Ten Steps to a Perfect Back Handspring

 A staple in tumbling is the back handspring. It is a relatively common tumbling skill that leads into harder skills during passes. Although the back handspring is common, it is not an easily mastered skill. There is a certain amount of strength and flexibility that is required along with the confidence to jump backwards onto your hands and then back onto your feet. There is no shortcut to a perfect back handspring. It takes hard work and dedication. However, if you follow these ten steps then you will be able to progress safely while building strength and gaining flexibility.

The first step to a back handspring is the bridge. In a bridge the athlete’s feet and legs should be squeezed together with their arms straight and close to their ears. They should push through their toes so that their shoulders are over their hands. Their fingertips should also be pointing to their toes, not out to the sides or away from their head. After the athlete is able to do a good bridge the next step is doing rocks and leg lifts. Rocking back and forth by pushing through their toes will stretch their shoulders and help with back flexibility. Adding leg lifts with straight legs and pointed toes while in their bridge will help strengthen their hip flexors and core, making future skills such as kick overs and back walk overs easier.

After athletes have gained the flexibility the core and leg strength to do a bridge, they need to start working backbends rather than bridges. A backbend and bridge are the same skill. The only difference is instead of the athlete starting lying on the ground and pushing up into the skill they start standing and lower themselves into the skill. In a proper backbend the athlete should stand with their feet together and their arms by their ears. They should reach back with their hands and bend in their back. It is important the athlete does not lead into the skill with their head and that they keep their hips stationary rather than letting them go forward.

After the athlete has their backbend with good form they should start working kick overs. The shoulder and back flexibility gained in a good bridge will make it much easier to complete this skill because the athlete’s weight is already over their hands. The strength gained from leg lifts will help them use their hip flexor muscles and their core muscles to pull their leg over their head to complete the skill. When the athlete has a kick over they should start working on tic tocks. A tic tock is when the athlete does a kick over but only lets one foot touch and immediately drives their elevated leg back over themselves so they finish in the same position they started. Doing tic tocks will not only help with back handsprings but also front skills such has front walk overs and front handsprings.

When the athlete is comfortable and confident in their kick overs and tic tocks they should start working back walkovers. A back walkover is basically a backbend and a kick over combined and completed quickly. Instead of starting with their feet together athletes should put the leg they kick with in front of their other leg. As their hands hit in the backbend they kick their leg over and complete the skill. There should be no stall in the backbend. After the athlete has mastered the back walkover they should master the skill with their kicking leg elevated to build more core and leg strength.

It is also important to master back walkovers with their non-dominant leg. This will ensure that both of the athlete’s legs are strong and will make the next step, back limbers, easier. A back limber is when an athlete does a backbend and right away kicks both their legs at the same time while keeping them squeezed together and straight with pointed toes. Back limbers are basically a slower back handspring, so after they are mastered it is only a matter of being able to speed them up by leading into them with a jump that makes an athlete have a back handspring. 

Every step leads into the next step and a new level of strength and flexibility are gained at each level. That is why at Varsity we take this approach to the back handspring. Not only will it make stronger more flexible athletes, but taking it step by step and not rushing them will help keep them from injuring themselves with improper technique.

 The authors

- former High School Cheerleader

-former University of Missouri Cheerleader

-UCA staff and Head instructor 7 years

-10 years experience coaching at the High School, College, and Competitive level of Cheerleading