Transitioning from Wall Handstands to Free Standing

[Ortprod]

Thanks very much Coach

[Rambro]

Coach/All,

My question is in the amount of back/neck arch I should have while in the handstand. This derives from the problem I have maintaining tension throughout my body when I allow the arch to increase. I can keep a straight/tense body if I keep my head neutral and don't look down, but this type of handstand doesn't feel as likely to lead to handstand walking or other progressions because I can't see where I'm going. Looking toward my hands with a slight back arch feels stronger, but as previously stated, I have alot of trouble maintaining the necessary whole body tension. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Rambro

[Animalonfire]

@Rambro I'm not sure how helpful I'm being, but I've seen HS walks with neutral heads. If you're really worried you could work both. Ido recommends a 50/50 split between a strict HS and a free one for non gymnasts (http://idoportal.blogspot.com/2009/07/floreio-workout-number-4_4249.html). As an aside, I've heard that premature HS walking can sabotage a static HS, look out!

I also have a question. Can it be detrimental (to balance or wrist health) to practice handstands on uneven ground? Simply because I want to enjoy the sunshine in my garden whilst inverted.

[Richard Duelley]

I also have a question. Can it be detrimental (to balance or wrist health) to practice handstands on uneven ground? Simply because I want to enjoy the sunshine in my garden whilst inverted.

Just get a decent smooth piece of wood, sand it to prevent splinters and set on the ground. Then just handstand away!

[Coach Sommer]

My question is in the amount of back/neck arch I should have while in the handstand.

None.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Animalonfire]

I also have a question. Can it be detrimental (to balance or wrist health) to practice handstands on uneven ground? Simply because I want to enjoy the sunshine in my garden whilst inverted.

Just get a decent smooth piece of wood, sand it to prevent splinters and set on the ground. Then just handstand away!

Thanks.

[Rambro]

Thanks coach.

[Robert Stejskal]

Beware of equating partial handstand pushups, i.e. hands on the floor and the head touching the ground, with full range HSPUs. A full range handstand pushup is actually done with the hands elevated at least 12" or so off of the floor and entails lowering the shoulders completely to the hands at the bottom of the repetition. This is a fairly advanced exercise and is several orders of magnitude harder than only lowering the head to the floor.

This is something I did not know. I just assumed that a HSPU was hands on floor with straight arms / lower head to floor / straighten arms.

I guess I can't do handstand pushups yet. Not even close.

[Ian Legrow]

Quick question. I do not feel working on handstands against the wall for 10 to 20 minutes would be benifical right now becasue i am not that strong. I do feel that adding 30s every month would be perfect for me however. But Coach said he does not recommend that for people doing this for fitness. I am doing gymnastics no only for fitness, but in hopes that i can do something with the skill someday. Do i have to do 10 to 20 min (gradually working up to it obviously)? I don't see anything wrong with adding 30s every month

[anhkun]

would grease the groove method work well with handstand training? so like everytime i go to the kitchen which is like 4-5 times a day. also i was wondering about hand placement, i read an article about chinese acrobats and how they kinda dig their fingers into the ground, or should my hands be flat?

[Sailor Venus]

I find using an alleyway or a narrow corridor a good place to practice handstands. If my legs fall forward or behind, there's a wall on either side! Plus a quick way to practice balancing on the forward/backward axis.

[Rik de Kort]

would grease the groove method work well with handstand training? so like everytime i go to the kitchen which is like 4-5 times a day. also i was wondering about hand placement, i read an article about chinese acrobats and how they kinda dig their fingers into the ground, or should my hands be flat?

Handstand is a skill after a very short while. So high frequency, quality practice is what you want. As long as your wrists can take it, you can practice HS as much as you like.

[EL OO]

HI all. I'm new to the group and I've been working on my free standing hand stand for a few months now. I started with frog stands and then graduated to wall stands with my back to the wall , I'm also doing hand stand push ups against the wall. Since joining the form I've started using the method of having my stomach facing the wall and taking one leg off and then the other slowly to and working on the balance. I've being doing this every single chance I get. Ive manage to get a few seconds with both legs off the wall most times but I would not call it consistent. I'm debating taking today off to give my upper back muscles a break from all the attempts. Any thoughts our ideas to help through this progression are appreciated.

