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How do kick ups to handstand work?

By Bodyweight Training, Exercise Tutorials, Gymnastics Training

You need a few things for a good kick up to handstand.

  • A gentle push into the floor with the grounded leg
  • A gentle sweep of the leading leg
  • A shift of weight from the feet into the hands
  • The right around of push + sweep to result in the hips being placed over the hands as gently as possible
  • An intent from the hands to catch the force moving over the top to prevent an overbalance
  • Balance in the hands before closing the legs, or enough reps to know how much extra momentum the leg closure will add to the system

And there are a few things that hamper our ability to control a kick up.

  • Excessive force and momentum (i.e. throwing the hands down and pushing hard)
  • The hips starting very far away from where they will finish when stacked over the hips
  • Weak, intention-less hands with no effort to manage motion
  • Rushing to close the legs, adding momentum

We can work on these components by playing around with different variations and challenging different positions. The drills below give you different components of the pieces we want and constrain you away from some of the things we don’t want. Practice a few of these and see if they help your kick up!

Exercise Quick Navigation

    Kick Up from Box to Wall

    What is it?

    The easiest kick up drill because it brings the hips over the hands before you have to push into the floor.

    Technique

    Place a small box (20″ or less) close to a wall so you can elevate your foot onto it with your hands placed near the wall ready to handstand. Sweep the leg up until it taps the wall behind you gently and you briefly float off the box with the grounded leg. Repeat. Only push very gently with the foot on the box, and focus on getting your hips over your hands rather than what’s going on with the feet.

    Common Mistakes

    Throwing the legs aggressively at the wall. Be gentle!

    Wall Kiss Kick Ups

    Technique

    Like the above but without a box, push into the floor with the grounded leg and sweep the leading leg up just hard enough to gently tap the wall with the leading leg’s heel, then come back down. Repeat for reps. Focus on figuring out how hard you need to push to get your hips over your hands, not the feet.

    Sprinter Kick Up to Wall

    What is it?

    The sprinter stance starts you with your hands and feet on the floor to reduce places you can add unnecessary momentum in your kick up.

    Technique

    With both hands and one foot on the ground, kick up gently into your handstand. You can close the legs, but don’t rush it! As always, just push hard enough to get the hips over the hands, rather than thinking about getting the feet up to the sky.

    Sprinter Stance Kick Up

    Exactly as above, but get off the wall and do it out in the open. Use your fingertips pressing into the floor as “brakes” so you don’t tip over the top.

    Kick Up to Wall

    What is it?

    A place to kick up without the feeling of risk in the open, and a guaranteed stopping point.

    How to use it better

    Imagine the wall is not there. How would you change the amount of force you’re using to kick up? How would your hands behave as you got closer to getting the hips over the hands?

    Anti-gravity kick ups

    What is it?

    A way to gently explore the amount of kick required to enter a handstand.

    Technique

    Starting in your sprinter stance, deliberately undershoot the kickup, and kick slightly harder each time you fall down until you spontaneously catch a float in the handstand or overbalance. If you overbalanced, try again with a little less force, and dig your fingertips into the floor to stop going over. If you float, see if you can recreate that amount of force.

    Donkey kick to tuck handstand

    What is it?

    A good way to take the legs out of the kick up and focus on the hips-over-hands component.

    Technique

    Starting with your feet and hands on the floor, jump your feet off the floor into a tuck handstand. Don’t extend the legs up, just stay in the tuck and come back down. Start with small jumps and increase until you get a moment where your hips hover over your hands to learn how hard to push.

    Kick up to hanstand in rack

    What is it?

    A way to kick into something that’s less forgiving than the wall.

    Technique

    Set 1-2 strong resistance bands in a rack at the height of your head. Kick up into it, trying not to let yourself fall into the band, but rather catch yourself in the hold. If you do fall into the band, see if you can gently shift your way out of it back into your hands. Try again until you hardly touch the band at all.

    Kick up to handstand

    Now combine all that you’ve learned above.

