How to do a Headspring
- Kaley Willekes
- Jan 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 17
A headspring is a gymnastics and dance skill where an athlete uses their hands and head to push off the ground to propel into a flip-like motion, landing on their feet. It’s similar to a front handspring, but instead of pushing off solely with the hands, the head is also used for support and momentum.
How to do a Headspring Step by Step
STEP 1: Plant the head, hands and feet on the ground
Start with your head, hands and feet on the ground. Be sure to have the hands close to the head but not too close where you cannot see them in your peripheral vision.
STEP 2: Push and Pike
The next step is to push from the ground with the toes and pike the legs and hips. Make sure the legs are straight.
STEP 3: Push and snap
You then aggressively push off the ground from the head and arms to then snap the feet over the head creating a slight arched position.
STEP 4: Land on the feet.
Now that you've pushed off the ground your body needs to come back down. From the slight arch, you then roll the upper body up, landing on the feet in a low squat.
Headspring Progressions
These are the steps you should take when learning how to do a headspring.
Handstand to bridge stand up:
The first skill you should learn before attempting a headspring is the handstand to bridge stand up. This helps athletes with their balance, strength and flexibility.
Pike headpress:
Next is the pike headpress. This drill helps to mimic the take off position of the headpsring and helps to build strength in the legs and arms.
Hip snap:
You should then learn how to do hip snaps. This is a great drill to establish the snapping motion and the hip throw needed.
Bridge snap:
Bridge snaps are one of the most important drills to learning the headspring. This drill helps establish the hip throw while training the arch position and leg control for the landing.
Bridge snap to stand up:
This drill is another very important part of learning the headspring and it is very similar to the bridge snap but instead of stopping in a bridge, you rock the hips over the toes and stand up from the bridge position.
Pike press to bridge stand up:
This drill is basically a slow motion headspring. It showcases every part of the headspring but in a slow motion way to break down the skill so athletes can get the strength and flexibility for it.
Muscles You Need for a Headspring
Legs: Strong leg muscles are crucial for both takeoff and landing in a headspring
Core: Your core plays a key role in stabilizing the body throughout the entire movement.
Back: Your back muscles help in the stand up phase and the arch phase of the headspring.
Flexibility you need for a Headspring
Hip flexors: Having flexible hip flexors aids in the arch position and the landing.
Legs: Flexible legs are essential for the headspring, as the skill relies on a strong pike position
Back: A flexible back is very important because athletes must arch the back in the middle of the headspring to properly get it around.
DOWNLOAD THE HEADSPRING PROGRESSIONS QUICK REFERENCE SHEET HERE:
SEE ALL OTHER QUICK REFERENCES AND FREEBIE GUIDES HERE:
GET 30 DAYS OF HEADSPRING WORKOUTS HERE: GET YOUR HEADSPRING GUIDE HERE:
This information is for general purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional for health or training needs and ensure children are supervised by an adult during physical activities. We disclaim all liability for any injuries or harm resulting from the use of information on this website. For further details, please review our disclaimer and privacy policy.
Comments