!! THIS! I need to work on this for sure!! hahaha

 

[balancedmom]

I am just going to comment on the safety you asked about. It can be dangerous to land on your head and neck so your DD should be getting a spot if that is happening. My DD got a concussion landing on her head doing a running RO-BHS and balking in the middle. SHe was going fast and had a lot of power, so I am not sure whether these are just standing BHSs but I would ask her coaches about this. She of course will get the skill eventually, but that would not be my concern and it sounds like it is not really yours either.

 

[CTMOM]

Depends on the kid. My ODD took a long time to do them correctly. She was 8 when the coaches finally stopped spotting her and the next week she was doing ROBHSBHS. Younger DD is 6 and already has a solid one, but she started a lot younger than her sister.

 

[looly]

What are some good conditioning we can do to help her get stronger for them?

Have her ask the coach what she can do at home to help. My daughter is right in the same spot in the BHS learning process, and her coach has just given her handstand taps (I think that's what she called them - she goes into a handstand supported by a wall and, alternating sides, quickly lifts a hand to touch her shoulder. Coach says she is struggling to keeps her arms straight because she needs more arm strength and shoulder flexibility and that this would help.