How To Do the Windmill - Part 2

If you already know how to do the windmill, you know that going from the back spin into the hand glide position is the toughest part.

If you want to have a smooth and fast windmill, you'll have to master this second transition that will flip you from your back onto your hands and head (handspin position).

SECOND TRANSITION (Back spin to handspin position)

Arms and hands ready for the flip over

As you prepare to go back into the handspin position from your back it's important to have the proper arm and hand position to catch yourself as you flip.

Your balancing arm should be fully bent at the elbow with the back of your hands a couple of inches in front of your shoulder (left hand in front of left shoulder with the elbow sitting inside your left hip).

Your stabbing arm should also have the elbow sitting inside your hip (on the same side obviously) with the arm sticking out (to form a 'T' with your torso) and the palm of your hand towards the sky (and fingers pointing out to side).

The Flip Over

This part will show how to make your transitions as effortless as possible, then you will know how to do the windmill.

The flip over from back to handspin position is the toughest part of the windmill because you will want to close your legs as you turn.

That’s where momentum is going to help you out. You will have to use the speed of the leg that you swung under as you went onto your back to make it swing as high up in the air as possible.

That leg should write a 'J' in mid-air as it swings under and then up.

This enables you to swing your other leg underneath it as you flip over. Keep it close to the floor and the other leg high.

Now as you roll across your back onto the opposite shoulder, the outer part of your hand (previously and soon to be balancing hand/arm) will plant on the floor and allow you to flip over.

When you flip over, make sure to have your stabbed elbow (referring to handspin position at the beginning) already in position to support your weight and allow your legs the time to rotate properly (thus keeping the speed that you've gained).

The key to having enough time to swing legs while keeping them straight, is to swing each leg as high as possible when the other leg needs to go underneath.

From here, you start over and work on making it as smooth as possible.

General Tips

Your stabbing elbow barely moves during the stabbed windmill described above.

The other arm is mostly used to flip over and gain speed (by turning the wheel).

To sum it up, your arms and hands:

1) Turn the wheel (when in the handspin position),

2) Collaspe onto the back of your shoulder (when you go from handspin to back spin),

3) Prepare for accepting your body weight (during flip over), and

4) Support your body weight (while in the handspin position).

Keep your legs as spread and straight as possible without banging your legs on the flip over to the handspin position. (This shouldn’t happen if you stab properly and you swing your legs as high as possible).

It helps to round your back (bring your shoulders forward and in) when you windmill. You lose less momentum this way as you transition from the two positions.

A good exercise for this move is to practice going out of it into a six step.

This is done when you transition from your backspin into the handspin position. Instead of going back into a backspin, you step down with the leg that's on top when you flip over. The elbow still stabs inside your hip and the same side leg kicks out into the six step.

Now you know how to do the windmill... go practice!

Go to How To Do the Windmill - Part 1

Go from How To Do the Windmill - Part 2 to Medium Moves

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