I remember the injury like it was yesterday. In fact, I pretty much saw it coming. Some poor girl on a level 2 team was attempting a Round Off 2xBHS pass, and on the second back handspring, she hyperextended her elbow.
I hoped that I was wrong, though. I hoped that it wouldn’t happen… but based on my experience, my body was already starting to cringe as she went into her pass.
As you can imagine, the events which unfolded after were quite painful to watch. It’s a disaster that has been permanently etched into my brain to serve as a constant reminder of what can happen.
By the way, in case you’re wondering what “elbow hyperextension” means, think of your elbow being forced to bend in the opposite direction from where it normally does (like the image below).
So back to this unlucky athlete for a second — while her handsprings were far from perfect and it was questionable whether she should have been connecting two in the first place, I know for a fact that if she at least had proper arm placement, the injury (likely a fracture or mild dislocation) could have been prevented.
So the first step in fixing wide arm back handsprings is actually fixing the hand placement.
It all starts at the hands; the way they are positioned will have a huge impact on how wide (or narrow) the arms will go.
At my tumbling clinics, I usually ask my audience which one of the three options they think is ideal/correct.
Most usually pick option #2. This is the neutral position.
While having neutral hand placement isn’t necessarily bad, it’s not ideal either. The safest, most powerful, and most advantageous hand placement is actually #3.
Because it requires something called internal shoulder rotation. Or in layman’s terms, it requires you to turn your arms into your body.
Think about the last time you pushed someone (or something) away from you as hard as possible.
In what position did your arms automatically end up in? For most, it’s closer to option #3.
Or think about UFC fighters when they throw a punch. Do they turn their fist out?
Not a chance! They turn their fists in, so the fingers are facing away from the body, producing the strongest possible punch.
So if turning the hands in is the most powerful position, WHY are we allowing athletes to perform back handsprings (or even walkovers) with the hand position you see below…
For most athletes it’s an issue of habit. They learned it with wide arms, no one bothered to correct it, and now that’s just how they do it.
So today, I’m going to go over some of my favorite drills to help fix incorrect hand positions and wide arm issues in the back handspring.
Drill #1: Inverted Hand Arm Slams (20 reps)
When doing this drill, it’s very important to remind athletes what part of their hand needs to make contact with the mat. My general verbal cue is “the pinky fingers lead the way”. I also show them the muscle right under the pinky finger where most of the contact should be made (this is the meaty part of the hand that you’d use in a “karate chop”).
Drill #2: Superman Wall Pushes (20 reps)
Once the athlete masters turning their hands in, you can try these next. They key here is that only the push from the hands should move them away from the wall. And of course, while falling forwards, it’s very important to maintain the superman shape.
Drill #3: Back Extension Roll (30 reps)
If you have my tumbling progression posters, then this is a movement which I’m sure you’re already doing with your athletes. Just make sure their hand placement is correct. The version you see in the video is the basic one. Eventually, they should be hitting a handstand like a true back extension.
Enjoying This Content?
Did you know that 99% of the resources on this site are available for free? That's over 100 articles and 300+ drill videos with no paywalls and no ads. Just real value shared with everyone. All made possible by generous readers that stepped up to support the site's maintenance costs. If you would like to help keep this resource alive, click below to donate or visit the store to show your support.
Drill #4: Bands Behind The Neck With Boulder/Octagon (30 reps)
This drill is essential whether you’re new to back handsprings or a veteran trying to fix your bad habits. Here’s how to set it up: Find bands which don’t allow you to go wider than shoulder width and slip it on your arms past the elbow (as close to the shoulder as possible). Then tuck your head in and raise your arms up so that the band is resting behind the head.
Yes, it will feel awkward at first. This is why the fallback is the first variation of this drill, for which you should do about 10 reps. Once C&C is achieved (comfort and confidence) then go ahead and throw the entire skill over the Boulder or Octagon.
By this point if you (or your athlete) have done the required drills and reps mentioned previously, the hand placement should have improved dramatically.
The Best Type Of Bands To Use
You may have noticed that my lovely assistant athlete in the video is using an odd looking band. These are actually called ArmBandz, and they have been specifically developed to help fix wide arm issues for ALL tumbling skills.
Unlike regular rubber bands, the ArmBandz are designed to OPEN and let go if the athlete gets lazy and doesn’t work to keep their arms closer together. This forces them to do at least 50% of the work and develop the proper muscle memory required to make a permanent change. See the video below for more details…
Drill #5: Interlocking Fingers (20 reps)
This is one of my favorites, but also one you need to be careful of. The last thing we need is smashed fingers. So before throwing a BHS, do a regular front support shape with fingers in the interlocked position, and actually feel it out. Be sure to put most of your body weight on the outer palms of the hands, not the fingers.
You may also want to try throwing a few BHS with fingers interlocked over a boulder or octagon mat. Then you can take it to a safe surface.
Under no circumstances is Drill #5 to be done on a regular sprung floor or any type of hard surface.
Drill #6: Downhill BHS With ArmBandz (30 reps)
By this point, it’s just a matter of building habit and muscle memory. Or if you remember for my previous article, unconscious competence. Using ArmBandz allows the athletes to focus on doing at least half the work. If the Bandz come apart, the rep doesn’t count.
If you don’t have ArmBandz, I suggest alternating between reps with regular bands, without bands and also a few spotted reps to allow the athlete time to think about squeezing. Stronger tumblers can start doing multiple connected handsprings by this point to see if their hand position and arm width improvements have stuck.
