Flyaway off the Highbar

[Mats Trane]

Hi everyone

Anyone got tips for learning the flyaway from the highbar? We got a gymnast that hit his feet on the highbar during warmups of a competition.

Ever since (about a year ago) he has been realy scared traning the flyaway. He usually lets go of the bar to early or pulls with his head. Anyone have any good advices to get this mental block out of his head?

[Scott Malin]

Visualization, focus, and having a backup plan are all important things in dealing with fear. When you have him create a visual it needs to be detailed and use all of the senses, including the feel of going through the air, sticking the landing, etc. The better he can recreate success in his mind, the easier it will be to replicate. Focus needs to be constant. If he's thinking about what could happen he's not in the present and not focusing. And since things don't always go perfectly, knowing exactly what to do if something does go wrong helps minimize the potential for injury. If you have to think mid-air about what to do in that situation you're likely screwed. He should be able to alleviate some fear simply by knowing if X goes wrong I do Y.

You could probably also break down the exercise into components. Check out http://www.drillsandskills.com/skills/hbar/Z/hba003 (family safe). Use a big, soft mat or pit so he knows he's secure.

In anything I train it's also my philosophy to reward rather than punish. Negative talk or self talk is a form of punishment. Reward him and let him reward himself for the elements he struggles with and then masters (it's never useful to reward something that's second nature).

[Gregor]

flyaway? you mean dismount?

It's hard to say what is wrong until you can see it. He must seek the instructions from his coach and not on the forum, beacuse this are not basic stuff for non-competitives and it's all more complex althou it's basic skill.

Usualy is problem with incorect body position, too little sholder extension, maybe bad in time with whip, bad whip? to long on a bar, bad shoulders, hip extension....

You see it's to many variables of one or more things together, so it's for his coach to repair his mistake.

[John Sapinoso]

i saw a drill on youtube, you get a sturdy mat and set it up like a tilted wall facing toward the bar. from tap swings you let go and the idea is to hit your back on the tilted mat after doing 1/2 rotations. from there roll back. this will force him to use a tap swing, rather than pulling on the bar.

[Blairbob]

He needs to be pushing through his shoulders in the tap. That means shoulders in the ears and late tap. I generally teach newbies flyaways that extend out and then take it out and up or up and out .

I try to have them think about swinging their toes to 30 or 45 degrees above the HB even if they can't swing that high.

Besides that, it's a lot of numbers with a competent spotter, and aerial awareness. Back drop pullover is a necessity for the skill. Especially with a huge back drop leading in so they know what the " float " will feel like.

[Mats Trane]

thanks everyone!

Blairbob, please explain Back drop pullover for me

[Blairbob]

Now this is a Kaboom. In a typical back pullover, you do not add bounce by slamming your heels into the tramp.

Simply, do a back drop, and tuck your knees after rebounding off the tramp to execute a back flip ( to knees or feet ).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhX89lHmx40

A little more amateur, but shows a back pullover at the end.