Coach Wayne,

My daughter is working on her back hand spring but 8 out of 10 times she will land with her arm bent and her head almost on the mat, she has distance but can not get the arms to support her, what can she do better? She works really hard but i think she is starting to feel discouraged. Thanks for the help.

Answer:

Arm and shoulder strength is critically important for the handspring. The best advice is to practice more Handstands, Handstands, Handstands! Nothing can replace HOURS of handstands. The handspring DEMANDS very powerful shoulders and elbows and wrists. Your daughter is not only diving backward ONTO her hands as she enters the handspring, she must THEN pass through a long, straight handstand position. THEN she must aggressively spring OFF the hands onto her feet. That requires ENORMOUS strength.

So...
1) Get her upside down in her handstand more often!

• Is your daughter upside down while she’s watching television? Try it!

• Is she standing on her hands while talking on the phone? (speaker phone recommended)

• Is she reading school homework with feet over her head?

You must use GOOD JUDGEMENT about when and where it is SAFE to practice handstands. Be creative; the trick is to make the handstand position something that she's EXTREMELY comfortable moving into and out of. Count how many handstands she currently practices each week. Next week, do TEN TIMES as many! The stronger her handstand is the stronger her handspring can be.

2) Make sure she practices well-formed, superbly executed handstands. There's no point in rehearsing sloppy handstands. Any errors that occur in the handstand will probably occur in the handspring, only with exaggeration! That means EVERY time she's upside down... regardless of HOW or WHEN she gets there... she should maintain ALL these elements: pointed toes, feet together, straight knees, thighs squeezed tightly, hips and buttocks squeezed tightly, back taunt and straight, shoulders slightly hollowed (not arched), head neutral (neither tucked nor arched),  arms shoulder-width apart (thumbs almost touching each other).

Remember that there are MANY exercises to help strengthen her arms. In my "Better Back-Handsprings" video I guide tumblers through dozens of such exercises that can be practiced at home, in front of the TV in order to be better prepared for class.

As always, I  welcome your comments and concerns. Please send your email questions to  Coach@CoachWayne.com. YES, I really do answer ALL the questions I can personally and I may use your  answer in an upcoming article!

Until next  time...
Have fun, be safe... and PUSH  HARD!!!!
~Coach  Wayne

Sponsored by Sports Nation Video