Cheerleading: Ms. Pineapple's Cheer Page - Tumbling Cheernastics Back-Handspring Help

Question

Dear Coach Wayne-
Hello! Ny name is Natalie. I have a few things to tell you and ask you about. First of all, I bought your tape, "How to do a Better Backhandspring," and it is helping me a lot. Thanks a lot. Second, I was wonderinging if you had some advice for me. I am working on a round-off flip-flop back, and I can't seem to get high enough. Could you help me out with that? And i am choreographing my own routine and I was wondering if you would give me some suggestions. But I have to have it done by Monday, so if you would please write back ASAP, I would really appreciate that! Thanks a bunch!

~Natalie

The Solution

Hey Natalie,

You must have strong round-off and handsprings to be ready for your salto, congratulations! To focus on the HEIGHT of your round-off handspring tucked-back-salto (flip) here’s an approach that almost ALWAYS works:

Take about a DOZEN repetitions of R.O.-Handspring-REBOUND JUMP. {Don't flip for the first DOZEN, just punch and rebound jump as HIGH as possible OUT of the handspring.} Focus on FLYING to the ceiling! Get a spot to help you land safely on your feet. Even a tiny bit of rotation can be dangerous when you’re doing this exercise.

Remember, you don’t want the rebound into your tuck to travel backwards very much. Instead, it should be VERY HIGH; almost completely straight up and down. So, when you practice your handspring rebound (without the tucked salto), place your attention on making sure you’re heading UPWARDS and not BACKWARDS.

After your first dozen SUCCESSFUL (skyward) rebounds, then toss ONE salto. It ought to travel similarly SKYWARD. Now, evaluate your success:

Did you TRAVEL backwards in the salto or was it mostly upwards?

Did you lay it back?

Was it long and low with lots of travel, or was it sky-high?

BIG SUCCESS SECRET!!!! "Measure the DISTANCE between your FOOTPRINTS at the spot where you REBOUND into your salto and the SPOT where you land. Use those FOOTPRINTS as benchmarks to evaluate your progress. To increase your height (with the same speed and power) work to have the TAKE-OFF spot and the LANDING spot very close together.

To get the hang of this new feeling… turn it into a training regime. After you’ve done 12:1, (12 rebound JUMPS and one rebound SALTO) you’ll do 11:1 (ELEVEN jumps and ONE salto. Then 10:1, and 9:1 and so forth… until you’re consistently traveling upwards and HIGH into your salto. Remember to LIFT AGFRESSIVELY into the rebound jump with your arms!!! You are building NEW habits of correct form.

I've done a little Choreography, I assume you mean this is a tumbling routine and you’re not asking me about cheer-choreography. Do skills that you can CONSISTENTLY perform. Don't take any "risks" during the PERFORMANCE with skills that you can’t consistently perform SAFELY. Keep the "flow" of skills moving ahead... and if you pause in the routine, pause to DEMONSTRATE skills that exhibit either BALANCE or FLEXIBILITY.

Something I like to do is LISTEN TO THE MUSIC with my eyes closed a few dozen times and IMAGINE/PRETEND what the MOST MAGNIFICENTLY PERFECT routine in the world would be like if it were choreographed TO THAT MUSIC. Just "SEE" a little gymnast in your mind... and watch her/feel her perform to THAT music.

After you're EXCITED and ENTHUSED about what SHE's doing... then scale it back to what YOU can do... but use as much of the SAME routine as possible. If YOU are REALLY excited about it, then it will show through to all your audience.

Thanks for writing! Until next time... Have fun, be safe... and PUSH HARD!

~Coach Wayne