We frequently link to Rik’s books and articles. He is one of the most prolific writers in our sport.
And we just got our hands on Rik’s new book Back Handsprings – The Secret Techniques (2007).
It is a gold mine of drills. Very comprehensive. Safety is foremost.
We like the “Basic Safety Guidelines for Tumblers”.
The illustrations are lifelike (how did you do those Rik?) and easy to follow.
Back Handsprings: The Secret Techniques
Even the elite gymnastics coach will find “secret” drills (never before seen) but the book above is actually very appropriate for Cheer coaches too — though Rik offers another volume specific to Cheerleading.
Of course the fear of all coaches is that insufficiently fit kids will “chuck” backward handsprings without doing the prerequisite conditioning and technical drills.
These books should help “educate” the general public as to how much work is needed before doing your first “backspring”.
CHEERLEADING: Conditioning for Back Handspring & Tumbling Success! – Rik Feeney
For many, many more books and articles (some of them free), check Rik Feeney’s website — GymnasticsTrainingTips.com
Gymnastics Coaching.com 