AboutChris Eilertsen Expertise Trampoline, how it affects Ariel Skills for Diving,Wake & snow Bording, Ariel Skiing, Sky Diving, Pole vaulting, High Jumping, Tumbuling, Double Mini, Power Tumbuling, Cheerleading, Wresteling, football, Martial Arts, Movie stunts, and Gymnastics.
Experience 36 years on the trampoline 5 time National Champion 3rd in the World championships in 72 Nissen World cup champion in 75, World Spaceball Champion 79 Masters National Champion 98. All around NCAA Gymnast U of M and MSU. Cheerleader MSU and Sky diver ( RW on my 5th jump 6 man) and track High Jump, Pole Vaulter (Tied School record with 8 jumps). Diving State level and professional High diver 110 ft., Wrestling, City Champion Karate 7 years trained under Bill Wallace and Trained Several World Champions in Trampoline .
Organizations Liscened Mortgage Broker, Former AAU, USTA, USGF, FIT 8 years international Judges Certificate.USGA member Member # 2 of the Trampoline Safety Certification
Publications Haven't Written. Current Activities Photography, Mortgage, Nanoplatelett devlopment, Custom safety surfaces, Private Lessons, Sales, Advertising, Writing, and Seeking Venture Capital for Zero Pollution Motors & MDI
Education/Credentials BA MSU 79, Studied U of M and Universitat Wein.
Awards and Honors Many National and World commpetitions 10 years AAU all american.
Past/Present Clients Zeno Steiger, and Kurt Bachler for Ruth Keller, Dr. Rugheimer For Mary and Mac, Trained Frankie Bare for the worlds first tripple tripple on Skis, Dave Ransom to Work with Stuart and Renee' and Ann Thompson.
Question Hi
I can do a round off back handspring with perfectly straight arms. When I do a standing back handspring my arms are bent and i hit my head. I'm 14 years old and I've been working on my backhandspring since I was 11 and the problem has never changed. How do I keep my arms straight?
Answer Karson,
I have a couple of suggestions that might help.
1. learn a tight body drill...and practice it, it will give you a better feel for your arms and may help you to keep them tight during your standing back hand spring.
2. If that doesn't work try learning a new skill since you have a back hand spring from a round off ...try learning a different type of back hand spring.... a standing back hand spring.... sounds stupid doesn't it ? well it isn't the same skill and there are some tricks to doing it that may help. A roundoff back hand spring is much easier.
to do it standing try lots of hand stand pushups to strengthen your arms it will also help strengthen your arms so they won't bend so easily.
here is the tight body drill and a standing hand spring build up that i like to teach.:
1. Tight body drill.
This drill helps to get better control of your body and better feel for where it is. First Stretch you fingers toward the ceiling AND push up with your TOES Get a friend to push down on your fingertips to give you resistance Then feel how gradually ever muscle in between becomes tight. This feeling will help you learn to control your body. Once you begin to get more feeling of where your body is without having to think about it try the drill with your eyes closed to increase your feel but always work on the apparatus with them open. Also try to see how quickly you can get to an instant tight from a relaxed position. After that get a friend to apply resistance and lower and raise your arms down and back up the front keeping stretched, pay close attention to feel all the muscles in your body remain tight. Don't forget to have your friend give resistance up and down. This will teach you to have much better control even when you aren't reaching up.
2.Back hand spring progression
Fear is a good thing but Knowledge and experience is better!
Our coach used to tell us when we could nail 10 out of ten then we were ready to go to the next skill. He was usually correct.
Some tips:
1. Video your progress and study it also study other examples if you can.
2. Stretch
3. Think with your head and throw with your arms.
4. Keep your eyes open
5. Work your strength, Hand stand pushups will help you build up your arms so you won't worry about making it.The stronger you get the faster the skills usually come with proper technique
6. Did I say use a video to check your progress.
7. Tight Body Drills.
8. Hand stand Snap downs.
9. Practice.
Here is what I tell most gymnasts about Back hand springs:
Remember that when you do a back hand spring you actually want to finish with a hand stand snap down so that would be another good drill for you to practice. If you don't have some one to help you then start against a wall and snap down to a stand. To do them well you have to push very hard with your hands when you snap down and try to finish with your hands over your head stretched up in the air.
If you are falling at the beginning then practice 2 things:1 sitting properly and 2.jumping when you feel yourself loosing balance. Sitting properly is important for learning a good standing back hand spring. First get a good chair (one about the height of the bottom of your knees) Then stand about the distance of one of your feet in front of it and sit on the front edge of the chair. When you sit keep your knees over your feet and your shoulders over your hips, (don't bend forwards or backwards on the way down to the chair keep your body in 2 L shape positions one for the knees (Upside down) and one for the Hips. You might want to use a padded chair or a pillow in the chair to keep your rear from getting sore. It Is very important to keep your shoulders over your hips, this gives you the momentum, direction and power to "Spring" into the next step of the back hand spring. If you do this part right you will feel the power that gravity adds to your hand spring at the beginning. When you feel yourself falling and see your shoulders getting to the edge of the chair and your body reaches the double L position that is when you should Jump. This exercise teaches you the first half timing on the Back hand spring. I would recommend at least 100 a day until you can do it in your sleep.
Now comes the part you can work on without a spotter that gives you the power.
Don't add this part until you have a spotter just work on it by itself because when you add it together you will have a lot of power and probably do the best back hand spring you ever tried.
Just standing up lets practice the arm swing or throw. First lets learn a tight body drill to control the body stand on your toes and try to reach the ceiling with your fingertips. Feel how it tightens all the muscles in your body? That is to help teach you how to tighten your muscles and control them. (example: try to flip a pencil and try to flip a rubber band, the pencil is easy, the rubber band is hard unless it is tight around something.) This example shows you why you need to tighten your muscles.
Now with your hands still trying to reach the ceiling and still standing stretched on your toes, move your arms down forwards to your side. don't stop stretching, feel your arms and everything still tight! OK relax. That tight body feeling is what you need to spring to when you throw for a back hand spring.
Now lets learn where to throw. Think of your arms like the hands on a clock you can start with them down 6:00 or out in front at 3:00 when you start to sit they move down to 6:00 and when you spring (when you loose your balance and start to fall)they swing from 6:00 all the way to 12:00 and the past that to 1:00 or 2:00 depending on your flexibility and how hard you throw. REMEMBER keep tightly stretched the whole time.
Now VERY IMPORTANT: Think with your head Don't Throw with it. keep your head straight let your hands move past 12:00 towards the 2:00 position and KEEP YOUR HEAD STRAIGHT! This is where you get the POWER! (remember to keep your arms over your shoulder , don't let them fly out to the side)(and stretch the whole time)If you do this part right you will feel it. Try it standing first learn how it feels before you add it to your back hand spring. You will feel the power if you do it right.
When you add all the drills we just learned together for the first time you should have a spotter, and you should also know exactly what you have to do to have a great Back hand spring.
Remember to practice all the drills separately until you do them Correctly (bad ones don't count) in your sleep then you should be ready to do a Great back hand spring without falling
Also don't forget a tight body is easier to control than a loose one and Think with your head and throw with your arms!
The numbers may seem boring at first but they will pay off!
I hope this will help speed up your answer.
Don't forget that is only one out of three ways to do a back handspring.
1. standing
2. out of a roundoff or back handspring into another hand spring.
3 into a back flip.
these three are all a little different skill so practice landing short straight or long as well once you learn the standing back hand spring. glad you can do one well out of a roundoff already.
