Press to handstand from straddle L

[Mats Trane]

Hi everyone

I´m working on Press to handstand from straddle L and I´ve got stuck.

I just cant get my feet tp pass the floor without them hitting the floor and I cant figure out what I´m doing wrong.

Is ther an excersise I can work on to improve this?

I can sit in a straddle L

I can do press to hand stand standing on the floor.

I can sit i a pancake (chest hitting the floor)

Thanks

Cdx

[Coach Sommer]

Congratulations on your progress to date.

There is an easy method for progressing from where you are currently. Perform a press handstand from a stand as you are currently doing. Hold the handstand at the top for 2-3 seconds and then perform a controlled descent/negative press down to a straddle L. During the descent, attempt to keep the shoulders over the hands as closely as possible while "curling" the back down to the straddle L.

Be conscientious about performing a good straddle L at the end of the repetition; legs locked and feet higher than the knees. Also do not allow the legs to lay on, or even touch, the arms during the straddle L.

From the straddle L, you have two choices:

1) You may stand up and repeat the movement for the desired number of reps. To keep increasing strength, attempt to continually decrease the speed of the negative press. Be careful to strive to perform all portions of the negative press equally slowly. Do not start out slowly and then fall quickly down into the straddle L without a fight. The longer it takes to perform the negative press, the stronger you are becoming.

2) From the straddle L, attempt to press back to handstand. It is irrelevant how high you manage to press. However high you manage, simply strive to hold that elevated position for 3 seconds. After that static hold, as with #1 above, stand and continue on with your press handstand repetitions.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[williamprowse]

good advice coach, im defiantly stuck where hes at also

some things that have helped me is holding this position in the picture as a static hold and dynamic exercise

seems to help with strength by keeping your legs really open so your feet dont touch the ground

[williamprowse]

oh and rember, with that last tip i showed u, KEEP YOUR PALMS FLAT ON THE GROUND, AND LEGS LOCKED!!!

unless it wont do anything good for you at all

[Mats Trane]

Coach, can you post a video of one of your gymnasts doing a straddle L press to a handstand? I´ve seen lots of them on You Tube, but it would be much better to se one that I know is done in the perfect way! After all you are saying this is one of the most important exercises

[Coach Sommer]

Yes, I will eventually post a video of press handstands. However there are more basic preparation exercises that I would like to present in detail first.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Guest Valentin]

Hi

What i suggest is..place a elevated surface..(if you lucky to be at a gym, use a panel mat) behind you, that is high enough for you to press and get your feet of just as you hit that stuck point.. (hope that made sense), so that you end up essentially in the standing straddle press starting position, from there complete the rest of the press. Its be good if you could also incrlude that static hold that Coach Sommer described prior to letting your feet touch the mat.

Alternatively,if you are at a gym do it on the beam or parallel bars so that from the straddle L you press, and since you can get your feet to not touch the floor you should be able to place your feet on the beam or parallel bars. From there complete the press. Constantly focusing on holding that tight compression between the knees and chest, shoulder angle as open as you can have it (this is very dependent on your active flexibility in hips and shoulders)...

And obviously as you get that strength you can either continue to elevate the surface, or just finish of the press...I think you will find that once you get past this sticky point you will complete the press.

Hope that made sense