Coaches Flic flac (walkout)

[JenFen]

Need some help with one of my gymnast flic flacs on beam.

Flic flac goes quite long and she has trouble splitting legs for walk out. She isn't overally flexible in the shoulders. Tried lots of flic flacing up hill. The other week I tried placing 2x 4inch high mats width ways over beam so the gymnast flics up (hands on mats) and lands on beam with feet. That works, take one mat off that works, but then no mats (did work first session) but now just goes long again and she struggles to walk out. She gets her hands on fine.

Any body got any ideas with drills or anything more I can try for this gymnast. We have another gymnast that has been working flics on beam for 3 yrs and is exactly the same.

Thanks
Jenna

 

[CoachTodd]

The up hill handspring (onto the mats) is really the best drill I can think of to get them to go up. I know we spend a year teaching them a back handspring that takes up a lot of space then turn around and say, "remember all that stuff we taught you on floor, forget it..."
I think more and more of the drills until they get it. Even a lot of really high back handsprings on a line of the floor so they get used to the snap coming from the split and not a block off of the hands as much.

 

[gymdog]

Get a springboard. She is going to stand on the low end, facing the high end. Because of the incline her toes will be slightly up and this is going to put the hips in the right position for the hip rise. Actually I guess you can use an incline mat too, not using the spring, but I like the firm surface and think it works better, so the board is better.

Spot a little first, but if she goes long now she probably won't undercut. Make sure as her legs are straightening her hips are stretching forward and her arms are making it back to her ears. You don't want the knees to buckle over the ankles but you want to hit the stretch when the arms get up. Do it with no swing if necessary. Actually, do it with no swing or just a little arms in front swing. I'm a big supporter. See how that looks, correct the stretch from there, then put the swing back.

Do tons. I prefer an early step out. Not so early the BHS loses power, but apparently I am counter to USAG on this. I suppose they want a late step down because it's a floor BHS in the L6 routine but whatever, I'm teaching one BHS step out so I don't overly worry about them not doing the late step down. I think would agree in most cases the late step down is not ideal and aesthetically not preferred by the judges. It tends to make the step down angle less powerful and lead to shoulder close and piking (or maybe those lead to late step downs...whichever...mutual reinforcement). Anyway my point was we start with the incline hip rise drill and I hold their second leg to get the split I want. One hand on their leg, one hand on their lower back.

Also. Work on shoulder and hip flexor flexibility. If they are tight in their hips and thighs that won't help either. Do bridges from a knee stand, also from a knee stand reach back (not like a bridge, just arms downward) and grab both ankles then try to stretch the hips forward. Splits with the back leg bent and against the wall (lower leg perpendicular to the floor, basically) make sure the leg doesn't angle (might need to push a block to keep it at the right angle).