Worsening tumbling

So my freshman year in high school, I got my back handspring and by the summer I had a round off double bhs. My instructor moved and I didn't get back into tumbling for about a month. When I returned to it, I couldn't even do a standing bhs and only, disgusting bhs from a round off. It's been several months and I am desperate. Nothing I try seems to work and I just don't know what to do anymore. I think my main problem is I don't keep my hips up, so it's really low and I've started undercutting and every time I try by myself I smack my head. Also, all the gymnasts make it look really easy, is it strenuous for them at all when they throw it?

Piano63 said:

Also, all the gymnasts make it look really easy, is it strenuous for them at all when they throw it?

A single back handspring?  I doubt it.  After you master front and back limbers, back handsprings probably aren't very challenging.

I don't know what to advise but try this: re-test your shoulder flexibility by doing bridges and doing inlocate/dislocate with a wooden stick. Do handstand push-ups. I suspect you may have lost power in your shoulders and flexibility from not tumbling for months. This is what I would do if I was in your circumstance.

If there is any skill you haven't practiced for months, its natural they'll 'go backwards'. Re-practice again and they're be as good.

A few questions to address the problem:

1) Can you do a bridge with straight arms and legs for at least 30 sec?

2) Can you do a handstand at all, even against the wall, for more than a couple seconds?

3) Can you do a back bend (or back limber as Bipocni called it)?

If you are undercutting than you are most likely not extending your legs fully when you jump into the back handspring.  Practice sitting back enough to find your tipping point a few times,  which is when you would have to take a step back to prevent yourself from falling from the bhs starting position. Then do a couple turns of leaning back to that tipping point and jumping flat to your back onto a resi-pit or multiple 8-inch mats stacked, being sure to fully extend your legs when jumping backwards. Then go for the bhs, jump right when you get to that point, be sure to fully extend your legs, and squeeze your arms to stay straight. Let me know if you need me to explain this differently.

Also gymnasts still have to do some work for their bhs, but once you learn proper technique it just becomes a matter of staying tight in the correct positions

Gymring said:

Can you do a back bend (or back limber as Bipocni called it)?

When I said back limber I was referring to a specific strength move, where you lower from standing into a bridge and then raise from a bridge into a handstand.  It's supposed to be done with zero momentum.

Once you have the strength and flexibility for something like that, a back handspring is childs play.