All-Star Back Handspring Help

[New2CheerMom]

Hi Mamas...Both my girls have all their level 2 skills and are working tucks but their back handsprings are not getting any better. My oldest (10) has had one for a year now and it looks 40% better than when she first got it. My youngest (7) has only had it for four months so with her time may help. My question is for my oldest. How long did it take your CP to perfect her back handspring? I know this is very important skill as a gateway to upper level tumbling. My fear is that she has the incorrect muscle memory and just keeps throwing it this way because it feels easier than correcting it. I've shown her videos of her tumbling and other coaches tumbling instructions on shapes, tips, drills, etc. Nothing is really helping to correct form. Any advice of what worked for your kiddos? Thanks!

 

[CheerBuilder]

Hi Mamas...Both my girls have all their level 2 skills and are working tucks but their back handsprings are not getting any better. My oldest (10) has had one for a year now and it looks 40% better than when she first got it. My youngest (7) has only had it for four months so with her time may help. My question is for my oldest. How long did it take your CP to perfect her back handspring? I know this is very important skill as a gateway to upper level tumbling. My fear is that she has the incorrect muscle memory and just keeps throwing it this way because it feels easier than correcting it. I've shown her videos of her tumbling and other coaches tumbling instructions on shapes, tips, drills, etc. Nothing is really helping to correct form. Any advice of what worked for your kiddos? Thanks!

Hey Mama! You’re not alone—this is such a common struggle, especially with those tricky foundational skills. Sometimes back handsprings just click over time, but if your daughter has been at it for a while and it’s not improving much, it might help to slow things down and revisit the basics with a new approach.


A few things that worked for us:

• Breaking the skill down into shapes (arch/hollow drills, snap downs, etc.)
• Using wedge mats to retrain body position
• Focusing on strength and flexibility (especially shoulders and core)

And above all—confidence. Once they start second-guessing their form, it gets harder to fix.


I’m with ************, and while we specialize in choreography, sideline cheers, and routines, we totally understand how technique ties into performance. When she’s ready to channel all that tumbling into killer cheer routines, or if you know a coach who needs help with choreography, we’ve got tons of digital tools to make that easy and fun!


Feel free to check us out at ************.com or message me directly.
alainah@************.com