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Coaching James Part 1: Round off BackHandspring, Matrix Imagery, Movement Patterns Programming

By Mack | August 14, 2006

From: Mack Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: magicsooty
Date: Aug 5, 2006 10:17 AM
Subject: Round off …..later

I’ll email you the round off tip tonight if it applies.

Tell me what happens when you do your round off rebound?

when you do Ro BH?

when you do RO BH Tuck?

What do they look like?

What have your coaches told you, what have they done?

Read up on my blog….check my latest post ….at the end I summarized those three skills and what I look for.

Coach Mack

James wrote:

Hey thanks for the updates that’s some really good advice but I belive you wanted to know a few things so here goes

when I do my roundoff rebound I lunge forward from a running start with my left leg and kick off of it then i turn side ways and put my handsdown whilst snapping my legs down together and landing facing opposite to the direction I start then I spring a few inches into the air traveling backwards and landing with moderately straight legs with my arms straight pointing upwards next to my ears….
Now heres where the problems start after I have finished my roundoff and start my backhandspring I either jump up to much and get too much height then hurt my rists or not enough height and I can never seem to get my legs around sraight I might have a movie of this that ill send later
I can only do roundoff backtuck at the moment and I can only do one back handspring from a roundoff My roundoff back tucks basically look like my backhandsprings almost completely the same but I get so much height that my hands dont hit the ground I have only recently started learning to grab my knees and tuck but I can never seem to land it that way and when I do land it im leaning forward and almost fall over
My coach told me to do handstand snap downs before I learnt my roundoffs then he told me to do a cartwheel snapdown and then a roundoff where I do a handstand turn 180 then snap down then finally we put it together my coach taught us backhandsprings by spotting us on a wedge then our coach progressed to spotting us lighter and lighter until she was only guiding us then we did it on our own then on the floor with spotting and progressed until we could do it on our own.When I was to scared to do backflips on the tramp our coach told me to do some backward rolls with my eyes closed then she got me to close my eyes on the tramp she spotted me then I landed it then she’s like now open your eyes I landed that one too then I did one again and she pretended she was going to spot me but she didnt and I landed it.My coach hasn’t seen my roundoff back flip so I can’t help you there.Hope this helps if you have any more questions just email me

when I do my roundoff rebound I lunge forward from a running start with my left leg and kick off of it then i turn side ways and put my handsdown whilst snapping my legs down together and landing facing opposite to the direction I start then I spring a few inches into the air traveling backwards and landing with moderately straight legs with my arms straight pointing upwards next to my ears….

This is a common drill having arms up at rebound. It’s a good one for RO Tuck but not for RO BH; although if you just started this is OK. But if you’ve been doing this for a while, you need to advance to bringing your feet “in front of you” (feet punching the floor in front of hips(hips should be slightly behind the feet about to fall backwards), arms at horizontal or almost at horizontal, ‘hollow chest”(round back, chest concaved in), head in, arms covering ears(you can still do this without having your arms at vertical.You want your arms at horizontal because this is how you accelerate for your dismount (layout, full, double full, double back). If your arms are at vertical you have no means to create momentum except for a “back bend”. This is how the Olympians and other successful tumblers do it. All you need to do is watch them in slow motion. Videos don’t lie no matter what your other coaches think how it’s supposed to be done.

Now heres where the problems start after I have finished my roundoff and start my backhandspring I either jump up to much and get too much height then hurt my rists

You are getting too much height because you have a “big block angle” from the round off. Instead of landing with your feet in front of you from the RO, you have your feet behind you (Your hips are in front of your feet instead of the other way around) causing you to rebound to vertical instead of 45 degrees backwards. You are not able to push off your hands (by pushing through your shoulders) to get your chest up and feet in front in a slightly piked position.
Do you hurt your wrists from breaking the fall with your hands when falling to your butt because you over rotated or do you hurt your wrists from the backhandspring?
or not enough height and I can never seem to get my legs around sraight.
You may be overblocking so much that your legs buckle causing you to diminish in height in your back handspring and not be able to keep your legs straight because you have to focus your mind and body to save your life.

I might have a movie of this that ill send later

It would help a lot. But there are technique dysfunction patterns in gymnastics that are common and have their own corollary prescriptions for corrections.

I can only do roundoff backtuck at the moment

Because you have a good over-block (landing your feet behind your hips, hands, head -causing you to go upwards.

and I can only do one back handspring from a roundoff

Because you have no further momentum builder to get to the next one (arms at horizontal to whip).

My roundoff back tucks basically look like my backhandsprings almost completely the same but I get so much height that my hands dont hit the ground

Over-block + throw your head back + No tucking of legs = No-handed backhandsprings

Right block + keep head in + tucking legs and grabbing at knees = TucksYou have to throw your head back because

  • …your brain is saying “I won’t make it if I don’t throw my head back”
  • …you don’t have enough strength and power in your core/abdomen/hip flexors to get yourself around from the rebound
  • ….in your ears are balancing mechanisms. When you throw your head back, it feels like you are already more than half way around even when your body is left behind.

