DrillsAndSkills.com

gym em TN · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 11

i am coaching pre-team and have a problem with a couple of girls working on their back handsprings. they both lift really well but they are throwing back with bent arms; it looks kind of like a frog doing a back flip. after the sit and throw they bend their arms and never get them straight again. this has proved to be very frustrating for them since this is really the only thing holding them back from decent lvl4 floor routines. what drills would you suggest to help them?
also, what type of class management would you guys recommend for a pre-team group? i will often have 8 to 10 girls, all on different skill levels and all needing a spot on lots of things. what are some drills or skill-based circuit training that they could do on their own while i spot their classmates?

thanks!!

TumblingCoach · Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Posts: 7 Location: USA

Try using a no-swing approach to teaching the back handsprings. I have written a few articles in the tech portion so you could look at them as I cover those topics there. But back to the no-swing.

I think this promotes a better take off angle, and teaches them to use their legs more effeciently - albeit this requires more spotting on your part. I use a grid on the floor to help measure problems: 3 lines, 3' apart, the first is where they stand to take off, the second is where their hands should land, the third is where their feet should finish. The take off angle is 45 degrees. They should jump to a slight arch, hit their hands, tap (as you would for a giant) to a hollow, and snap their hands up overhead with three hops afterwards (moving backwards). A large cheese mat makes this much easier on you.

Then move to adding the arm swing for a standing BHS. The no-swing is a method for prepping RO-BHS. I teach passe RO (article in tech sect.) to no-swing BHS until their technique is perfect, then I move to a power hurdle RO, then to a running RO. I have them pause in between if they are weak on their ROs, or directly connect them if they are strong. Hope this helps.
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