    • Get the hips over the hands as a priority
    • Be gentle as you push into the floor and sweep the leg
    • Grip the ground as you arrive in the handstand
    • Don’t rush the legs closed, spend time in the float if you catch one and remember how much force you used so you can recreate it next time!

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    We’re not talking about this enough: your hands in a handstand

    By Bodyweight Training, Exercise Tutorials, Gymnastics Training

    I find it so weird that often when we learn to handstand, no one spends significant time talking about what to do with and feel in your hands. It leads most beginners to focus their efforts and intentions elsewhere, when the biggest cues are coming from the hands since they’re the base of support when you’re upside down.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • The pressure in your hands needs to shift forward from the heel and outside of the hand to the middle of the hand. That means there will be weight in your fingertips and possibly the base of your knuckles as well. It’s further forward than most people think when they start handstanding.
    • The muscles of the forearm should be working hard. You know how when you stand on one foot, the foot wobbles around and the muscles around your shin and calf have to adjust to create that balance? The hands have to do the same when you’re upside down

    This article covers what you need to know about your hands in various handstand movements.

    Exercise Quick Navigation

      Handstand holds and walks

      What should you feel?

      • A shift in pressure from the heel of the hand into the knuckles and fingertips as you kick up into the handstand
      • A maintenance of pressure in the middle of the hand as you hold
      • The fingertips digging into the floor whenever your body threatens to tip over the top and overbalance
      • The distal knuckles popping up off the floor if you are gripping the floor hard enough
      • The shoulders shifting forward whenever your body threatens to fall back down and underbalance

      Common Mistakes

      • Leaving the weight too far back in the heels of the hands
      • Flat, lifeless hands with no intention of the fingertips into the floor
      • No action when encountered with a slight over or underbalance

      Handstand Wall Pull Aways – Plate to Wrist

      How to do this drill

      Place 2x 20kg bumper plates right up against a wall.

      Cartwheel or walk into a wall-facing handstand such that the base of your wrist is almost touching, and your wrist is touching, the plates.

      Shift your body weight slowly off the wall, forward into the hands. At some stage, your wrists will gently peel off the bumper plates. At pretty much exactly this moment if you’ve set it up correctly, your feet will also leave the wall.

      Grip the ground like your life depends on it to prevent an overbalance.

      Enjoy the handstand you are now in.

      Kick up to overbalance

      What is it?

      A bailing drill that can also double as a drill to teach you to really dig your hands into the floor when your weight shifts over the top.

      Technique

      Deliberately kick up with more force than is required for a handstand so that you start to overbalance. Delay the fall for as long as you can by digging your hands into the ground. When it can’t be rescued, twist to bail safely and catch yourself.

      Play around with the intensity of the kick up and see if you can actually find the right amount of force to stop a kick up in its tracks.

      Wrist Push Up

      Why?

      To build strength in your fingers and forearms to be better at handstands.

      Technique

      Kneeling on all fours, shift your body weight forward so that your shoulders are over your knuckles. Keeping the shoulders there, lift the thumb off the floor, then lift the heel of the hand off the ground by pressing the knuckles down into the floor. Don’t let yourself shift back while you do this – you should feel the undersides of your forearms contracting as you do so.

      General Wrist Warm Up

      What is it?

      A wrist warm up to help get your wrists used to the amount of pressure that’s going to go through them once you start pressurising your hands correctly in a handstand.

      What to do with it

      Follow along with the video, and do this warmup or the pieces of it you think are relevant to you before you handstand.

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      Why would we use a band in a rack to handstand?

      By Bodyweight Training, Exercise Tutorials, Gymnastics Training

      Bands are a great teaching tool because they really force the issue with stability. Unlike a wall or a box where you can leave your weight in it and somewhat cheat your way through a float, flutter or shift drill, the band will make your life really unpleasant if you lean into it and move around. This is great – it means you have to work to be present in your hands and only use the band if you start to lose balance.

      For all of these exercises, you’ll need to place 1-2 heavy resistance bands in a squat rack in the j-hooks, high enough in the rack to catch your feet when you kick or climb up.

      Exercise Quick Navigation

        Handstand Flutter from Rack

        What is it?

