elbowstand & tiger bends

[Fady Georgi]

Hi,

I found in old handbalancing book introduced by beastskills.com:

http://www.sandowplus.co.uk/Competition ... orkhb1.htm

Book is advising elbowstand skill for developing handstand, So I want ask if anyone tried this movement for developing/enhancing his handstand, and how much this skill is useful to handstand(I feel it's good for overbalancing issues when trying it freestanding).

Also I want to ask if anyone knows progressions for developing tiger bends(going from elbowstand to handstand) as movement seems impressing for me.

Thks,

Fady

[Guest Ido Portal]

I am doing 5X5 tigerbands from time to time, just as something to play with, but using elbowstand to develop handstand? not a wise choice of how to use your time..

I never trained for the tiger bands, but you can use the usual aproaches:

1. Negatives

2. Targetting the weak link

3. Break down the movement to its parts and train those parts

4. Spotting

etc..

Also, concentrate on full ROM HSPU and 90 degree push ups / bowers and you will get it without training specificaly for it.

I also use an exercise in which you lever down to elbow lever and back to handstand - an excellent exercise, you can see its eccentric part at 00:18 sec of my clip Self Dominance:

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Good luck,

Ido.

[Richard Duelley]

I have worked elbow stands a little bit. They are a decent way to increase general body awareness but I dont really think they helped me with me handstand directly. They are just another tool to get to know yourself better. 8) I have also used elbowstands and headstands to experiment and practice different leg positions, in between my handstand sets, just so I can get the feel of what I want to do before I try it in a handstand.

I also use an exercise in which you lever down to elbow lever and back to handstand - an excellent exercise

I have been working this every once and a while as well, and it is a very good movement for strength and control. So far its just been in my 'experiment and play' time during my handbalancing practice. Right now I cant quite get it, I either lightly touch my forehead on the ground or lightly tap my feet off the ground before I balance out the elbow lever. . .I think its just a body tension problem . . . as usual :roll: I do the eccentric part from a handstand and I am only capable of pressing back to a headstand with a straight body, but I think am off to a great start with this skill. 8)

And Ido, 5x5 tiger bends is just ridiculous!

[Guest Ido Portal]

Nifty,

once you get the first tigerband, you realize, this skill is not as difficult as you believed it to be. I believe with a bit of practice I can take it to above 10 reps.

It feels like a transition to a low, bent arm handstand from the elbows and then up to handstand - that is not a problem.

The true, simultaneus closure of both the elbow and shoulder angle, a kind of a bodyweight 'skull crusher' is something else alltogether. Like in many movements (pistols for example) moving one joint at a time is much easier.

Ido.

[Richard Duelley]

I always worked the negatives with a simultaneous movement and always tried (and failed) to do them for real using the simultaneous closure as you described. Now that I think about it, it doesnt sound to bad if I break it up into the transition to a low bent arm handstand and then do a handstand push up to get totally into the handstand. I might give that a try today at practice in between my routine work for the meet next week!