In the first slide you can see the arrows pointing away from the fingers which indicate “overbalance” or falling over the hands. Below the arrows moving away from the heels of the hands indicate “underbalance” or falling onto your stomach.
Managing over and under balance and learning the reactions and mechanics to do so are a non negotiable step for the fledgling freestanding handstand pidgeon
Moving onto the next slide we can see MANY arrows. In addition to over and underbalance, the left and right arrows indicate falling in and out, or left and right.
The diagonals represent the “dreaded twist” rotating either clockwise or counter clockwise.
There is a reason any good handstand coach stresses the importance of mastering the two arm handstand before beginning the one arm pilgrimage.
Over and underbalance must be second nature to the point of complete auto pilot.
Only then will you have the cognitive buffer to be able to multitask the plethora of sensations and pitfalls OAHS throws at you.
Some very common benchmarks to hit are :
-2 minutes straight handstand with GREAT alignment and minimal movement.
-Press handstand and handstand pushup. OAHS takes skill yes, but strength is a huge limiting factor in the beginning
-Moving the legs around through different shapes with total ease.
-Head switches. Moving the head to neutral and looking at the ceiling etc.
These are just a few things.
I get the question so often “when can I start working OAHS?” so hopefully this clears up a few things for some of you out there.
I also see many people struggling simply by starting the process waaaaay too early when their time would be better spent getting their basics IE the above, in order first.
Happy practicing
=)