        The hardest of the flutter drills, because the band will prevent you from resting into it.

        Technique

        Kick up to the band in the rack the same way you would to the wall. The band will flex as you arrive in it. If you’re too close, it will spit you back out the way you came, so make sure you are 1-2 hand distances away from the rack. Split your legs apart and shift your body weight over your hands until the band stops wobbling. Slowly switch the legs, keeping almost all your weight in your hands (you will have to balance!) and being as light in the legs as possible.

        Common Mistakes

        Leaving weight in the band and wobbling, or collapsing and relaxing into the shoulders and spine.

        Handstand Flutter from Rack – Facing the Rack

        Technique

        Exactly as the one before, but facing toward the band. Climb into it by placing one foot on the upright of the squat rack then hooking the other foot into the rack.

        Band in High Rack to Handstand Hold

        What is it?

        This is a bounce drill, so you’ll have to control the momentum as the band throws you forward.

        Technique

        Find your way into a handstand facing toward the band. Allow a small bounce into and out of the rack to take you into a handstand hold. Grip the ground to prevent overbalancing and try to hold the handstand briefly.

        Handstand Bounce to Walk

        What is it?

        A more aggressive drill where you use the bounce of the band to create a challenge to control.

        Technique

        Kick slightly off the band, then allow the bounce to force you into an overbalance as you rebound. Step into your handstand walk from there.

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        Fix your “almost” handstand walk with these 5 drills

        By Bodyweight Training, Exercise Tutorials, Gymnastics Training

        Are you “kind of” handstand walking but struggling to get the mechanics right? See if these drills help you click with the movement.

        What we’re trying to promote with these is a strong push into the floor to open up the shoulder angle, get strong at taking one step on your hands at a time on your hands, and maintain enough of a strong line through the torso to propel your body forward.

        Exercise Quick Navigation

          Wall Walk

          What You’ll Need

          A wall.

          Technique

          Starting with your feet on the wall and your chest on the floor, push up into a high plank then shift your hips back to a pike. Step both feet up on the wall, then start walking your hands in toward the wall until your chest lightly taps the wall in a wall-facing handstand.

          Make sure you pull your bottom ribs toward your belt line and stay in a long tight line so you’re not wobbling side to side much as you walk toward the wall.

          Common Mistakes

          Being loose in the core – this only costs you energy in the shoulders! Make your life easier by keeping a hollow body as best as you can.

          Wax on Wax Off

          What is it?

          Practicing an efficient hand movement for your handstand walks.

          What You’ll Need

          A wall.

          Technique

          In a handstand on the wall (facing away from the wall), push even harder into the floor to make space to sweep the other hand around in a small circle (like you’re waxing a car, but elbows straight). This mimics how we want to step in a handstand walk.

          Common Mistakes

          Bending the elbows too much – in an efficient handstand walk, the elbows bend only slightly.

          Lateral handstand walk

          What is it?

          Practicing the shift from one hand to the other and moving your body with it.

          What You’ll Need

          A wall.

          Technique

          In either a chest to wall or normal kick up to handstand position, take steps sideways by moving one hand then the other. Your weight will shift into the grounded hand. You can spice it up by walking over a plate as well if you want more challenge!

          Kick Up Step to Wall

          What is it?

          Practice taking steps in open space then returning safely to the wall.

          Technique

          Kick up to a freestanding handstand then take a few steps toward the wall. The more confident you are, the further away you can start.

          Handstand Step from Wall

          What is it?

          Taking your first steps in a handstand walk, without having to worry about the accuracy of your kick up.

          What You’ll Need

          A wall and space away from the wall to walk into.

          Technique

          Wall walk your way into a chest to wall handstand, shift your weight over the top of the fingertips and start stepping your hands to walk away from the wall.

          Common Mistakes

          Kicking off the wall instead of shifting into the overbalance, or shifting way too fast and not being able to control the overbalance to turn it into an efficient walk.

          Handstand Walk Parallel to Wall

          What is it?

          Walking on your hands with the assistance of one foot dragging along the wall to prevent serious over- or under-balances.

