This is going to sound very ambitious, I know.

I'm an Irish Dancer, so I haven't had any training in gym, ballet, acrobatics, etc. All the flexibility I have is in my legs, simply because I haven't worked on flexibility in any other part of my body.

I've just been told that I will possibly need to do a backwards walkover in one of my dances. No, this is not normal for Irish Dancing, but I'm fairly determined to get it.

Can you give me advice on what to do? Would I go to gymnastics or acrobatic classes (I'm fifteen years old) and in the meantime, what are some good, safe stretches and exercises that I can use at home to build up my almost non-existent back flexibility and strength? I can get into a bridge from the floor, but not a very good or sturdy one, and I very much doubt I can get into it from standing (too afraid to try.)

I'd need to have the backwards walkover by about mid-August. Does this sound at all possible?

Thanks so much.

It is quite possible fr you to get a backwards walkover by then, but it will take some committment and dedication. First of all the flexibility that you need is not in your back it is in your shoulders. Streching the back is not as safe as streching the shoulders.

To get the flexibility you will need you'll need to strech every day. Start with a full body warm up and then a mild strech of the full body. Follow this with some more intense shoulder streches and then finally work on your bridegs (crabs). At first work to get your arms straight and then to get your shoulders over the top of your hands and eventually to get your shoulders past your hands. Once you can do this you will be flexible enough for the abck walkover.

There are two stages to learning the backwalkover. There is the back bend and there is the kickover. To train the back bend you need to be able to stand and then bend back to put your hands on the ground. If at first you cant do it, try standing with your back to the wall and walk your hands down the wall, and then see if you can go further and further before you actually put your hands on the wall. make sure as you bend back you have your arms staringht and to your ears, keep your head back looking at your hands.

Then to train the kick over start with by doing a brindge with your hands on the floor and your feet on a raised surface. And try to kickover from there, work your way onto lower and lower surfaces until you can do it on the ground. Remember the key is to get your shoulders past your hands.

Once you have the two stages you need to put them together. Work out which is your leading leg, if you do a cartwheel the foot you step onto first should be the one to go in the air first. Start bending back to a bridge with that foot slightly infront of the other and then further and further forward until it is off the ground.

As well as the above advice, keep in mind that you're really going to need a gymnastics teacher, or someone else who is trained in gymnastics, to spot you safely until you've mastered the walkover, since you're just learning it.