Hi, I’m 14 years old and I have my backhand spring…

READ EVERYTHING B4 TRYING ANYTHING…

DEAR YOUR SPOTTER:
stand on her left side and press your right arm near the lower part of her back…then put your left hand under her left knee. (Make sure that you are really strong!!!!!!!!!!) & ALWAYS put force on the back. like when she’s in the air, push up on her back so when she lands on her hands, it isn’t as painful. You should ask your daughter how to spot you or some1 in gymnastics or cheerleading…they know what to do.

Basically, you have to let go of ALL fear…that’s what helped me the most. You should have a spotter (someone that you trust to not let you fall and hurt your head) Stretch alot…back especially. And you should do push ups for your arms. Arm strenght helps, but it isnt really needed.

STEP 1 FOR YOU AND YOUR SPOTTER: let her/him hold your back while you go into a back-bend (make sure that your arms are by your ears and that your thumbs almost touch. You arms need to be locked…no bending.) Then let him flip over both of your legs.
It also helps that your back is REALLY flexable. This is a stretch that helps me…lay down on your stomach on a hard floor. Now use your hands to push your head closer to your butt, and try to touch your nose with your tippy toes.

STEP 2..YOU AND SPOTTER: after you have step 1 down without a problem, you should keep them holding your back, but this time…you jump and land on your hands. Now let him flip your legs over. Keep your arms locked and make sure that he/she pulls your back higher off of the ground so you can land on your hands. Ask your spotter how much they are pushing your legs over, and ask them to put less and less force on flipping your legs over..but tell them to follow your legs and if you seem to be not doing so well, then they should start flipping your legs over again. Keep doing this until you can flip your own legs over.

STEP 3..YOU AND YOUR SPOTTER: Now you are ready to basically do it by yourself. Tell them to remove their hand that is under your leg, and now they should only be holding your back with their right arm NOT THEIR HAND. Tell them to use their right hand to grab on to your shirt. It’ll make your feel more secure. Okay, pretend that you are sitting in an invisible chair…you shouldn’t feel like your are going to fall on your butt as much because your spotter is holding you…so kick off as hard as you can and arch your back but not as much as before. If your spotter pushes you higher into the air then you should land perfectly on your hands…your spotter should let go of you now, while you land on your feet. Do this until you get it right every time. If your wrist start to hurt (and they will) …do circular wrist movements. By the way, keep your feet together throughout the entire backhand spring, and keep your arms locked and by your ears.

STEP 4..YOU AND YOUR SPOTTER: Tell your spotter to stop pushing you up! Tell your spotter to stop using her/his arm and to only put her/his HAND on your back instead. You do the backhand spring as regular, but this time push harder and LOCK YOUR ARMS!!!! Keep your feet together. Keep your body hollow and pretend that your spotter isn’t there (you want to feel like your are doing everything. It will give you more confidence, but just know that they ARE there for security) Do this many times. Then after you think that you have it, tell your spotter Thank You and that her/his work Is done.

You should have it now! And good luck winning that bet..Sorry about spelling

-Melanie!