I’ve found that when working on the fix, the first two handsprings are great. Beyond that, the old habits start to creep in again, so be careful. One bad rep can generally undo two good reps.
Drill #7: Safety Mat With ArmBandz (30 reps)
Similar to the process above, we are now focusing on building habits and muscle memory. You can also switch to doing RO BHS at this point to see if the change sticks.
If the change hasn’t stuck, go back to standing BHS or repeat the drill process from #1, but only for 3-5 reps.
Some Final Thoughts
While the order of the drills will help, please know that I regularly cycle through all of them from time to time.
Whether the kids are brand new to handsprings or working on the fix, it’s never a bad idea to reinforce good technique. In fact, if you have athletes that are new, get them started on these drills ASAP.
Make them a regular part of your handspring training circuit and you’ll see a massive difference in their technique while also reducing most injuries related to wrist, elbows and shoulders. I personally have started putting the ArmBandz on new level 2 kids and having their fingers turned in and arms close to their ears is ALL they know.
Their bodies literally cannot fathom throwing the arms wide. I don’t know about you, but that’s a good problem to have 🙂
Experience The Best Tumbling Clinics At Your Gym!
If you're a Coach, Director or Owner of a program and are interested in hosting Coach Sahil's clinics at your gym, click the button below to fill out the interest form. He is available for staff training, program design, and athlete development. Imagine what it would be like to gain 20 years of tumbling knowledge in just a few days!
About Coach Sahil
For over 15 years, Coach Sahil has been on a mission to help athletes master their tumbling and acrobatic skills in the shortest amount of time possible without sacrificing safety or the quality of their technique. As a former Power Tumbler and Power Lifter himself, he fully understands the inner struggles of an athlete and how to help them get to the next level. To date, he has worked with thousands of athletes around the World and provided training to hundreds of coaches in almost every country you can imagine. He is also a Certified Gymnastics Coach, founder of Addicted To Tumbling, and former co-owner of a gym. He is also the author of the best-selling book The Cheer Diet.
I have read your emails and found you do have some great info particularly for beginning coaches. I just reviewed you email on back handsprings to see if it was something that may benefit my staff and I really have to take objection to your “tips” here. What you are advocating isn’t just wrong – it is dangerous.
First of all, wide hands on back handspring are a strength & flexibility issue. A lot more attention needs to be focused on getting athletes stronger so they can fully raise their shoulders their ears & hold them there at extension to allow full shoulder mobility along with controlling their core. Looping hands together with a band doesn’t do this, can cause improper wrist positions and can easily result in a wrist, elbow and/or head/neck/back injury when strength & flexibility are lacking. This is particularly true if a scared athlete balks because their arms are banded. Lastly, it prevents proper arm swing & posture for correct motion impeding their handspring development. In regards to your laced finger idea, no athlete should be encouraged to lace fingers to accomplish the arms together position regardless of surface. Depending on an athlete’s arm & wrist structure this could easily break a wrist, dislocate an elbow or result in an athlete collapsing to their head and neck. It also puts stress on the labrum in the shoulder socket which can cause a tear. Furthermore, it makes it impossible for the athlete to actually press to fully extend their shoulders without pulling their head forward which stops the body from opening through their shoulders and upper back creating more form issues. Athletes that struggle with this issue need lots of handstand work and drills to work the snap back & pull over (like off a rainbow or side of a resi pit) to get the strength to support their bodies & the confidence to execute the skill safely.
Hi Jamie, thanks for you input. So I’m not sure where you’re pulling the fact that these tips are “dangerous” from… especially since the contrary is actually found to be dangerous. And the real world proves it. Let me remind you that the BEST coaches teach their BEST athletes to internally rotate their arms in the back handspring. Here’s a collection of these athletes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aitntpBJXCklO0JK6KBGpgTxl8TpCFRn/view?usp=sharing
Feel free to download that video, and watch it frame by frame. Also, strength and stability is assumed, so while I appreciate you bringing it into the conversation, the mention of it is redundant.
That’s like telling someone before lifting 200lbs, you must be able to lift 100lbs, then 120lbs… well, duh.
In the same manner, it is implied that if you’re working the BHS, you will have ALL the prerequisites mastered. You can see my entire handspring guide, including the requirements here: http://www.tumbilngcoach.com/standingbhs
As for tying the hands together, I’ve never had anyone injure themselves using these methods nor have hundreds of others. ArmBandz are being used by top level gymnasts and tumblers in many countries and reports have been overwhelmingly positive. They’ve even been highly effective on bars, beam and vault. While it’s true that the bands restrict the initial arm swing a little, they are meant to be used as a fix. These aren’t “handcuffs” that stay on the athlete forever. Just as the Boulder isn’t something to be used forever. If an athlete CANNOT BHS on safety mats without a complete swing in order to temporarily FIX their arm position, they shouldn’t be doing BHS period. Because as you mentioned, it’s a good indication of a strength issue.
And as for fingers being laced together, those forces only become an issue on hard surfaces. If you still feel uncomfortable using them, then you are entitled to that opinion, of course. My job is to bring tools to the table which work and it’s a drill which has helped some some of the most extreme wide arm and elbow hyperextension cases I’ve come across.
I have hyper mobile elbows and whenever I straighten my arms in back handsprings (even when they aren’t wide armed) the pain is REAL. So please I’m giving you all a warning do not do not do not widen you arms because having you elbows turn inward in a tumbling pass will just ruin everything
as a gymnast and a cheerleader this is only the gymnast’s way, and it can cause hurtful bad habits that will effect your tumbling in the long run