Backbend KICKOVER

[Jode5337]

I can't kickover and I need it for my competition, I can kickover from a buffet but anything smaller I just come straight back down.

I'm so close but it just won't go over, I think it's because I don't push hard enough but please help?

[Katharina Huemer]

Hey!

I think that the most important thing in kickovers or walkovers in definitely shoulder flexibility!

When you start your kickover, make sure your shoulders are REALLY open and over your hands or even further, this will make it a lot easier to do, because your center of mass is already more in the direction you wanna go to!

Like this: https://www.google.at/search?q=bridge+shoulder+flexibility&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=td9bU-O_A4GhtAb6ioCYBA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=713#facrc=_&imgrc=_E-LABW8nYP-cM%253A%3BwXY1hdk3UQR9wM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fz.about.com%252Fd%252Fgymnastics%252F1%252F0%252FN%252F8%252F-%252F-%252FDSC_0038.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fgymnastics.about.com%252Fb%252F2009%252F11%252F03%252Fhow-to-do-a-bridge.htm%3B1279%3B851

If you can already kickover from an eraised surface, it shouldn't be too hard anymore!

PS: Please correct me if I am wrong, I am not a pro

[acropunk]

Hi all, new here. I have perused the forums before a bit but created an account to reply to this thread specifically.

 

Backbend kickover then front/back walkover is one of my goals. The walkover (and the aerial) is one of the most graceful, impressive moves in gymnastics in my opinion (particularly on a beam!). 

 

I read somewhere online that most high level male gymnasts actually can't do this movement. Also I read that at a certain point mobility comes at the cost of explosive strength, and a certain shortness of muscles benefits tumbling and makes for more 'punchy' handsprings. 

 

Personally I have no interest in doing a round off, back handspring double back tuck or anything. I'd rather be able to do a walkover. 

 

Please anyone correct me if I am wrong with any of these statements. 

[Associate]

Also, when doing kickovers from a raised surface make sure your shoulders stay at least directly over your hands throughout the entire movement and you're not bringing your torso back to gather momentum.

[Katharina Huemer]

Hi all, new here. I have perused the forums before a bit but created an account to reply to this thread specifically.

 

Backbend kickover then front/back walkover is one of my goals. The walkover (and the aerial) is one of the most graceful, impressive moves in gymnastics in my opinion (particularly on a beam!). 

 

I read somewhere online that most high level male gymnasts actually can't do this movement. Also I read that at a certain point mobility comes at the cost of explosive strength, and a certain shortness of muscles benefits tumbling and makes for more 'punchy' handsprings. 

 

Personally I have no interest in doing a round off, back handspring double back tuck or anything. I'd rather be able to do a walkover. 

 

Please anyone correct me if I am wrong with any of these statements. 

Hello!

I don't know about high level gymnasts and their ability to do walkovers....but the gymnast I know are really faaaaaaar away from doing this!

I think that acrobats, shaolin monks or dancers might be able to do them and they could definitely do them when they were kids or young men. 

It's just a natural habit that men are not that flexible if they didn't train for it or have never done when they were young. 

The technique of walkovers is a lot easier than RO BH BT, but if you have not got the flexibility to do it, you will never learn it!

 

[Jon Douglas]

Hi all, new here. I have perused the forums before a bit but created an account to reply to this thread specifically.

 

Backbend kickover then front/back walkover is one of my goals. The walkover (and the aerial) is one of the most graceful, impressive moves in gymnastics in my opinion (particularly on a beam!). 

 

I read somewhere online that most high level male gymnasts actually can't do this movement. Also I read that at a certain point mobility comes at the cost of explosive strength, and a certain shortness of muscles benefits tumbling and makes for more 'punchy' handsprings. 

 

Personally I have no interest in doing a round off, back handspring double back tuck or anything. I'd rather be able to do a walkover. 

 

Please anyone correct me if I am wrong with any of these statements. 

Whilst no doubt mobility and explosive strength have a negative effect on each other at some point, you would need to go a lot further than limbers/kickovers and bridges to reach this point. Coach demands correct limbers (front and back) prior to handspring training; handsprings prior to tucks, etc.

 

It's true that elite rings specialists are likely to somewhat limited in their mobility (as a trade-off for ridiculous strength) but male all rounders certainly won't have trouble with them.

 

Hopefully Coach will post some more of his observations on limber and reverse planche training here, if we're lucky

[Jon Douglas]

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/13466-front-and-back-walkoverslimbers/?p=131935

 

Coach's take on limber training as necessary tumbling prep.

[acropunk]

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/13466-front-and-back-walkoverslimbers/?p=131935

 

Coach's take on limber training as necessary tumbling prep.

As I understand it, Limbers are easier than walkovers, because they have more explosion/kickoff/punch, from two feet. All elite level male gymnasts can do limbers but NOT walkovers. I could be wrong this is all info I have gleaned from asking on other forums like the gymnastics reddit. As I said, a walkover is one of my milestone goals, and I think one of the coolest moves in gymnastics. I have really accelerated my training with wall walks. Until i started wall walks my progress was too incremental. 

[Coach Sommer]

By the standards with which I prepared my own athletes a correctly done back limber should NOT have a big jump; but only just barely enough lift to assist the back in pulling to handstand. Over time the amount of 'jump' should continue to grow smaller, until eventually the athlete transitions from back limbers to bridge pulls where there is no jump permitted at all - only pure pulling strength.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Jon Douglas]

As I understand it, Limbers are easier than walkovers, because they have more explosion/kickoff/punch, from two feet. All elite level male gymnasts can do limbers but NOT walkovers. I could be wrong this is all info I have gleaned from asking on other forums like the gymnastics reddit. As I said, a walkover is one of my milestone goals, and I think one of the coolest moves in gymnastics. I have really accelerated my training with wall walks. Until i started wall walks my progress was too incremental. 

I find it complete opposite. When I can split my legs it's incomparably easier than minimising the jump as Coach describes.

[Blairbob]

 

 

All elite level male gymnasts can do limbers but NOT walkovers.

Meh, poor generalization.

Most elite male gymnasts are gonna have decent splits. Even if they aren't all the way down, they will probably be within 6" which so long as they can do an ok bridge, means they could do a bridge kickover.

Limbers are easier than walkovers if you have really crappy active split flexibility and are strong enough in the core and abs. 

I'm gonna guess that many elite MAG gymnasts just rarely work walkovers all that much. Of course they work bridges and maybe some kickovers but having watched Berkeley's guys, I rarely saw them do walkovers. Neither time nor interest. We can argue about the benefits of keeping it up and blah, blah, blah but many are just not gonna put a whole lot of time into keeping it up.

[acropunk]

Most elite male gymnasts are gonna have decent splits. Even if they aren't all the way down, they will probably be within 6"

That doesn't seem like very close to the splits.

[jpow]

A lot of men's elite gymnasts cannot do any sort of bridge kickover/limber.

 

However, I find back walkovers the easiest way for myself to warmup my back during stretching.  I do them on both legs to maintain an even amount of flexibility.

 

Work a lot of shoulder flexibility if wanting to do a kick over.  Stretching a bridge with shoulders open and legs straight is the best way to do this.  Then work a lot of kicks in that bridge on each leg to understand how kicking over will work because it's obviously easier with the bigger split you kick over with.