          What You’ll Need

          A wall with 3-10m of space that you can walk along without running into any hazards.

          Technique

          Kick up to handstand then let the foot nearest the wall catch the wall.

          Common Mistakes

          Leaving the foot behind – you’ll need the foot on the wall to be slightly ahead of where your hands are for this to work well.

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          Handstand drills to get you off the wall

          By Bodyweight Training, Exercise Tutorials, Gymnastics Training

          Most early handstand drills start on the wall – because we need help with the balance component at first. One of the mistakes beginners make with this is letting the wall take a lot of their weight. These drills will help you feel what it’s like to shift your weight into your hands instead of the wall.

          Do them with the intention of putting as little weight into the wall as you can, using the wall gently for balance only.

          Exercise Quick Navigation

            Handstand Hold on Wall

            Technique

            Kick up to a handstand on the wall. Focus on the following:

            • Pushing into the floor to get as tall as you can, and open the shoulder as much as you can
            • Gently squeeze the glutes and pull the ribs down toward your belt line to avoid letting the lower back extend. Only your heels should be on the wall
            • Grip the ground by pushing your fingertips into the floor
            • Shift your body weight over your hands instead of letting it rest into the wall. Touch the wall as lightly as you possibly can.

            Common Mistakes

            • Letting the low back sag and form the “banana back” position.
            • Letting the butt or legs touch the wall
            • Letting the hands be lazy into the floor instead of gripping the ground to pull weight off the wall
            • Relaxing into the shoulders and sinking down toward the floor
            • Squeezing the abs too hard – this will take away from your ability to push into a strong shoulder position, unless you have very impressive shoulder mobility

            Handstand Hold on Wall – chest to wall (wall facing)

            Technique

            The wall facing handstand on wall is harder to get into but is easier to keep a strong body line in. Use this opportunity to focus on keeping the ribs and belt line as close together as they can be without losing range in the shoulder. You do not need to squeeze your abs hard.

            Make sure you stay as light on the wall as possible – the wall should not be doing the work!

            Common Mistakes

            • Relaxing into the shoulders and sinking down toward the floor
            • Squeezing the abs too hard
            • Letting the legs or stomach rest on the wall
            • Letting the wall take your body weight

            Handstand Hold Parallel to Wall

            What is it?

            A way to bridge the gap between free standing holds and holds on the wall. You can use one foot gently on the wall to correct slight over- and under-balances.

            Technique

            Kick up to a freestanding handstand next to a wall, with one shoulder near the wall. Let one foot reach out and catch the wall with your foot. Allow that foot to correct small tips in the wrong direction with your balance – it won’t be enough for major deviations from the balance point but it will help if you wobble a little!

            Wall Pull Aways (heel pulls)

            What is it?

            A movement where you pull yourself from a handstand on the wall and briefly leave the wall to hold off the wall. You can either do these for reps falling back to the wall, or do more aggressive pulls to build strength in the fingers that help to prevent overbalancing.

            Technique

            Kick up to handstand on the wall, placing your fingertips on the ground just over one hand-distance from the wall. Dig your fingertips into the ground hard enough to shift your bodyweight over your hands and allow the heels to gently pull off the wall at the same time. If you can, allow yourself to spend a second or two in that handstand as your heels peel off the wall before returning to the wall. Over time, build the duration up so that you can peel off the wall and hold for several seconds.

            Chest to Wall Pull Aways (Toe Pulls)

            What is it?

            A movement where you drift your bodyweight over your hands from the wall until you are no longer touching the wall. You can use this to practice finding your balance on your hands in a handstand.

            Technique

            Wall walk, split or cartwheel your way into a wall-facing handstand, with the heel of your hand a little more than one hand-distance from the wall. Shift your shoulders and hips over your hands away from the wall, feeling your toes get light and the amount of pressure on the wall slowly reduce to zero. If you can, allow yourself to spend a second or two in that handstand before returning to the wall. Over time, build the duration up so that you can peel off the wall and hold for several seconds.

            Handstand flutter

            What is it?

