Back walkover

A valdez, performed by an acro dancer

Koko Tsurumi performing a back walkover on the balance beam.

A back walkover is an acrobatic maneuver in which a person transitions from a standing position to a gymnastic back bridge and then back to a standing position again, undergoing one complete rotation of the body in the process. Back walkovers are commonly performed in a variety of athletic activities, including acro dance, cheerleading, and rhythmic gymnastics. In artistic gymnastics, back walkovers are performed in floor exercises and on the balance beam.

The back walkover manoeuvre begins in a standing position. The back is increasingly arched and abdominal muscles are stretched until hands touch the floor and hands and feet rest flat on the floor, thus forming a gymnastic back bridge. While in the bridge position, one leg is rapidly raised from the floor so as to impart momentum to the lower body. This momentum lifts the lower body—including the other leg—away from the floor so that all body weight is supported by the hands. Both hands are kept flat on the floor while the body rotates backward through a handstand. The handstand is controlled until first one foot, and then the other, reach the floor. When both feet are on the floor, the performer returns to an erect standing position.^[1]

Variations

• In a one-handed walkover, only one hand is placed on the floor.
• A valdez is a back walkover that begins in a sitting position.
• A backwards kickover or bridge kickover is a back walkover with a pause in the bridge position.

References