fear of handstand on beam!

[mustlovejumping]

I'm almost 20 and just started an adult gym class in June. At first I was really good with beam and was able to get easy jumps and leaps and even a full turn (because I was a dancer for 14 years). I had my cross hanstand on medium beam and was totally fine with it. Then in August last year I had a really bad ankle injury on the tumble track (basically two really bad sprains at once because i rolled it out and rolled on top of it. It was swollen for over a month and I still don't have all the range of motion back, although my ankle is at about 85% right now. Anyway, just a little background in case it's relevant.

Posted this in the Gymnast forum also but I guess I'll post here too:
So since beam is really hard with an untrustworthy ankle, I've just been doing a few things on low beam, and a few months ago I was working hanstands on low beam and I kicked up too hard and started to go over the other way. I do know how to get out of that by turning sideways, but I didn't do that because I didn't want to land on my ankle weird and reinjure it. So instead I somehow ended up landed and hitting the right side of my back on the beam, and that whole side was numb for a few days. Ever since then I've had a huge fear of handstands on beam because I'm always afraid I'll fall like that again, even though my ankle is fine now to bail out of a bad handstand the way I did before I got hurt.

Has anyone had a similar fear or a have any tips to help? Beam in general terrifies me now partially because I don't always trust my ankle and partially because of that fall :[

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

Even when you know how to fall correctly, sometimes doing it in the heat of the moment is tough. Probably even with a bum ankle it would have been better to turn out of the handstand. When I broke my right foot, I came out of handstands on my left leg for several weeks - maybe you don't have enough control to do this yet since you're a beginner, but even turning out of it I always landed on my good leg.

Are you working on low beam still or high beam? If you're on high/medium beam it would be a good idea to put an 8-inch mat under the beam in case you fall (for your ankle) and it might also make you feel safer. For handstands, you can start out with itty-bitty 3/4 handstands and work all the way up inch by inch, if you have to. You can start on low beam and then move it to high beam.

 

[mustlovejumping]

No I haven't worked on anything on high beam since my ankle injury. I started off just working on them on a foam beam and that was fine because I knew I couldn't get hurt, but if I try to even move them to a low beam, it's scary because that's kind of beam I fell on. And yes, you're definitely right that I still should have tried to turn out of it, but in the moment for some reason it didn't seem like a good idea.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll try starting with baby handstands and working my way back up again.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

my DD has always had a little bit of fear doing handstands for exactly the same reason. She kicked up too hard one time and felt out of control! She is a control freak! Do you have a coach that can spot you for awhile or at least stand there til you are more comfortable? For some that has helped! My DD however does not like to be spotted either! (like I said she is a control freak!!) Good luck and I am glad your ankle is better!!

 

[mustlovejumping]

Your DD sounds a lot like me!! Haha I'm a total control freak too. I'm fine with being spotted on floor stuff and a little on vault, but for some reason on bars and beam I really don't like being spotted. I actually did try working on some handstands with a coach spotting me but I felt like that was scarier than doing them on my own. But I guess I'll just keep working on them and trying different things until I'm back to where I was before my injury :]