WAG Help with twisting handstand...

[Kiwi]

I remember reading here one of the coaches (maybe IWannaCoach?) saying you don't need to try to turn in a round-off because when you kick your leg you turn automatically (I've tried this and it worked). It seems like this is happening to my DD in her handstand on beam - when she kicks up to handstand she turns slightly sideways, so she misses coming down on the beam and lands to the side of it. Any ideas (especially from experienced coaches) on how she can prevent this?

 

[Flossyduck]

When she does a handstand on floor does she twist out of it, or can she kick up, hold and come back down in the same place?

If she can do it on floor and is strong enough and tight enough to control it there it sounds to me as though it may be more a mental thing and she doesn't fully believe she's going to get her feet down. If that's the case then all I can suggest is practice on a line on the floor and a floor beam until she 'knows her feet come down at the same point and how her body needs to feel to achieve that.

I'm really sorry if this sounds as though I'm teaching grandma to suck eggs. I don't know what level your dd is at and I'm not a coach. I just know it took a while for my dd to stop twisting on handstands and also bwo, partly because she needed to strengthen her core more evenly and stop favouring one side which caused a bit of a twist. Once you rule that out...

 

[Redford]

For all acro elements on beam I love the foam block drill for tight shoulders. I give each of the girls a foam block to put between their wrist and let them carry it around with their arms by their ears. I let them do walks and jumps and releves on beam or handstand and walkovers on floor...whatever comes to my mind. I use it mainly for the beam BWO but I'm sure it works for HS as well.
Other than taht it is likely to be a mental thing.

 

[Kiwi]

I just know it took a while for my dd to stop twisting on handstands and also bwo, partly because she needed to strengthen her core more evenly and stop favouring one side which caused a bit of a twist.

I hadn't thought of this but it could be a factor, thanks, I'll look for this. Her handstand on floor is not great either, but I think the hands being wider apart helps to prevent the twisting, whereas on beam the hands are close together. I don't think it is just mental as I can see her hips twist sideways as she kicks up with the right leg, which is what you want for a cartwheel or round-off but not for a handstand.

 

[iwannacoach]

It sounds like she's loose in the middle, which makes her center sag downward toward the beam instead of being pushed up with her kick leg. Her kick leg compensates by working harder to get her upside down. That extra kick energy is hard to measure out in just the right amount, and even if she gets the amount just right, the extra effort can cause her hips to turn as she elevates, and cause even more turn when she tries to stop at the handstand. It seems as though everything stops but her leg, and her leg goes just a bit further and drags her hip along for the ride.

It's all about keeping a tight and aligned core from day one, and knowing that the push leg is what makes the kick leg go up. Really, there should be no kick, but try telling that to a 10 year old who thinks she knows everything.

you don't need to try to turn in a round-off because when you kick your leg you turn automatically (I've tried this and it worked).

So what did you notice about this method's effect on your round off?

 

[Kiwi]

Thanks, IWC, you always explain things really well! This sounds right, and I think she will listen as she isn't the kind of kid who thinks she knows everything.

About my round-off, I was trying to follow your round-off advice from another thread, and I found you were right, if I just thought about kicking, the turn kind of happened anyway. I think it also helps you go straight and with more power.