Back Hip Circle Head Out Mistake
January 26, 2011
"Throwing the head out" is a very common mistake that does not add any technical or presentational value to this skill.
Posts about back
Yurchenko Full in Back Out Timers
January 19, 2011
Open-tuck and layout yurchenkos to progressively elevated mats are good drills. The gymnast can add open-tuck twists to the feet and eventually to the back. Gymnasts should not attempt the second somersault until they can consistently land on their back on an elevated surface.
Low Single Rail Back Bail Drill
January 14, 2011
A low single rail is a very useful piece of equipment to master different technical aspects of several horizontal bar or uneven bar skills. The back bail is the beginning part of back giants. The drill is performed falling very stretched from the handstand and landing flat down on soft mats approximately at the same height as the low rail. The pointed feet must contact the mat before the hips or abdominal are with the body showing a subtle hollow position. The arms should be by the ears bailing down straight and pushing away with the shoulders area very stretched.
Straps Back Giants
January 13, 2011
Strap giants help gymnasts to understand the tap actions timing and improve their body positions during the skill. Before attempting strap back gaints the gymnasts need some experience with giants with spot and big swings with straps. Turning is not an option. Just swing down in the opposite direction. At the begining it is also wise for the coach to stand on a spotting surface with adequate height to assist the athlete in case they get loose and begin to collapse against the bar. Strap back gaints should start from building increasingly biger swings instead of from a cast. To finish a set the athletes must be instructed to stop tapping and keep the arms straight until the body does not make the giant over and swings back down with decreasing momentum.
Straps Back Giants Head Neutral or Slightly Out Series
January 13, 2011
Many horizontal or uneven bars basic skills show a cleaner body line when performed with a neutral head while some other skills are executed better when the gymnasts maintain visual contact with the bar as is the case with releases such as gingers and kollmans. Due to these two different execution demands it is smart for gymnasts to master back giants with both head positions head neutral or slightly out and be able to change from one to the other at will. Traing back giants with straps is a perfect ocassion to practice a series of back giants alternating head positions during a single set. One of the strap training advantages is that long series may be performed several times in a lesson to build routine endurance and to work technical details like the back giants head positions without burning the hands for regular bar training.
Back Handspring Squat and Undercut Mistakes
January 12, 2011
A short first flying phase from feet to hands makes it difficult to create an effective second flying phase from hands to feet. Short undercut first flying phases cause the hands to touch the floor with poor body angles to make a quick arms repulsion into a powerful turn over to the feet. Before bad technical habits get too engrained it is wise to spend time reviewing basic drills. Like this one and many others. / Coaches must train their eyes to catch all kinds of big or small mistakes. In these undercut examples the gymnast shows more turn over power. He is still missing a proper hands placement to block and repulse the floor effectively. Even minor mistakes deserve time and effort to be corrected. Every skill must be refined to the maximum. /Deep squats slow down and diminish the explosive power to begin the back handsprings. Though there are slight personal differences in general the bend in the knees must not even reach a 90 degree angle. /Deep squats and undercuts together weaken the back handspring immensely. Serious basic drill reviews must be a priority. Notice that there is not a second flying phase due to the lack of blocking and arms repulsion.
Back Handspring Spot and Stop
January 12, 2011
If the gymnast is having problems showing a tight arch and the coach is confident of being able to handle the gymnast's weight he places a hand on the upper back reaching toward the further shoulder area while keeping the other hand on the hamstring. When the gymnast jumps back the coach stops the motion in mid air to allow the athlete to position her body into the correct shape. If the coach is spotting on the left side of the gymnast his right hand goes on the upperback to the far shoulder area and his left hand spots on the closer hamstring. This drill also allows the gymnast to work on her head position during the first flying phase. The head should not be stuck all the way down forward nor should it be all the way out backwards. It is more desirable to aim for a neutral head position or just slightly out in the flying direction. To master the second flying phase from hands to feet the gymnast must practice different drills because this one does not offer a good opportunity for arms repulsion. No coach should attempt this kind of spotting with gymnasts whose weight they have not tested first by lifting them from a standing position to a tight arch without any jumping back. For the large majority of gymnasts learning standing back handsprings the coach must spot standing up himself and placing his hands on the middle or far side of he gymnast's lower back and the close hamstring. A coach may decide to kneel down only to spot very light or small gymnasts so he can reach under their weight better. A coach should never attempt to spot from a sitting position because he will be unable to follow the gymnast motions and move himself quickly and effectively too.
Back Handspring Spot No Arm Swings
January 12, 2011
Starting to teach back handsprings without arm swings may help the gymnasts to get used to keeping the arms closer to the head in the early learning stages plus it can save the coach a couple of face slaps. Place the gymnast on a position as if they were coming from a round off or another back handspring. Because this gymnast is light and already knows the skill the hand spotting the lower back is placed on the middle instead of farther across. Coaches must only spot back handsprings from kneeling when the gymnast is so light that her weight can be handled easy from this spotting position.
Back Handspring Spot with Arm Swing
January 12, 2011
Once we are relatively sure that the gymnast is not going to throw the arms out too open we can add the arms swing to their spotted back handsprings. This gymnast is trying to master a hollow turn over second flying phase instead of just piking it down. Coaches may use every training opportunity to help establish good posture habits like standing up with stomach area in and buttocks tucked in too. Starting with a hollow instead of a totally straight back allows for a more explosive upper body range of motion and mimics an effective way to connect back tumbling skills like a roung off to back handspring a handspring to another handspring or to different types of somersaults.