Successful back handspring techniques for cheerleaders, gymnasts, dancers, martial artists, parents, instructors – or anyone who wants to learn a back handspring safely. Take action now, before your competition does!
Back Handsprings: The Secret Techniques
Foreword
Any activity in life from taking a bath, playing basketball, even walking home after school carries varying degrees of risk for potential injury. An elbow in the face during a jump shot, a twisted ankle stepping off the curb, or a slip and fall getting out of the bathtub may cause serious injury.
There is also the potential for significant injury when learning gymnastic, acrobatic, and tumbling skills.
The key to success for any athlete is patience, a desire to learn, and guidance from a qualified coach. Your desire to learn is obvious by the fact you are reading this book to learn and understand back handspring technique.
Note: The skills presented are based on one “average” (in size, shape, and fitness level) athlete, which may be illustrated for some drills and techniques . While the techniques presented may work adequately for this fictitious athlete, they may not work as well for the slightly overweight and less physically fit athlete. Some of you may need some preparatory work with strength training and nutrition.
Responsibility for the use and/or adaptation of these techniques is the sole responsibility of the individual using them. The information contained in this guide provides a base level of knowledge about gymnastics, acrobatic, and tumbling skills and training techniques for the back handspring in particular.
Contact qualified coaches from a local gymnastics or cheer program to guide you in developing effective techniques for a back handspring, as well as spotting skills and training methods specific to your needs.
Note to Mom & Dad
Throughout this book I will be talking primarily to the athlete, however, coaches and parents may listen in for information and ideas.
Parent’s, please defer to your coach’s instructions regarding specific advice on your daughter’s back handspring training.
When in doubt about a back handspring technique, always check with your local professional gymnastics and/or cheer coach for guidance.
Athletes, get ready to start your engines!
You probably receive offers in the mail every day for “get back handsprings quick” schemes. You may be disturbed at dinner time by phone calls from telemarketer’s trying to sell you the “latest” drill that will not only teach you the back handspring in ten minutes but make you popular in school and the person most likely to be discovered for a part in the next reality television show.
And, you know, for a very few that dream may come true but I wouldn’t bet a month’s supply of hair products on it.
My all encompassing goal for this book is that you learn how to do a back handspring SAFELY while having FUN learning. That means there are no shortcuts. Strength and flexibility will be the primary ingredient for your success in this endeavor, however, a safe environment (matting, spotters, etc.), an understanding of technique, and, of course, motivation are also important.
What I am trying to say is it will take focused effort on your part. There is no magic wand or special pixie dust to endow you with this skill.
It has been said that “repetition is the mother of skill,” and I believe that to be true, when you also add “feedback” to refine the skill, and “variety” to keep the whole process interesting and motivating.
It takes as long as it takes
I have not had the pleasure of meeting you in person so I can’t make a determination of your current level of fitness, your past background in acrobatics, gymnastics, or tumbling, or your current level of desire. I assume you have a high level of desire since you have purchased this book “ thanks, by the way.
So, how long will it take to learn a back handspring?
It takes as long as it takes and I do suggest that you take your time. You will refine the back handspring through hundreds of repetitions of drills and techniques. Long after you get your back handspring, you will review these skills time and again to continually refine your skill.
Throughout the whole process of learning a back handspring, I ask/desire/command you to focus on Safety (always), then fun, but certainly and without a doubt, I ask that you hold this one thought in your mind on every attempt: “I will do my best!”
Introduction
Welcome to “Back Handsprings: The Secret Techniques.” By the fact that you are reading this book, I can already tell that you are a determined and intelligent athlete. Your curiosity will be rewarded with several drills and skills that will make learning a back handspring a safe, fun, and
meaningful goal.
First, let me tell you that I have been a gymnast, coach, gymnastics club owner and author for over thirty years, so I do have quite a bit of experience teaching back handsprings “ literally hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of them to gymnasts in recreational classes and team gymnasts, many of whom also learned how to do them on a balance beam, which is only four-inches wide and four feet off the ground!
I have also worked as a tumbling coach with cheerleaders at the high school and college level.
Let me be clear that this is a book for anyone who wants to learn how to do a back handspring whether you are a gymnast, a cheerleader, a dancer, a martial artist, or a stunt person “ in short, anyone who would like to add a back handspring to his or her personal list of extraordinary abilities.
A back handspring is not a difficult skill, but it will require time and physical effort to make it a goal which is achieved in a safe and sane manner.
Before we continue, I have a question for you.
What is your experience with tumbling skills?
The reason I ask is you do need a solid grounding in the basic tumbling skills (I.E. forward roll, backward roll, handstand, and cartwheel, ) before moving on to a back handspring.
You can acquire these skills through physical education classes at school or enrolling in tumbling classes at a private gym, dance, or martial arts center. It won’t take long and the training in handstands and cartwheels will be especially important in learning a back handspring and other lead-up skills.
Okay, let’s break your goal (a back handspring) down to the four most important areas you need to focus on:
1. Appropriate Conditioning That means strength & flexibility and skill specific exercises.
2. Proper training. What you learn from this book combined with guidance from an experienced coach in a tumbling program near you.
3. The proper environment for learning the skill. I know that cheerleaders, martial artists, dancers, and stunt persons will perform these skills in a variety of settings; however, when first learning a back handspring, I think it is safest to learn in a properly matted and supervised setting.
4. Overwhelming desire to learn the skill. You really have to want this skill to get it. After all, how many “normal” people do you know who can flip over backwards then snap down and land standing on their feet? You will be one of a small, but elite community of athletes that can demonstrate
a body awareness that enables you to do such a skill.
Going for it!
Overwhelming desire will also help you overcome FEAR, which stands for False Experience Appearing Real. I have yet to see any athlete get hurt attempting a back handspring who was going for the skill 100%. Fear is normal. I was scared the first time I did a back handspring. Heck, I was still scared on my five hundredth attempt, but I went for it!
Going for the back handspring (when properly trained and prepared) 100% is the key to success. When your coach says it is time; give it everything you have and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Blah, blah, blah.
I know, you just want me to get on with it so you can get to working on your back handspring, however, I do need to touch on a few more things before we get to the training.
Safety Issues
For years, I advised my athletes not to practice back handsprings and other tumbling skills at home. Yet, when I review my childhood, I have to confess that I practiced back handsprings at home, jumped on the neighbor’s trampoline, and did all the things kids are still doing today.
I know that parents spot kids at home, and that many youngsters tumble in the grass. Heck, the jungle gym, and swing set at school are dangerous; even the family bathtub is cause for more injuries than this one tumbling skill.
The conclusion I came to is that kids will work on back handsprings at home no matter what I (or their coaches) say, so why not help them to be safe and train correctly? That is my goal with this book; to provide each reader the information on how to do a back handspring safely and
successfully in conjunction with a professional gymnastics or cheer coach.
Beyond this introduction, training for the back handspring begins quickly with special skills and drills. I ask that athletes, parents, coaches, and instructors be sure to read the material placed in the Appendix of this book. The material is no less important because of its position in the book design.
Again, thank you for reading this book. I hope that you learn your back handspring in a safe and enjoyable manner.
Copyright 2008 Rik Feeney. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
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