Round Off Squint

 

Video is slowed down 8 times.

 

Finally feel as if I am getting somewhere with my round off (in terms of power at least) but I always end up going squint and landing to the right of my run into it. The floor is sprung but is far from the springiest floor you'll ever see. Looking for any advice to:

 

 

1) Straighten me out.

2) Increase my rebound.

3) What should I change (if anything) if I wanted to backflip (backhandspring) rather than back tuck?

 

A coach at my club suggested stretching more with my front arm and trying to turn my fingers/hand around so they were pointing backwards rather than side-on but despite having flexible wrists I find this action very awkward to do. I was trying to do this in the video but failing miserably as you can see!

 

I tend not to push off my hands an awful lot partly because if I do it makes the twisting/ squintiness even worse.

 

I feel at the moment I could maybe do a back tuck (if I could do a back tuck ) on the end of it but have no idea how I would put a back handspring on it as I tend to land it with my feet still behind me which blocks me sending me up rather than sending my weight back.

 

Please feel free to comment on anything you think needs help/changed.

 

Many Thanks

Too much speed for a beginner.  

 

My advice is to first develop the strength to perform the skill technically correct from a stand and then begin adding additional power to the skill.  Continuing to add speed as you are doing will only make it that much harder to attempt corrections.

 

Some technical thoughts for you:

 

1) From a stand perform standing cartwheels on a long straight line.  You must start with both feet standing on the line and then both hands must also land squarely on the line during the carthweel.  Both feet must also land back on the line as well.

 

Arm position; the front arm should be reaching forward and the rear arm should remain firmly next to the ear the entire time.

 

There should be no piking in the body as pertains to the rear leg in the lunge.  As the front hand drops closer to the ground the rear leg should raise higher to a corresponding degree.

 

2) From a stand perform a cartwheel as above, but this time add a 1/4 turn before the first foot lands.  Continue to land one foot at a time.

 

3) Note that both of the above drills, as well as the following drills, must land with the chest completely vertical and the arms up to at least chest height.

 

4) Now perform a standing roundoff from a lunge position. 

 

No running, no hopping, no steps and no swinging the arms back and forth to attempt to generate power; 

 

Both hands must continue to be on the line (later we will adjust this slightly), the body must land fully upright with the chest tall, no pike in the hips and with the arms overhead.

 

When you are strong enough to perform the standing roundoff correctly, you will find that running roundoffs are immeasurably easier and more powerful.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Creepy audio is creepy.

Thanks very much for the swift reply Coach Sommer you're the Master! I'll follow your advice and take it right back to the basics.

 

I have to say a huge thank you for making the Foundation and Handstand series available too I can't tell you how good it is to have something laid out in a scientific progressive easy-to-follow fashion esp for a "gymnast" without much formal training and who's taking it up about 30 years later than ideal Because of it I'm seeing a slow but continual improvement in my ability to do gymnastics as my strength and mobility improve and my wife is seeing our garage slowly but continually morph into a gymnasium

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and all the team at Gymnastic Bodies please keep up the great work!