According to some historians, the Back Handspring, or known in its acronym (BHS), was invented by the Egyptians. Later, it was an exercise adopted by the Greeks, and since then, it has been practiced until today.
This skill is wrapped in many peculiarities, and people wonder what its practice could have been like in ancient times. It is logical to do this exercise perfectly; there were a failure and error during practice. It is true that to improve this practice, the methods have been changed.
Historians point out that exercise methods have changed dramatically in the past 15 years. For several years, women who have been in the gym can attest to how practices have changed to do the BHS seamlessly.
Although this exercise may seem very complicated to most people, you should know that it is impossible to do. It can be achieved; you only need to have a guide like this to step by step correctly.
If you then follow each point accordingly in less than you think, you can have Back Handspring dominance.
Requirements Before Doing The Back Handspring
You can learn to master the Back Handspring quickly, but you need to feel confident first. Of course, there are also some requirements that you must take into account to ensure that your internship is a success.
If you do not follow the requirements to do the letter’s Back Handspring, this exercise may not be available to you. These are the requirements you must follow:
1- Start by walking backward
This first requirement becomes a great need, especially for those dedicated to athletics. This ability cannot be omitted by athletes, much less by their coaches. So before you try to do the Back Handspring, you must start walking backward.
While on his tummy, he needs to feel very comfortable and have enough time to develop. Once athletes learn to master this first step known as “BWO” before learning the Back Handspring, they will do much better. This is because they will reduce the risk of metal blocks.
Many BHS coaches indicate that many athletes have learned the jump without first practicing the BWO and are now afraid to back off.
That is why you should take the time to learn to walk backward. You can usually spend one to two months on this first requirement, and you can be sure you won’t regret the rewards.
2- You must know the shapes of your body
This second requirement is just as important as the first since to learn the Back Handspring, you must first know various shapes of your body. The superman, handstand, front stand, bridge, and gap are some of the most indispensable shapes you should learn.
If you do not know how to do them, you do not have to worry, since on the web you can search for videos to learn each of these ways. You should know more than 12 ways to prepare before the Back Handspring.
There are more than 12 ways you should learn; however, the handstand is one of the most important. There are two hand stops:
- Hands-free stand: to perform this type of handstand, you should not walk or make any movement. Generally, the hands-free stand should last between 5 to 7 seconds.
- Assisted handstand: This type of handstand requires that it be performed against a wall. Its duration must be 60 seconds.
For an athlete to work with handsprings, he must know how to execute both types of handstands perfectly. Of course, some athletes do not master both handstands, but ideally, they can.
3- Before learning the BHS, you must master the HSPOP
Many people do not know the basics of athletics. That is why you must have a professional trainer’s help to provide you with all the necessary prior knowledge.
Speaking of quality, athletic experts point out that those who master the HSPOP can easily do the BHS. Practical souls are connected, and one cannot function without the other.
To find out if you have a good HSPOP, you can try doing it on a higher surface, such as a panel mat. You also want to make sure you get a good shape and excellent body lines. Some coaches test their athletes by asking for a double HSPOP to determine their ability.
4- The handstand is essential for a good BHS
Once you start working at a BHS, your coach must ask you to do the handstand like an expert. In case your coach does not ask you for this practice, likely, he does not have sufficient knowledge of cartwheels.
The handstand is a very important skill that you need to prepare yourself to do a good Back Handspring. However, mastering a Snap-down HS is not an overnight skill, but it is not impossible either.
Snapdows HS means:
- HS: Superman
- Support: Hollow
To carry out this method, you must practice the front support on the floor only one way. When you turn, you can turn in any orientation as long as it is useful for your objectives. There are also other types of cartwheels that you should also practice before doing the BHS.
5- It is also essential to practice the rounded spring back
You must consider these types of practices so that your brain gets used to seeing these normal and easy techniques. For example, if you forget a moment of so many cartwheels and start an easier practice, you will quickly adapt.
Likewise, when doing a Standing BHS or an RO BHS, your brain must adapt and feel the difference of a practice that goes from fast to slow and vice versa.
What practice will be faster? An RO BHS or a Standing BHS
The RO BHS turns out to be much faster than the Standing BHS. That is why 90% of athletes choose to see private classes learn how to do the RO BHS. Of course, athletes who want to learn this exercise already have a good BHS level.
In general, many athletes are fearful when it comes to implementing a BHS-RO connection. This is because it is felt quickly, and it is normal for a little fear to arise. This is because the brain makes a neurological connection to determine a BHS speed.
When trying to connect with an RO, the change in speed can cause certain sensations. Expert trainers recommend that you learn how to do an RO BHS first. Also, the secret to being able to master this practice is to have good power in the jumps. So it will be essential to have a lot of strength in the legs.
So if you lack the power to make a good jump, it will be almost impossible to do a standing BHS. You can have the best coach, the best training clothes, or the best shoes. But if you don’t have good jumping power, you will have problems practicing the BHS standing up.
Anyone who is properly trained can run long enough to get a good RO. Doing a good and clean RO will help you preserve the momentum needed to perform a good BHS.
If you want to be a good athlete, you must prepare in the right way to achieve the Back Handspring.
You must never forget that to make a good BHS; you have a good mastery of the RO BHS. While you are learning, you do not have all the necessary power to make a good RO BHS.
Athletes who want to learn how to do a good RO BHS, should exercise BHS style with priority. Those who do not know how to define both practices can find many similarities in both exercises.
However, if you pay attention to each of these exercises, you will notice that each one needs different disciplines. Each of these practices has been designed to help you master a good running step, before doing it standing up.
However, professional athletes recommend that you first need to learn how to do a good RO BHS. You can then proceed to try the ST BHS as it is much easier and you will not feel mentally drained while practicing it.
What Exercises Should You Do To Perform The Back Handspring?
Each of the following exercises comes with several repetitions that you must take into account:
- The reverse turn: (30 repetitions)
- Half Limber: (10 reps per angle change)
- Agile: (20 reps)
- Three-step process: (15 repetitions)
- Three-step process: (The number of repetitions needed)
- Arm swing: (30 repetitions)
- Hipdrive bridge: (20 reps)
- Hipdrive Shoulder Pop in PacMan: (20 reps)
- Backflip: (30 reps)
- L-sit LImber: (20 reps)
- Spotted backflip: (30 reps)
- BHS standing on equipment: (40 reps)
- Back somersault with heavy spots: (15 reps)
- BHS descent with light spots: (15v reps)
- BHS no spots on the hobo: (50 reps)
- BHS Dowhill unblemished: (20 reps)
- BHS descent without spots + rebound: (40 reps)
- BHS without spots on a surface: (50 repetitions)
- BHS without spots on a hard surface: (20 repetitions)
- Skinny Mat BHS: (30 reps)
- ST BHS on panel mat: (20 reps)
- ST BHS uphill: (20 reps)
Some of these exercises are optional, while others are an essential part of good preparation before doing the BHS or the Back Handspring.