            A movement that allows you to experience brief moments in the handstand while switching the legs to allow for some support from the wall.

            Technique

            Kick up to a handstand on the wall, a little further away than usual but not far. Separate your legs until you feel the leading leg pull your body weight away from the wall into your hands. Slowly and gently switch which leg is on the wall, letting the legs cross over the middle so there is a brief moment where you are in a handstand.

            Common mistakes

            • Letting the feet slam into the wall – this should be a gentle switch of the feet
            • Letting both feet be on the wall – we are trying to reduce your reliance on the wall with this drill
            • Passive hands – you need to grip the ground to make this work
            • Letting the low back sag – reach tall like you want your toes to touch the sky

            Handstand flutter (chest to wall/wall facing)

            What is it?

            The same as the above, but facing the wall.

            Technique

            Wall walk, split or cartwheel your way into a wall-facing handstand, slightly further away from the wall than usual. Shift your shoulders and hips over your hands away from the wall by separating your legs. Slowly and gently switch which leg is on the wall, letting the legs cross over the middle so there is a brief moment where you are in a handstand.

            Common mistakes

            • Letting the feet slam into the wall – this should be a gentle switch of the feet
            • Letting both feet be on the wall – we are trying to reduce your reliance on the wall with this drill
            • Passive hands – you need to grip the ground to make this work
            • Letting the low back sag – reach tall like you want your toes to touch the sky

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            How to start your handstand walking journey

            By Bodyweight Training, Exercise Tutorials, Gymnastics Training

            If you’re starting to feel proficient with handstand holds and want to turn that skill into walking, here are some drills you can try to help you understand the lateral shift required to get from one hand to the other, and build strength on your hands so you can successfully learn to walk.

            Exercise Quick Navigation

              Pike on Box Shift

              What You’ll Need

              A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.

              Technique

              In a nicely stacked pike with your feet on the box (hips over hands), shift sideways so your weight is in one hand. Then, shift the other way. At this stage, you don’t need to pick the hand up off the floor, but that will be where this drill heads next as you progress it.

              Common Mistakes

              Not getting the hips over the hands! Make sure your hips are directly over the middle of your hands – you can take a photo or video of yourself if it helps. It has to be the middle of the hands or the knuckles, not the heel of the hand.

              Single Arm Pike on Box

              What is it?

              Exactly the same as the shift, but you’re holding the single arm position on one side for time. Hang on for as long as you can to build strength here!

              What You’ll Need

              A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.

              Single Arm HS Shifts

              What is it?

              In a handstand position, shifting your body weight from one hand to the other.

              What You’ll Need

              A wall.

              Technique

              Kick up to a handstand against the wall, as tall as you can with your eyes on the wall opposite you, and shift your body weight into one hand. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can lift the hand off the floor completely and tap the hip, or just lift it slightly off the floor.

              Common Mistakes

              Bending the elbows or relaxing into the handstand – make sure you are pushing HARD into the floor!

              Single Arm HS Shifts (wall facing/chest to wall)

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              5 beginner handstand walk drills you *need* to try

              By Bodyweight Training, Exercise Tutorials, Gymnastics Training

              Learning to walk on your hands requires a decent amount of shoulder strength, good handstand foundations, and the ability to shift your body weight from one side to another while maintaining the position of your core and body. These drills focus on learning to shift your body weight without losing shape.

              Exercise Quick Navigation

                Single Arm Lifts in Plank

                What is it?

                The friendliest and easiest first exposure to bringing some of your body weight into one hand. This is a good place to start since it’s less heavy than a pike position and is usually more familiar than a pike.

                Technique

                From a high plank, shift your body slightly to the side so you can lift one hand off the floor.

                Common Mistakes

                Letting your lower bag sag, or upper back drop down between the shoulder blades. Push tall into the floor with locked elbows!

