Melbourne Handstand Adventures #1

Here is  1 nearby outdoor nature adventure, 1 very useful handstand tip and 1 great place to eat

A couple of weekends ago I was hankering for a dose of the green stuff.. no not that! Tree's and nature! So I jumped in my old light green station wagon, affectionately named "the pistachio" with my partner Viv and we headed out to "Mt lofty".

The name turned out to be rather ironic. The elevation was akin more to mound than mountain. However the surrounds were pretty beautiful, which included a large river. We noted kayakers fondling paddling downstream but were not sure of its suitability for swimming.  

The main highlight turned out to be the abundant wildlife! The tally visually tagged was impressive : 1 kangaroo, 1 blue tongue lizard, Countless skinks, 4 black cockatoo's, 1 kookaburra and all Manner of butterflies, beetle's and other interesting insects. For an easy 1 hour drive from melbourne and 2 hour return loop hike I would give it a thumbs up. Here's some visual evidence : 

It is me! Lol.

Cute lil fella =)

One of the best tips for handstand training is to remember that it's not all about intensity, but rather consistency. It's more important to practice consistently, even if it's only for 20-30minutes here and there, than to try to cram a lot of intense training into one huge session once per week.

Spreading out your practice over the course of the week – even if it's just 30 minutes each day – can help you build up strength, increase your control, and master the skill much faster in the long run.

Plus, doing shorter sessions more frequently helps ensure that you don't wear yourself out or risk injury from pushing too hard in one go.  Of course If you are more advanced ( or want to be)  you will slowly build up to sessions that are both frequent and quite long in duration, but this takes time and a methodical approach.

The msg here is to never stop for weeks at a time (unless injured or sick) You ALWAYS have time for 15 mins. This is soooo much better than nothing.

For the Melbourne seafood lovers, one of my personal favourite restaurants is "Claypots" in St Kilda. Everything is freshly caught and on display at the front of the kitchen. Because of this the menu is different every time you attend, but always amazing.

One night a week they have a band playing live music in their adjacent bar. One winter as I sipped Mulled wine with a friend we were witness to some seriously amazing fiddle playing, the dude was a virtuoso.

Just an overall winning combo of atmosphere, super good service and wonderful food. Not pretentious at all but not shabby either. Very reasonably priced for what it is.

Happy handstand training, eating and trekking,

=)

Sundi

sundi pereira

Handstand Classes, Workshops and Short Courses Melbourne

For all things related to the wonderful world of hand balancing and handstands, handstand classes, handstand workshops and handstand short courses Suby Handstands has got you covered in Melbourne.

Whether you want to work in a group setting with Melbourne based handstand classes or Melbourne based handstand short courses or on a one to one basis with private handstand lessons you are going to experience growth in your practice.

Many people believe that the best way to progress their handstand is to repeat the same thing over and over again thinking that one day it will lead to some sort of miracle and finally click. I can tell you best way to progress is in fact to practice, but to practice the RIGHT things for your specific level, awareness and body. This is the way forward in your handstand training.

Participating in handstand classes or private handstand lessons is the best way to find the keys to unlock the gates to progress and stop experiencing frustration and fear in your handstand practice.

So you’ve mastered handstand at the wall and are ready to take it to the middle of the room? But every time you hop up, it feels like you can only hold the pose for a nanosecond. What gives? How can you learn to stick your balance in the center of the room?

If you’re looking to move your handstand away from the wall, odds are you’re already familiar with kicking up into the pose. Even so, starting with a solid, well-aligned foundation and kicking up with confidence can strongly increase your chances of balancing in handstand.

Press handstands are one of the coolest gymnastics/acrobatic skills out there

They are a demonstration of control, power and body awareness that can be done virtually anywhere.

Press handstand is a beautiful skill but one that is made up of many physical attributes. Flexibility, core strength, shoulder strength, skill and technique all equally play an important role. Having coaching to assess which area's you individually need to develop is vital to learn press to handstand safely and efficiently. I can help you put together a training plan to achieve your inversion, arm balance and hand balancing goals.

Tuck handstand is another awesome skill to work on.

As the name implies, a Tuck handstand is a bent leg position where the knees are pulling towards the chest, versus a handstand where the legs are fully extended with toes pointing directly towards the sky.

It helps to develop correct should alignment, shoulder strength, shoulder flexibility and is the gateway to many other cool handstand shapes. There is 2-3 amazing handstand drills that drastically help develop tuck handstand.

What about handstand pushups? A brilliant display of body control and raw power.

Just like you wouldn’t want someone performing a ton of kipping pull-ups when they don’t have the strength to do one strict pull-up, we don’t want someone doing a ton of kipping handstand push-ups if they don’t have the strength to do a strict handstand push-up. The shoulder strength required to complete a handstand push-up is great, and some may not have that strength just yet. Have no fear, I have created a simple training program to help you build your upper body strength to reach the goal of obtaining a strict handstand push-up. With dedication, patience and hard work, you too can successfully attain the handstand pushup.

As soon as you’re able to balance a handstand by the wall for just a few seconds without using the wall for support, it’s time to start adding some freestanding handstand exercises to your practice. BUT don’t leave the wall behind entirely just yet, it will still be one of the most useful tools for awhile to help maintain your conditioning and continue developing sound balance mechanics.

It can seem both terrifying and impossible to move your handstand practice away from the wall. Because what’s gonna happen if you fall? Some parts of the fear of falling out of a handstand are rational, others are entirely irrational.

let me help you address and overcome the rational fear of falling when you practice the freestanding handstand.

Learn how to handstand by learning :

How to fall

The benefits of going upside down

The muscles worked in a handstand

How to warm up before doing a handstand

Step-by-step directions for doing a handstand

Common handstand mistakes to avoid

As for how long it'll take you to master a handstand? It's pretty individual. Some will get it right away, while it takes a lot longer for others. Remember that it’s as much a mental discipline as a physical one and keep trying, knowing that you will get there.

So let get started. Click on the Handstand classes Melbourne page and take your practice to the next level whilst cultivating discipline and self understanding.