Standing back arch

This screen looks for a normal backward bend or extension in the shoulders, hips, and spine. To perform the standing back arch the coach gets the child to stand with feet together and toes pointing forward. The child then raises their arms directly above the head with the arms stretched out. With arms straight the coach asks them to move their elbows in line with their ears. Then the child tries to bend backwards as far as possible whilst maintaining balance. The hips should move forward and the arms should move backwards simultaneously. A video of the setup and performance of the standing back arch is shown below.

To score the standing back arch the coach gives the child one point for each of the following:

• Arms clear the ears
• Front of the pelvis clears the toes
• Symmetrical spinal curves
• Shoulder blades reaches or clear the heels