                Plank up downs

                What You’ll Need

                A box and a bumper plate

                Technique

                Starting in a high plank with your feet on the box and your hands either side of a bumper plate, step one hand up onto the plate, then the other. Then, step the first hand back down off the plate, and the second. Repeat for as many reps as is prescribed. Push into the floor to make space and let your shoulder blades glide forward instead of being pinned back

                Common Mistakes

                Make sure you stay tight in abs so your body is a straight line from shoulders to toes – don’t let your lower back sag! Also avoid the upper back sagging down into the shoulder blades – they shouldn’t be sticking up or squeezed back. Keep your elbows nearly locked the whole time and use this push from the sholuder blades to move the hands.

                Plank walk over plate

                What is it?

                This is an entry-level drill to help you understand how to push into the ground to make space for the other hand to sweep through like you would in a handstand walk.

                What You’ll Need

                A bumper plate and a low box.

                Technique

                Setting up with your feet on the box and hands on one side of the bumper plate, walk both hands over the bumper plate. Repeat in the other direction and accumulate time on your hands like this.

                Common Mistakes

                Sagging through the low back, bending the elbows, or sinking into the shoulder blades.

                Single arm alternating pike shift

                What is it?

                This shifting movement is a nice bridge from shifting hands in a plank movement to doing it in a more handstand-like pike movement.

                Technique

                Make a pike position on the floor. Shift your body weight enough to clear one hand from the floor, and tap your hip. Then switch sides.

                Common Mistakes

                Theres’ no need to extend the back heaps here – you can just stay long with the spine.

                Lateral pike walk over plate

                What is it?

                Very much like the plank walk over the plate, but shifting into a more handstand-like position.

                What You’ll Need

                A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ and a bumper plate.

                Technique

                Walking into a pike (knees can be bent) with your hands on one side of the bumper plate, walk your hands over the plate until you’re on the other side. Count this as one rep, then walk back the other way.

                Common Mistakes

                Not getting hips stacked over hands – make sure your hips are directly over the middle of the hands when you do this.

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                What are “float” to handstand drills?

                By Bodyweight Training, Exercise Tutorials, Gymnastics Training

                Float to handstand drills are some of the most important for your progression in handstand holds, and therefore also handstand walks. Floats teach us to slowly and gently shift into the balance point in a handstand. They are a gentle movement and require you to engage the hands as you float off a box, wall, band or other object into your handstand hold or walk.

                This is where most people go wrong – they are in a hurry to be in a handstand, so they rush the shift in position from the moment their weight is on another surface to the moment they are fully supporting their own weight in a handstand. Kicking, shoving, or otherwise using momentum to get off a secondary base of support fails to build the understanding of where the body weight needs to be centred in the hand for a successful handstand.

                As you watch through the float drills below, think about how you could slow it down, be gentle, and let your brain focus on what your hands and body weight are doing, instead of thinking about being “off” or “on” the secondary base of support.

                Exercise Quick Navigation

                  Box float to handstand

                  What is it?

                  A float to handstand drill that leaves more weight on the box and requires a more substantial and obvious weight shift than when you float from a wall.

                  What You’ll Need

                  A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box, and maybe some extra bumper plates if you need a higher box.

                  Technique

                  From a pike on the box (you can bend your legs if you need to), lift one leg up toward the sky and feel the weight shift into your hands from your feet. Keep shifting until the leg remaining on the box gets so light that it feels like less than a gram of your body weight is left in the box. Grip your fingers into the floor and allow the foot to lift off the box.

                  Common Mistakes

                  Pushing or kicking off the box. No float drills involve kicking.

                  Band in rack float to handstand

                  What You’ll Need

                  A couple of thick resistance bands, a squat rack or rig with uprights that you can set the resistance bands in at roughly the height of your neck or chin.

                  Technique

                  Climb your legs up the squat rack so that you can hook your feet into the band. Stretch your legs up so that you can now rest your shins into the band. If the band is on your thighs, raise the band up higher. Get into a tall handstand position and separate your legs. Bring the leading leg over your body until you feel the weight of the leg still in the band start to feel light. Continue shifting until there is hardly any weight remaining in the band and the band is no longer wobbling. See if you can lift the leg off the band. If you can’t lift it off, you need to keep shifting further forward into your hands.

                  Common Mistakes

                  Leaving way too much body weight in the band and trying to kick out of it.

