Wall press handstand without using your head?

[sasquatch]

standing Press handstands are something I really want to learn, but it doesn't seem like i'm ever getting any better at them.

When I try to do them on a wall, the only way I can do it is by pressing my head against the wall really hard. if I don't press my head on the wall the only thing that presses is my shoulder blades, and I can't lift my legs up at all.

I also hear people say stack stuff under your feet to help lift you legs but as soon as I get my toes off the ground I fall into a straddle sit.

Anybody have any ideas of how I can train this move? I already know how to do headstand RLL good.

[peja16_roller]

I just learned the straddle and pike press handstand a month ago, after months of trying. It came to me very slowly, so I feel your pain.

What I found most effective in learning this skill was having the feet elevated. I didn't practice with the wall. It helps a lot to be really flexible to achieve a high level of compression to minimize leverage.

A few tips would be to really dig your fingers into the ground, squeeze your shoulders, start out with your hips high and as level to your shoulders as possible, compress your body (keep legs close to body), and don't be afraid to lean forward as this is necessary in the press.

I think the greatest obstacle is getting over the fear of having to lean forward ("planching it out") in order to counteract underbalance. Once you become more proficient at presses you'll be able to minimize leaning.

If you find that you don't have much flexibility in your wrists or leaning causes you wrist pain then point your fingers slightly to the side to increase ROM in your wrists. Hope this helps.

[sasquatch]

Thanks for the great tips.

I think whenever I try it I stop myself from leaning to far forward. Do you think I should try leaning as far forward as I can until I roll over? I usually just fall back to my feet when I lean to much.

[peja16_roller]

Only lean far enough to get your toes off the ground. So when starting off you might find yourself leaning a considerable amount, but over time you'll be able to refine your technique and minimize leaning. Lean as much as you can, but don't planche press because that's a totally different trick. Then use your back muscle to pull your hips up, and your shoulders should roll back to achieve vertical.

I usually lean ~10-15 degrees from vertical. In a straddle press my feet start off just a few feet apart, and once they leave the ground I try to achieve a really wide straddle as aligned to my body as possible which makes the press a lot easier. This technique allows me to lessen leaning (planching).

[Blairbob]

Currently, I'm trying to work press downs every day and then pressing back up from as low as I can go. I have my boys do this as well in a sort of rotation. 1/2 of them do press downs or ups against the wall and then the other half do presses off a mat or spotted presses with me.

I can press off a mat but nothing off the ground. Crappy straddle L and active flexibility.

Headstand RLL is relatively easy. I could do these till the cows came home but it still won't give me a press.

When I first learned press I had slightly more active flexibility, I think just because I was lighter about 20 pounds lighter. Some of that is fat and some of that is simply more mass. Still, I basically planched forward until I could lift my toes off the ground.

A few years later when I started training again and had lost that upper body strength, that was not gonna happen. I didn't work press downs for whatever reasons and worked them with a spot and off a mat a lot. Ehh.

Now, I don't have a mat at home ( at gym I do of course ) and no spotter so that's what I do.

[Chris]

How good is your HSPU? I also had a very hard time with them presses, actually for a very long time a was light years away from them simpliest press, then I decided to work on full ROM HSPUs negatives on p-bars, and RTO dips on rings, as they improved I gave the press a try and I could perform a straddle and a piked press, even with my severly neglected flexibility, so maybe give 'em a try, because as important as proper technique is in the press, you also need the strength.

Good luck,

Chris

[sasquatch]

Now that I think of it, there was a time when I could actualy get my toes off the ground and hold them up for awhile, I think that was when I was really trying to work on HeSPU, maybe if I start working on HSPU it will become even better.

I heard someone say they thought the RTO dips made them better at presses before too, I should work those also.

Isn't a RTO dip pretty much the ring version of Korean dips?

[Chris]

Didn't try the korean dips, but they seem a bit simillar. Give 'em a try and see how it works out

[Blairbob]

Basically for a press, you need to have decent shoulder strength. Aka the ability to hold and be strong enough in a handstand.

If you have very flexible hips and a good ROM as in active hip flexors, it decreases the amount of planching you need to. One of my little guys isn't very strong at all. He has a 2-3m wall HS but I think it's because his shoulders can be so open against the wall besides the fact he is small. In his press on floor, he doesn't have to lean forward compared to some other kids, especially one who has to significantly planche it ( whereas my hip flexors are probably more flexible/active than his ).

Coach Sommer has also noted besides shoulder girdle strength, it is lower back strength.

HSPU or ring dips will work on your shoulder strength.

[sasquatch]

My right bicep gets a weird kinda ache every once in awhile from doing slow muscle-ups, It makes me feel paine when I do pull-ups or dips, so I haven't been doing any dips or Handstand pushups.

I am getting better at the straddle press though, the best I've done so far was one off a 10 inch pad.