Essential Handstand Attributes

WHY are you doing that?

An important question to ask.

Skill. Mobility. Strength. Endurance.

Are inseperable from the practice of handstands.

Yet each must be viewed through a different lens.

An even better question is “Am I getting the right amount of each attribute specific to my goals?”

Each lends itself better to different volume, frequency, intensity and order of daily completion.

Yes they are all expressed to varying degrees in each handstand that takes place BUT when you are specifically developing a movement with a strong bias to one of them for example handstand push-ups (predominant strength bias) you need to know how to factor that into your program.

Which would be very different to how you would approach learning a straddle jump entry (skill bias) especially in terms of sets, reps, weekly frequency.

This is why when people tell me they practice twice a week for 15 mins and still cant hold a handstand or nail their entries consistently I respectfully smile and give them some advice.

By contrast twice a week frequency for HSPU can work very well

This is just a very basic example. I could give you 20 more. There are many other factors that go into programming handstands for students.

If you want me to take care of this for you hit me up with a MSG.

Online, in person, group classes. All work well

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2 universal handstand truths

At a festival on Easter long weekend a brief conversation with a nice gentleman got me thinking about two universal truths that seem to apply to most people I have talked about handstands with.

1. The struggle. Everyone seems to think they are a special case of un-talented or especially challenged.

The hard truth is handstands are f*&^ing difficult and most people feel this way. If you are progressing you are constantly practicing at the edge of your ability and failing and falling frequently.

This is normal and once you embrace it the mental anguish diminishes greatly.

Hot tip. Practice. Don’t get too attached to any one day of training. Each one is a page in your novel that slowly adds up over time.

2. The variability is very high day to day.

Anyone who has spent a considerable amount of time on their hands has experienced this. The difference between a “good day” and a “bad day” can be pretty massive. For no obvious reason sometimes.

This applies to all levels. You don’t have to be kicking game winning goals every session to be productive.

Your old good day will eventually be your new bad day.

I have seen advanced hand balancers do amazing things I may never accomplish and fret and swear in frustration.

The goal posts are always shifting. But the high variability remains.

Be patient and celebrate the beautiful, complex and at times mysterious wonder of this awesome discipline and your body

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If it were easy you probably wouldn't be interested...

We are in an age where at the press of a few buttons we can have food, alcohol and gadgets delivered directly to our door and are bombarded with dopamine quick fix media.

Having a practice where progress and achievement must be hard earned is a good thing in my opinion.

Not being able to “google” the answer and solve the physical puzzle by actually “doing”.

Its why I often call handstands “self development”

It is about so much more than the skills themselves.


So again, if it were easy, you probably wouldn’t be interested… and you would have far less to learn, not just about handstands, but yourself too.

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Breathing and handstands

A quick one on breath and handstands

Without outside interference most people are pretty good at breathing intuitively depending on the physical task at hand.

That being said here are a few observations that may be of use to you.

Whilst balancing for instance a straight freestanding handstand, a more shallow breathing pattern can be useful. Exhaling deeply can affect the bodies ability to hold enough tension. A bit like a tire deflating.

This is obviously up for debate but very deep meditative breathing can be counter productive in that sense (more so at the the earlier stages of learning)

The total opposite is holding your breath completely whilst you hold which is obviously going to limit you! This is pretty common give your body oxygen please.

Another thing to note is when entering your handstand (kickup, tuckup etc.) Naturally most people will briefly hold their breath until the handstand has been “caught” dont worry this isnt any longer than 1-2 seconds.

One more observation is during certain phases of strength elements. For example a handstand pushup. Inhale during the lower down and then exhale during the push back up to handstand.

Another example, chinups. Exhale as you pull up to the bar and inhale during the lower down.

One last one for the one arm enthusiasts. When I enter a one arm flag I inhale and hold as I side flex into position then once there I exhale and begin breathing normally (well slightly shallower)

That’s all for today!

