The back handspring is one of the most used gymnastics skills in cheerleading. It can be done by standing or out of a round off. There are also variations of the back hand spring such as one handed and toe touch back handsprings. Double and Triple back handsprings are also common.

This gymnastics skill can also be used as a power move to set up for back hand spring tucks, layouts, and twisting layouts ”a very difficult skill”.

A lot of cheerleading squads are now requiring that their cheerleaders must have either a standing or a round off back handspring in order to make the team. Which makes this skill very valuable.

Safety Note: You may find that many coaches teach the back hand spring differently however the end result should still look the same. The back handspring can be a dangerous skill if not done correctly and cause some siourous injury. If you are wanting to learn a back handspring then please go to a local gym and have a gymnastics coach work with you. Please NEVER try this on your own or with an inexperienced spotter.

Ok with that being said lets move on. This is simply my method of teaching the back handspring and is not a means of learning the back handspring on your own. We start with the standing back handspring on an incline mat for safety and to build confidence.

The Back Handspring

While being spotted you would start from a stand position and sit back into a chair position. If you swing your arms then as you sit you would be dropping your arms to your side if not then you would just keep them straight up by your head. Swigging your arms can add momentum but can also cause your head to pull out and other problems so for beginners we ask that you always start with your arms up to help your remember the body position.

Once you are in the chair position you should be off balance and feel as you are about to fall. At that point you should push and jump straight up as hard as you can while pushing back with your lower legs as well and pulling your legs over your head. Even though you are pushing and jumping straight up because your body is falling back off balance you will go more at a 45 degree angle allowing you body time to get over.

You will be jumping into a handstand position, here you need to keep your arms very tight and strong but not locked. Push hard off your hands pulling your legs over and snapping down to your feet. once you push off your hands keep pushing over your head for a finishing effect.

The back handspring should have very little or no arch at all in your back. Standing back handsprings are harder then round off back handsprings because you have to create momentum from almost nothing, this is why swigging your arms will help in standing as long as it is done correctly.

Once you have learned the body positions the back handspring itself isn’t very hard and down an incline takes little power. Actually the hardest part is the mental side of it. Flipping over in a backwards motion and knowing the risk involved makes this a very scary skill.

After you have done many down the incline mat and feel comfortable doing them with out a spot then we move to a less padded incline. This is done to help build confidence before moving onto the flat padded mats. While the skill stays the same the fear of falling on the harder surface is greater.

Every time you transition to a different may or surface you should be spotted until your coach thinks you are ready to attempt one on your own.

When you are at the point that the harder surface isn’t a factor then you move on to a padded flat mat. Now the back handspring becomes a bit harder because you no longer have as much time to get over as you would with an incline mat. Which means you will need to jump as hard as you can to buy you the time you need to get over while working on your confidence at the same time.

Last and most rewarding is on a flat gymnastics floor and sometimes even a hardwood floor. While the skill remains the same the fear is at its greatest until you master those first few. Remember you should always be spotted by a trained coach who has experience in spotting.

Hope this helps a little. Next I’ll post about the Round off back handspring.