Should Your Hands Be Turned in for the Back Handspring
I remember the injury like it was yesterday. In fact, I pretty much saw it coming. Some poor girl on a level 2 team was attempting a Round Off 2xBHS pass, and on the second back handspring, she hyperextended her elbow.
I hoped that I was wrong, though. I hoped that it wouldn't happen… but based on my experience, my body was already starting to cringe as she went into her pass.
As you can imagine, the events which unfolded after were quite painful to watch. It's a disaster that has been permanently etched into my brain to serve as a constant reminder of what can happen.
By the way, in case you're wondering what "elbow hyperextension" means, think of your elbow being forced to bend in the opposite direction from where it normally does (like the image below).
So back to this unlucky athlete for a second — while her handsprings were far from perfect and it was questionable whether she should have been connecting two in the first place, I know for a fact that if she at least had proper arm placement, the injury (likely a fracture or mild dislocation) could have been prevented.
So the first step in fixing wide arm back handsprings is actually fixing the hand placement.
It all starts at the hands; the way they are positioned will have a huge impact on how wide (or narrow) the arms will go.
At my tumbling clinics, I usually ask my audience which one of the three options they think is ideal/correct.
Most usually pick option #2. This is the neutral position.
While having neutral hand placement isn't necessarily bad, it's not ideal either. The safest, most powerful, and most advantageous hand placement is actually #3.
Because it requires something called internal shoulder rotation. Or in layman's terms, it requires you to turn your arms into your body.
Think about the last time you pushed someone (or something) away from you as hard as possible.
In what position did your arms automatically end up in? For most, it's closer to option #3.
Or think about UFC fighters when they throw a punch. Do they turn their fist out?
Not a chance! They turn their fists in, so the fingers are facing away from the body, producing the strongest possible punch.
So if turning the hands in is the most powerful position, WHY are we allowing athletes to perform back handsprings (or even walkovers) with the hand position you see below…
For most athletes it's an issue of habit. They learned it with wide arms, no one bothered to correct it, and now that's just how they do it.
So today, I'm going to go over some of my favorite drills to help fix incorrect hand positions and wide arm issues in the back handspring.
Drill #1: Inverted Hand Arm Slams (20 reps)
When doing this drill, it's very important to remind athletes what part of their hand needs to make contact with the mat. My general verbal cue is "the pinky fingers lead the way". I also show them the muscle right under the pinky finger where most of the contact should be made (this is the meaty part of the hand that you'd use in a "karate chop").
Drill #2: Superman Wall Pushes (20 reps)
Once the athlete masters turning their hands in, you can try these next. They key here is that only the push from the hands should move them away from the wall. And of course, while falling forwards, it's very important to maintain the superman shape.
Drill #3: Back Extension Roll (30 reps)
If you have my tumbling progression posters, then this is a movement which I'm sure you're already doing with your athletes. Just make sure their hand placement is correct. The version you see in the video is the basic one. Eventually, they should be hitting a handstand like a true back extension.
Drill #4: Bands Behind The Neck With Boulder/Octagon (30 reps)
This drill is essential whether you're new to back handsprings or a veteran trying to fix your bad habits. Here's how to set it up: Find bands which don't allow you to go wider than shoulder width and slip it on your arms past the elbow (as close to the shoulder as possible). Then tuck your head in and raise your arms up so that the band is resting behind the head.
Yes, it will feel awkward at first. This is why the fallback is the first variation of this drill, for which you should do about 10 reps. Once C&C is achieved (comfort and confidence) then go ahead and throw the entire skill over the Boulder or Octagon.
By this point if you (or your athlete) have done the required drills and reps mentioned previously, the hand placement should have improved dramatically.
The Best Type Of Bands To Use
You may have noticed that my lovely assistant athlete in the video is using an odd looking band. These are actually called ArmBandz, and they have been specifically developed to help fix wide arm issues for ALL tumbling skills.
Unlike regular rubber bands, the ArmBandz are designed to OPEN and let go if the athlete gets lazy and doesn't work to keep their arms closer together. This forces them to do at least 50% of the work and develop the proper muscle memory required to make a permanent change. See the video below for more details…
Shop ArmBandz Today >>
Drill #5: Interlocking Fingers (20 reps)
This is one of my favorites, but also one you need to be careful of. The last thing we need is smashed fingers. So before throwing a BHS, do a regular front support shape with fingers in the interlocked position, and actually feel it out. Be sure to put most of your body weight on the outer palms of the hands, not the fingers.
You may also want to try throwing a few BHS with fingers interlocked over a boulder or octagon mat. Then you can take it to a safe surface.
Under no circumstances is Drill #5 to be done on a regular sprung floor or any type of hard surface.
Under no circumstances is Drill #5 to be done on a regular sprung floor or any type of hard surface.
Drill #6: Downhill BHS With ArmBandz (30 reps)
By this point, it's just a matter of building habit and muscle memory. Or if you remember for my previous article, unconscious competence. Using ArmBandz allows the athletes to focus on doing at least half the work. If the Bandz come apart, the rep doesn't count.
If you don't have ArmBandz, I suggest alternating between reps with regular bands, without bands and also a few spotted reps to allow the athlete time to think about squeezing. Stronger tumblers can start doing multiple connected handsprings by this point to see if their hand position and arm width improvements have stuck.
I've found that when working on the fix, the first two handsprings are great. Beyond that, the old habits start to creep in again, so be careful. One bad rep can generally undo two good reps.
Drill #7: Safety Mat With ArmBandz (30 reps)
Similar to the process above, we are now focusing on building habits and muscle memory. You can also switch to doing RO BHS at this point to see if the change sticks.
If the change hasn't stuck, go back to standing BHS or repeat the drill process from #1, but only for 3-5 reps.
Some Final Thoughts
While the order of the drills will help, please know that I regularly cycle through all of them from time to time.
Whether the kids are brand new to handsprings or working on the fix, it's never a bad idea to reinforce good technique. In fact, if you have athletes that are new, get them started on these drills ASAP.
Make them a regular part of your handspring training circuit and you'll see a massive difference in their technique while also reducing most injuries related to wrist, elbows and shoulders. I personally have started putting the ArmBandz on new level 2 kids and having their fingers turned in and arms close to their ears is ALL they know.
Their bodies literally cannot fathom throwing the arms wide. I don't know about you, but that's a good problem to have 🙂
Order My ArmBandz >>
Should Your Hands Be Turned in for the Back Handspring
Source: http://tumblingcoach.com/blog/fix-back-handspring/
0 Response to "Should Your Hands Be Turned in for the Back Handspring"
Post a Comment