Happy training =)

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Directions of balance in two and one arm handstand

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

=)

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Handstand Training Principle #1

It depends on what your experience level and training history is but as a general rule of thumb prioritize frequency and consistency over intensity.

Treat handstands as a skill (a skill with a very evident physical component that also needs to be understood and addressed)

If your practice sessions are super intense you will get too tired and be unable to recover well enough to keep the quality of your skill and drill work acceptable throughout the week.

Sloppy practice equals sloppy results.

This is a practice where small details, focus and intent play a very big role in progression. Do not mindlessly fling yourself up, over and over again expecting a different result.

Slowly increase the amount of workload you can handle, especially if you are new to the game. The easiest way to injure your wrists is to go from ZERO to practicing 5 days a week pedal to the floor.

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The 7 handstand shape

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The lucky 7 handstand shape

Called so because of the obvious resemblance to the number, the 7 is a beautiful handstand position when executed correctly.

But where to begin?

I am going to state the obvious first. You should have a solid 30-60s handstand. Period.

Also before “Sevening” it helps to be VERY comfortable “tucking!”

The base on which we layer our 7 onto is the tuck handstand. A fantastic, very useful shape that all handstand lovers should explore and develop. Something I strongly focus on with my students for the very specific mobility, strength and shoulder position gains it imbues.

Thighs Parallel to the floor, with the shoulder at least a 180 angle held for 30 seconds is the first step.

At this point you would think “Oh I will just extend the legs!” BUT work on achieving an even deeper tuck, It doesn’t quite need to be knee's to chest but the lower the better. Again hitting 30s in a low or “full tuck” will make the next steps much easier, not to mention be excellent for your handstand practice in general.

THE HALF SEVEN

From a thighs parallel to the floor tuck slowly extend once leg till its fully straight whilst keep both thighs and knee's together. You will feel the load through your shoulders and upper back increase.

This can can be done with your chest facing the wall as demonstrated. The distance will depend on the length of your legs so space it out accordingly (again with at least a 180 shoulder angle)

If your pike or forward fold is not developed this is where you will start to come up against difficulty. Working on this will help you achieve much nicer lines and really sell the shape.

Working on pike compressions will also aid in locking the position in place.

Build up to 20-30s holding your half seven.

THE SEVEN

Ok time to finish the job and achieve your goal. Because we have properly prepared our body much of the work is done. From your parallel tuck handstand slowly extend both legs as straight as possible while keep the legs together.

Once you achieve 20-30 seconds in this position give yourself a huge pat on the back. You have achieved something awesome and should be proud!

If you are comfortable holding your head in a neutral position (position 2) or even with the head right through (position 3) this not only looks cool but helps achieve a more open shoulder position.

For more specifics ( your body is unique), programming, numbers and guidance, well I teach this stuff for a living so get in touch to learn more! =)

Happy training.

Sundi

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Slow is the go

If there was ever a daily mantra I repeat to myself it would be "slow is the go"

For me this is put into practice by :

-Not trying to do too much too quickly which has gotten me injured in the past and/or burnt out.

-Resting long enough between sets. This prevents early cumulative fatigue and in a skills based practice like handstands keeps the quality higher throughout a session. Quality practice>quality results.

-Taking my time getting into and out of positions by adopting a slower tempo. For example, when transferring to one arm from two arm handstand the slower I move (within reason) often the better the set (applies to entries and shape changes etc.) Get it slow then you can do it fast.

What helps accomplish these points?

Meditation

For myself and others, many of the hurdles in accomplishing the above are based in the mind. Slow down your mind first and see what follows.

Volumes have been written about the benefit of meditation but I want to state here how powerful this can be as a tool for handstand training. You don’t need to be "spiritual" to reap the rewards.

I simply make sure to start off everyday or practice session by closing my eyes and breathing deeply for 10 minutes "watching my thoughts".

The day that follows is always of higher quality than if I had skipped my meditation.

Something I often tell people is "No meditation - the day runs me. when I meditate - I run the day".

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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.