“What rebound?” You probably don’t have a good rebound but think you do.

I have only recently started learning to grab my knees and tuck but I can never seem to land it that way and when I do land it im leaning forward and almost fall over

Not strong enough.”V ups” , sit ups, knee raises from pull up bar, etc.The best exercise is laydown on your back with the top of the head touching the wall or mat block. put your hands underneath the mat and bring your shins flat against the wall. This is almost picture perfect for a back tuck when done correctly.

My coach told me to do handstand snap downs before I learnt my roundoffs then he told me to do a cartwheel snapdown and then a roundoff where I do a handstand turn 180 then snap down then finally we put it together. my coach taught us backhandsprings by spotting us on a wedge then our coach progressed to spotting us lighter and lighter until she was only guiding us then we did it on our own then on the floor with spotting and progressed until we could do it on our own.When I was to scared to do backflips on the tramp our coach told me to do some backward rolls with my eyes closed then she got me to close my eyes on the tramp she spotted me then I landed it then she’s like now open your eyes I landed that one too then I did one again and she pretended she was going to spot me but she didnt and I landed it.My coach hasn’t seen my roundoff back flip so I can’t help you there.Hope this helps if you have any more questions just email me

Better than blinding yourself is too actually spot something accross the room at eye level and continue doing so until your belly covers the spot from your view.
Review the video and my blog on back tuck drills.Coach Mack
PS send me a video:
http://www.Yousendit.com
hey thanks for your help I read through it all a few times and am working on the things you said .You asked me why I hurt my rists it’s not from breaking falls but from landing on it… do you think it’s because I just learnt them and I need conditioning?
anyways I have a video in the attachment… hope the technique isn’t that bad :)

Holy cow.

I was right with all of my recommendations simply by reading your email.

Pretty cool.

Read everything I wrote and ask questions.

Also, to clarify on my previous email:

I said:

“You want your arms at horizontal because this is how you accelerate for your dismount (layout, full, double full, double back).”
Correction:
Actually, arms at horizontal accelerates your backhandsprings which will indirectly “Power” your layout, full, double full, double back.

And I continued: “If your arms are at vertical you have no means to create momentum except for a “back bend”. This is how the Olympians and other successful tumblers do it. All you need to do is watch them in slow motion. Videos don’t lie no matter what your other coaches think how it’s supposed to be done.”

Another email:
send me the same video in windows media format so I can edit it (slow motion, pause, add in audio, etc.).

Coach Mack
Your priority over everything else is to work on your round off. Get your body to vertical after the round off (feet underneath your hips and shoulders).

James wrote:

Coach so your saying when I finish my roundoff Instead of having my arms vertical have them horizontal ready to whip back?

Ok I will do that (send the video in windows format) as soon as time allows.YOUR A VERY GOOD COACH keep it up

Yes. But I think it’s more important, and more useful, and easier to think of it as “Getting your feet in front of you and getting your chest up
and backwards”. Your arms, if done right, will go to horizontal automatically. But, it doesn’t hurt to experiment and try to focus on getting your arms to horizontal for the backhandspring along with the concepts above.

Coach Mack

August 9, 2006

Hmmm. A good imagery to have when doing this is to imagine being punched by Neo or “Agent Smith” from the movie, The Matrix; Imagine being punched back 10 to 20 feet when you punch your feet to the ground at the end of your round off skill. If you end up doing a backward roll, YOU DID IT RIGHT!!!

And find a spring floor to tumble on.

Coach Mack

August 9, 2006

Clarification on the following: “If you end up doing a backward roll, YOU DID IT RIGHT!!! ”

To clarify, it’s after you land on your feet first (not missing your feet to your back) losing your balance going backwards
that you have to do a backward roll.

Coach Mack

Where are you emailing me from?

Once again coach, this is excellent advice and I feel privileged to have you helping me, I think my backhandsprings are improving but from an on the spot position (standing position) I still can’t seem to get my legs round straight but I can now land straight with my feet together any specific problem advice for getting your legs around straight …

Oh, and that matrix thing REALLY helped get my roundoff sorted and is fixing my overblock problem, but my roundoffs are still with crooked legs as shown in that movie. Do you have any drills ?

Im going to try send that movie to you in windows media format if you still want it

Topics: All Blog Posts, Cheer Tumbling (and Floor Exercise), Positions, Strength, Conditioning, Running Tumbling, Hurdle and Round-off, Round-Off BackHandspring, Drills and Progressions Guide, Coaching Cheer Tumblers, Coaching James: Online Coaching Series |

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