Ideally, your spotter should also be a fellow gymnast or cheerleader, so he or she is familiar with what to do. Your spotter should place a hand on your lower back while placing the other under your thighs as you flip backwards. Stand by your spotter with your legs, feet, and knees nearly together and your arms in front of you. First, do a “trust fall” back into your spotter’s arms just to make sure that he or she can handle your weight. Ideally, there should be a soft mat behind you so you don’t hurt yourself if you fall. At first, your spotter will do some of the work for you, helping to flip your body over by pushing your back and your thighs up as you flip backwards. However, once you’re comfortable on your own, the spotter should only be there to make you feel safe, not to actually help you.
Stretch your back by doing a back bend. Then, do a counter-stretch by curling up into a ball on the floor and hugging your knees to roll out your back. For an extra stretch in your back, stand up and touch your toes. Roll your head clockwise five times and then counter-clockwise five times, to stretch your neck a bit. You can also roll your shoulders forward and backward. Place one hand in front of you, as if you were saying “Stop!” and then gently pull back the fingers of that hand with your other hand. Repeat with the other hand to get a deep stretch in your wrists. Then, roll your wrists clockwise five times and counter-clockwise five times to finish stretching them. Sit down and roll your ankles clockwise and counterclockwise. You can even spell the alphabet with each of your feet to get a full stretch.
You can also consider using a trampoline, if you have one, to give yourself the confidence to use a harder surface. Just remember that you won’t need nearly as much momentum to fall backward on a trampoline. [3] X Research source If you’re trying the back handspring outside in your yard, pick a softer surface, like a grassy surface that’s a little pliable, instead of concrete or another harder surface that won’t give.
You can also start in the true starting position, with your arms raised over your head, by your ears, before you move them down to be parallel to the ground before you swing them up again.
It can be helpful to practice the first two poses so you get the logistics down before you to try jump right in to the back handspring. It’s important to start with a strong foundation, so you’re generating enough momentum and maintaining proper form throughout the back handspring.
As you swing your arms up, you should make sure to keep them by your ears. Make sure to tighten your shoulder and arm muscles and raise your head back between your arms.
Your legs should continue to drive you backward and upward at the same time. Extend through your ankles while pointing your toes. Continue to keep your head between your arms as you get closer to the floor.
When you plant your hands on the floor, don’t put all of your pressure into your wrists. Instead, use the pads of your fingers and your palms for support. Otherwise, you risk injuring your wrists. At this point, your legs may still be out in front of you, but your body will soon be almost straight, in a handstand-position. [7] X Research source
Keep your feet together or as close together as they can be, and keep your shoulders strong to support your body weight. You shouldn’t lock your knees, but work to keep your legs as straight as possible.
As your feet drift toward the floor, your upper body should prepare to pop upward. You’ll literally “spring” up as your feet hit the floor. Your arms and upper body should move upward just as your feet hit the floor.
One common problem with the back handspring is falling backwards to one side. Make sure your feet and arms are parallel so you don’t fall to the left or right and end up with an uneven back handspring. Remember to arch your back, but not too much. Another common problem with the back handspring is that you’ll arch your back so much that you’ll end up finishing almost where you started, creating a move that looks almost like a back flip, and risking injury. [8] X Research source You may also have trouble generating enough momentum to do a back handspring on your own. If that’s the case, you may want to practice doing a round-off backhandspring so you have enough momentum to spring upward.
