How To Do A Bridge Kickover?[6 Important Steps To Follow]
If determination and passion to perform an unblemished bridge kickover is what brought you here, you’ve come to the right place! I’m going to walk you down through all the details as well as the procedure you need to know to perform the level 2 floor activity.
Contents
Bridge Kickover Step by Step
Here are a list of steps to perform the bridge kickover successfully.
Step 1. Perform beforehand exercises
If you are a gymnast, you would surely know how important warming up is. Most of us are of the perception that it is entirely unnecessary, I was one of such rebellious beginners as well. I thought I knew better than all the experts and gurus out there who kept talking about exercising.
Not too surprisingly, I learned my lesson the hard way. I ended up with back pain and a twisted ankle within a short period of a week.
For which reason, I want you to learn from my experience and mistakes. With the help of these, you will be able to sail smoothly through all the early bird or even expert mistakes.
Having said that, as soon as you enter the gym or your place of practice, make a mental note to warm up. I particularly suggest you carry out as many shoulder activities as you can. This is because in performing a bridge kickover, your shoulders play a huge role.
If you have the flexibility that is required and the strength that is going to help you maintain a particular gymnastics position, you are good to go. A few tried and known shoulder exercises are mentioned as follows:-
Step 2. Practice against a wall
It is always the best option to kick start with some support at anything you're new to (that should be the case in almost all gymnastic exercises). Similarly, I advise you to spread your mat down next to a wall and make a start.
Lay on the mat in a manner that you are facing the wall but be mindful that your feet aren't touching the wall as yet. Push forward your shoulders and gradually take the shape of a bridge. While doing a bridge kickover, the most essential to follow as well as to remember is to decrease the distance between your hands and your feet.
Lastly, I'm going to need you to walk as close to the wall as you can (while having taken up the shape of a bridge). Step over the wall starting with putting your dominant leg on the wall and give it a push.
Viola! There you have it, a bridge kickover. Continue doing this till you are comfortable and confident enough to carry on without any support.
I know, at the starting point it may seem like you will only be able to do a neat bridge kickover with the help of a wall and not without it. Take my advice and mute that little voice inside your head. I have my entire faith in you and am entirely confident that you can and will perform a jaw-dropping bridge kickover!
Step 3. Give yourself a nice stretch
Once you think you are done practicing next to a wall and can move forward, we are ready for our next bridge kickover step. In this step, you are going to need to switch places to where there is no reliance or support.
As soon as you assume the posture of a bridge, minimize the distance between your arms and your legs. Moving further ahead, the second integral tip that most gymnasts lack is not being able to push their shoulders past their hands.
You may think it is trivial and unnecessary, whereas, in reality, this tiny precision in maintaining one's posture is what makes all the difference. If you are unable to do this, you will often find yourself falling backward over your back despite doing everything else as correctly as humanly possible. Keeping that in mind, move back and forth repeatedly as a bridge so your body is accustomed to the position.
Step 4. Perform a handstand
If you have been following the bridge kickover steps I have been instructing you, this is going to be the easiest step for you. This is also the part where you feel exceptionally glad for having practiced against a wall.
You’re on your way to becoming an expert at performing an excellent bridge kickover (with the right amount of practice).
All you have to do now is to kick your dominant leg and put it in the midair while pushing the other one to stay off the ground. To put it further easily, you are going to have to perform a split handstand.
Keep practicing to jump your legs in the air while keeping your position intact.
Step 5. Straighten your dominant leg in the air
In my perspective, what gives a bridge kickover the delicacy and elegance it has is the doer being able to straighten his/her leg. There is no quick go over method for you to achieve this except to keep practicing.
Once you are comfortable with kicking your leg up in the air, start working on keeping it straightened. Don’t worry! You won’t need to keep it that way for an extensive-time period. However, I don’t doubt that you won’t be able to if you put your heart and soul into it.
Step 6. Turn the bridge into a ‘T’
After having followed the detailed previous bridge kickover steps, this is the finale! You just need to kick over and take up the shape of the alphabet 'T'.
This will be made possible by lifting your hand off the ground and stretching your arm forward and your dominant leg backward. Finally, land both your legs on the ground with a shoulder's distance at your feet and raise your shoulders.
Congratulations! You have done it beautifully.