[Nic Branson]

Time and patience. It will take a bit, continue to work on body alignment with the wall facing work. A well aligned 5 second free hold is an accomplishment. It may not seem like much but to do it right even for that short times takes a bit. Make sure you are doing all your mobility and strength work as well. Be mindful of shoulder girdle, spine, and wrist strength and mobility.

[EL OO]

Thanks Nick , I try to make sure I have my arms locked and I tighten my body in a straight line. Also I stretch my wrist and I do the wrist push ups on my knees , not able to do them on my toes as I see done in the videos. I will set 5 seconds as a goal and one to push beyond once I accomplish that. The 5 seconds would show amazing progress and let me know I'm moving in the right direction.

[SeaSeaRider]

Thanks, Coach!

I decided to heed your advice and do wall handstands for longer periods of time... Yesterday after reading this post; I did 3x60 secs of supported handstands (some wall, some w/ partner spotting). By the third minute, I began to notice that when I pressed firmly into my fingertips, suddenly my toes felt lighter and my body straighter. At the end of my third set, I balanced away from the wall for a good 3 seconds. Today, I did another minute of wall handstands and had two moments of at least 5 seconds each in which I balanced and felt SUPER solid. I am amazed how quickly the muscle-memory is building. To see a personal best emerge so quickly is inspiring to say the least. I'm psyched to continue standing on my hands for at least a minute a day.

Thanks again for the sound advice.

Best,

SeaSeaRider

[Jacob Richardson]

I watched some guy at my gymnastics gym stay upside down for 24:00 minutes. didnt move a muscle until like 20 minutes in. Was incredible to watch!

[Alexander Kornishev]

Anybody here do overhead squats? They strengthened my OH flexibility a lot but they are obviously not the exact same thing as a HS. I think micro loading weight and getting used to flexing those erector muscles can help a bunch, on top of HS practice. Just my $.02

Great post Coach!

Great stuff! As for overhead squat there seems to be little carryover to HS. 125% BW x15 here but it does not really help with HS progression.

[Coach Sommer]

Great stuff! As for overhead squat there seems to be little carryover to HS. 125% BW x15 here but it does not really help with HS progression.

This has also been my experience. The benefits of OHS are largely specific to olympic lifting.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Mark Collins]

I have found that as my handstand has improved my OHS has felt a lot better.

[Jan Reipert]

I have found that as my handstand has improved my OHS has felt a lot better.

same here. did not train it at all for a while and hit a 20kg PB while doing H1.

[Coach Sommer]

same here. did not train it at all for a while and hit a 20kg PB while doing H1.

That is impressive. Nice PR.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Andrew Graham]

JAREDLLL, If you want to find out if you have enough shoulder flexibility then perform a shoulder flexion test. raise your arm up in front of you so that your shoulder and thoracic are completely in line! as in humerus NOT the forearm should be at just a little past 12 o'clock in relation to your body.

[Jan Reipert]

That is impressive. Nice PR.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

 

thanks coach. i have to say i credit this PR not only to increased shoulder strength and mobility but also to a much much better body-tension i earned though foundation-FL-work 

 

after i did the 100kg, the next step now will be a 150%bw-oh-squat  (120 for me)

[Dell Mekolon]

Hello everyone - I just recently joined the program and have a question regarding wall handstands:  I'm comfortable going back-against-wall, but when I do stomach to wall, I immediately tense up and almost panic because I feel as though I will inevitably fall over backwards flat on my back.  I know how to bail out of a free-standing handstand so logically, I'm pretty sure I won't fall straight over backwards off the wall...but my body's reaction is to automatically tense up and to make me feel an immediate sensation of possibly falling over onto my back as soon as my hands get closer to the wall.  This creepy sensation prevents me from even thinking about holding my handstand (with hands just close-ish to the wall) for any length of time.  Hopefully my explanation makes sense...any tips on how I can overcome this fear and gain more confidence that I won't hurt myself?  Thanks so much for advice anyone might have!