January 11, 2011
Once the gymnast has a fair snap down from folding mats, they can start practicing back handsprings with a spot. This is a good introduction to connecting a handspring from the hands-to-feet flying phase and is very helpful as an initial preparation for roundoff back handsprings. The spotting is similar to the one for roundoff back handsprings. If on the left of the athlete during the way down, the right hand moves to the lower back, and the left follows moving to the left hamstring.
January 11, 2011
The snap down back handspring is a very helpful progressive step toward the round off back handspring. Advanced gymnasts may practice this combination to refine some back tumbling technical details such as turning over from hands to feet on a hollow single body unit and rebounding with a tight arch first flying phase while the shoulder area is open. This gymnast is trying to turn over some more during the snap down. He is squating a little too much he needs to turn over and rebound more. /Last turn/ This example has a little better turn over than the ones before.
January 11, 2011
Piking down with knees bent and no arm repulsion at all is a very common novice mistake. There is not a flying phase and the feet touch the floor with the hands still down. Now the legs are straight coming down but still there is no arms repulsion. Observe once more these common novice mistakes. Bending the legs down without arms repulsion and piking down also without arms repulsion.
January 11, 2011
Here are several snap down examples some better than others. Back handsprings have two flying phases one from feet to hands and the second turning from hands to feet. Snap downs help gymnast to understand the second flying phase. She could open the shoulders more to begin the snap down. In this example notice a much better shoulder opening to begin the snap down. /4th clip/ Better shoulder opening. /6thclip/ After Gymnasts can snap down safely from folded mats they can try from spring boards. The extra bounciness facilitates to train the deep hollow turn over without having to pike down. This is an incorrect snap down with an excessive pike. This gymnast shows a better turnover with a deep hollow position.
January 11, 2011
Snap down drills are closely related to the hands-to-feet motion on back handsprings required to add power and turn over to the rebound connecting a handspring to another handspring or to a somersault. The goal is to open the shoulder area and then pushing from shoulders and wrists snap the whole body into a deep hollow while turning on one unit from hands to feet. /Still1/ Shoulder Opening. /Still2/ Straight up handstand. /Still 3/ Shoulders opening. /Still 4/ Aiming for hollow turn over down.
