Coaching a back handspring involves breaking down the skill into smaller, manageable steps and drills, focusing on proper body shaping, power, and technique.
Coaching a back handspring requires patience, a structured approach, and a strong emphasis on fundamental body shapes and movements. The goal is to build confidence and proficiency through progressive drills.
Prerequisites and Foundation
Before attempting a back handspring, athletes need to have foundational strength, flexibility, and body control.
- Strength: Focus on core strength, shoulder stability, leg power (for the block/snap), and back flexibility/strength.
- Flexibility: Good shoulder flexibility is crucial for an open handstand shape, and hip flexor flexibility helps achieve a strong hollow position.
- Basic Shapes: Athletes must understand and be able to hold tight body, hollow body, and arched body shapes with proper tension.
Breakdown Drills and Technique
Break the back handspring into key phases and use drills to teach each part.
- The Set/Initiation: Practice sitting back and reaching back simultaneously, focusing on the arms swinging up and back as the hips move down and back, not straight down. Drills can involve sitting onto a panel mat or wedge.
- The Push-Off and Hand Placement: Teach athletes to push off the ground powerfully with their legs and reach for the floor with their hands. Emphasize looking at the spot where their hands will go.
- The Handstand Phase: Focus on achieving a strong, tight handstand position with shoulders open as the body passes through vertical.
- The Snap/Block: This is a critical transition phase where the power is generated to rebound out of the handspring.
Focusing on Body Shaping: The Handstand to Snap
A key element taught by experienced coaches, like Coach Mary Lee Tracy, is the transition from the handstand phase into the finish. This involves a precise snap of the body shape.
As highlighted in coaching tips, when athletes hit in the handstand, it's important they achieve a tight arch. From this strong position, they will snap to a tight hollow shape. The arms should be driving front middle. This "snap" is often cued as part of a sequence like "ready and contact jump snap," emphasizing the timing and power needed to rebound effectively out of the skill. This transition is crucial for linking back handsprings or connecting into subsequent skills.
- The Landing/Finish: Teach athletes to land on their feet in a stable position, absorbing the impact and preparing for the next skill if applicable.
Spotting and Safety
Proper spotting is essential for safety and to help athletes feel the correct movement pattern.
- Spotting: Typically involves two hands – one on the athlete's back or hip to assist through the handstand and another on the legs or hips to help control the snap and landing. Spotting should support, not just push.
- Matting: Use progression mats, wedge mats, and soft landing mats to reduce impact and build confidence.
Common Mistakes and Corrections
Identify common errors and provide specific feedback.
- Bent Arms: Often due to lack of shoulder strength or not driving through the shoulders. Correct by drilling handstands against a wall or using resistance bands.
- Lack of Snap: Not actively transitioning from the arch to hollow. Correct by focusing on the handstand to snap drill described above, emphasizing speed and tension.
- Sitting Down: Initiating the skill by dropping the hips instead of sitting back and reaching. Correct by practicing the initial "set" motion onto elevated surfaces.
- Piking: Hips folding excessively in the handstand. Correct by reinforcing hollow and tight body shapes in drills.
Coaching back handsprings is a progressive journey built on solid fundamentals, specific drills targeting each phase, and clear coaching cues, including crucial shaping transitions like the tight arch to tight hollow snap.
