Obviously not a drill every coach can do.
It’s an easy way of drilling the one-arm release with bigger, heavier kids and getting them comfortable. If you’re going to pause them, holding them by the hips/waist requires arm strength. With this particular spotting method, my arm is pretty much buttressed in such a way as to eliminate the need to exhaust (or injure) my bicep.
As the high-to-low transition gets faster, the standard method of guidance spotting at the chest/hips/waist/thigh takes over.
I start out with my hand on her wrist then slide it down onto her trapezius with my arm buttressed under her as she inverts. Doesn’t require a lot of bicep strength to support her like this. My other hand is on her thigh for additional support and stability, balancing her.
As the transition from high to low bar becomes faster, the standard spotting method can then be substituted.
A good way to spot like this is to start off on the low bar with younger, smaller athletes until you feel pretty comfortable with it. As you can see from the clip, the athlete is almost as big as I am and I can spot her from a swing down that starts in handstand. The block is at a height where I can comfortably buttress my arm under her trap at the end of her swing.
Thanks to Gym Momentum follower Michael Sanders from Broadway Gymnastics School in Los Angeles
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