                  Float to handstand from wall

                  What is it?

                  The smallest movement out of all the float to handstand drills. This makes it both the easiest because it doesn’t take much shift to get into the float, and also the hardest because you have to be more conscious of a less obvious shift in weight from the heels of the hands to the middle of the hands.

                  What You’ll Need

                  A wall.

                  Technique

                  From a wall-facing handstand, separate your legs and allow the leading leg to gently pull you off the wall. Move as slowly as you can. At some point, you will feel almost no weight left on the wall in the second leg, and your second foot will leave the wall when your weight has fully shifted into your hands. Do not rush the legs together at this point, just hold that position by gripping the ground.

                  Common Mistakes

                  Pushing or kicking off the wall, or rushing to close the legs.

                  Another mistake is not gripping the ground or pushing the fingers into the floor, so when the weight shifts there’s nowhere to go but to fall over the top.

                  Box straddle press

                  What is it?

                  A double-leg float (which is how we regress the press to handstand!)

                  What You’ll Need

                  A box.

                  Technique

                  From a pike on the box, shift your legs wide then aggressively (but slowly) shift your weight over your hands until your feet lift off the box. You will need to push harder into the floor with your legs than with the single leg variations of this.

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                  How to build handstand-worthy shoulders

                  By Bodyweight Training, Exercise Tutorials, Gymnastics Training

                  Getting strong enough to spend minutes in a handstand requires spending a lot of time on your hands! But not all of that will happen upside down right away. We can regress straight arm strength training and make it more fun by mixing up positions and adding in other sources of challenge.

                  Exercise Quick Navigation

                    Plank to Down Dog

                    What is it?

                    The friendliest, easiest movement to start moving your shoulders from a plank into a more handstand-type postion.

                    Technique

                    Shift from a high plank position into a pike or downward dog position. Think about pressing into the floor and keeping your neck long.

                    Common Mistakes

                    There’s no need to extend your back excessively here – that’s not a position we will need in a handstand. Keep your ribs pulled down toward your pelvis like you’re doing a very small crunch and let the shoulders do the work.

                    Box Plank Around The World

                    What is it?

                    An easy way to accumulate lots of time with your weight through your hands and shoulders.

                    What You’ll Need

                    A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.

                    Technique

                    Set yourself up in a strong plank (no saggy spines!) on a box. Keep your feet in one place, and walk your hands around the box for as many reps as is prescribed.

                    Box Plank to Pike

                    What is it?

                    An early way to expose you to moving from a horizontal position to a stacked, hips over hands position, while still working on straight arm strength. Try to go as close to the box as you can – you want to walk your hands so close to the box you almost feel like you’re going to fall over the top.

                    What You’ll Need

                    A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.

                    Technique

                    With your feet on a box, walk from a high plank to a pike position (hips stacked over hands). Don’t worry if you have to bend your knees, hips over hands is more important than straight legs.

                    Common Mistakes

                    Not walking all the way in. Film yourself from the side if you need to check that you are walking close enough. You should be able to draw a vertical line from your hip to the floor and that line should draw through the middle of your hands (not the heel of your hands).

                    Lateral Plank Walk Over Plate to Box Wall Walk in Pike

                    What is it?

                    In a high plank, walking the hands back and forth over a bumper plate then walking into a pike position.

                    What You’ll Need

                    A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box and a 10-20kg bumper plate.

                    Technique

                    Make sure to keep a tight body line and walk all the way into your pike position so your hips are over your hands.

                    Pike Around The World

                    What is it?

                    In a pike position, walking your hands around a box to accumulate time upside down on your hands. It’s not a flexibility contest, so don’t worry if you need a higher box or if you need to bend your knees.

                    What You’ll Need

                    A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.

                    Technique

                    Walk from a plank with your feet on a box to a pike. Then walk your hands around the box in a circle, keeping your hips stacked over your hands.

                    Handstand Up Downs

                    What is it?

                    A shoulder strength drill that forces you to push into the ground so you can step up onto a plate.

                    What You’ll Need

                    A wall and a 10-20kg bumper plate.

                    Technique

                    Place a bumper plate near a wall and kick up to handstand with your hands on either side of the plate. Step one hand up onto the plate, then the other. This will be a narrow shoulder position for some, do your best. Then step back down. That’s one rep! Keep going, it will get burny pretty quickly.

                    Common Mistakes

                    Letting the back sag instead of staying tall and upright in the handstand.

                    Handstand Up Downs C2W

                    What is it?

                    The same as the above, just facing the wall.

                    Technique

                    Place a bumper plate near a wall and wall walk or cartwheel into a wall-facing handstand with your hands on either side of the plate. Step your hands up and down onto the plate.

                    Common Mistakes

                    Putting too much weight into the wall – stay in your hands!

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                    How to overcome your fear of going upside down

                    By Bodyweight Training, Exercise Tutorials, Gymnastics Training

                    Fear is a normal part of learning to handstand (or any gymnastics) and we don’t have to just ignore it! Using drills to stretch your comfort zone helps you learn to become comfortable with new movements and stay safe doing so.

                    Learning to bail from a handstand is particularly important, and it all starts with remembering a movement you probably did at school: the cartwheel! The cartwheel helps us understand how to fall from a handstand because you shift onto one hand and rotate around that planted hand. This is the same movement we do when we overbalance from a handstand.

                    We can learn cartwheels to intentionally mimic overbalanced positions and learn to manage them, while still progressing them slowly enough that you feel safe.

                    Exercise Quick Navigation

                      Cartwheel

                      Technique

                      The important part of a cartwheel is the sequencing – one limb at a time lands on the floor. We don’t want both feet landing on the floor at once. It’s okay if your cartwheel is small at first, but as you gain confidence try to make it bigger and bigger until your feet pass directly over your head and you are perfectly vertical upside down.

                      Common Mistakes

                      Beginners will be tempted to go around the side of a cartwheel instead of over the top. The more you can get yourself to go fully upside down, the more helpful it will be when you bail from a handstand.

                      Cartwheel off box

                      What is it?

                      When you’re competent with a cartwheel, or if you need to try a different version, you can start the cartwheel with your feet on a box. This will help force your weight further over the top, so make sure you’re not just hopping off to the side of the box.

                      What You’ll Need

                      A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.

                      Technique

                      Walk your hands in so your hips are over your hands in a pike, then shift your weight over your hands so far that you have to lift one hand with the other still planted, then twist to catch yourself with one foot at a time.

                      Common Mistakes

                      Landing both feet at once, or falling sideways next to the box instead of rotating over one planted hand.

                      Cartwheel off wall

                      What is it?

                      Much like the box, the wall leaves you with almost no escape from the shift required to go over the top. Get adventurous and force yourself to shift close to the wall so you can really feel what it’s like to overbalance over the top of your hands.

                      What You’ll Need

                      A wall!

                      Technique

                      Wall walk your way to a wall-facing handstand, then shift your weight forward in your hands until you start to fall over the top. Shift one hand out of the way, rotate in that direction, and catch one foot on the floor at once.

                      Common Mistakes

                      Not shifting far enough over the top of the hands.

                      Overbalance from wall

                      What is it?

                      This is much like the cartwheel from wall, but you’re going to generate some momentum pushing off the wall so that you have to catch in your cartwheel quickly.

                      What You’ll Need

                      A wall.

                      Technique

                      Wall walk your way to a wall-facing handstand, then use your foot to push off the wall into an overbalance. Shift one hand out of the way, rotate in that direction, and catch one foot on the floor at once.

                      Single arm cartwheel

                      What is it?

                      A more advanced cartwheel that can help you understand how to rotate over one hand a bit faster than the two-handed cartwheel.

                      Technique

                      Enter the cartwheel as usual, but do not place the second hand on the ground. Twist over the top, landing your feet in the same order as usual.

                      Common Mistakes

                      The one handed cartwheel is very hard unless you can do a good cartwheel with a full rotation over the top. Make sure your cartwheel is good before you try this!

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                      January 31, 2024
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