Guide to Handstands

[PelicanPete]

Hello friends . In this thread I am going to explain the methods that I did to learn how to handstand. It took me about 4 months to learn because I am over 6ft, but it varies from person to person depending on things like fitness level, height, coordination, balance, how often you practice, etc. There are no easy ways or shortcuts to learning this skill, and a lot of it is just practice. Anyone without a physical disability is capable of learning this useful skill.

 

 

Benefits:

There are a lot of positives to learning how to handstand. You develop a lot of upper body strength in your triceps and lats, along with increasing your balance and coordination. Knowing how to handstand will also make other skills easier to learn. Things like back handsprings and cartwheels will have less of a learning curb if you have a strong handstand. You can also perform a lot of advanced body weight exercises with the ability to handstand, like handstand pushups, tiger bends, and even planches. If you're into things like rock climbing or break dancing, a handstand is a useful skill to have mastered. On a psychological level, it is a very rewarding experience to watch yourself progress day to day which can increase your self esteem and confidence. It is also a good way to impress your friends!

 

Prerequisites:

A handstand is a very basic skill, and everyone of any fitness level is capable of learning it. Of course some people will have an easier time learning then others depending on physique and fitness level. If you're a shorter person, chances are you'll develop the balance needed faster then a taller person, etc.

 

Make sure to stretch/warm up wrists before beginning any handstand exercise

 

Step 1: Spider up the wall

 

This was the first exercise I used. All you need is a bare wall, whether it be in your house, a brick wall, side of your house, door, etc.

 

A. Begin in a starting pushup position [straight arms, straight back, on your hands and toes] with your heels close or against the wall.

 

B. Start walking your feet vertically up the wall while moving your hands closer to the wall.

 

C. Stop and hold the position when your body is vertical and on your shoulders/hands. Hands should roughly be a few inches to a foot away from the wall. Hold position as long as possible.

 

D. To get down from this position, it is just the process you used to get up in reverse; move your hands further away from the wall and your legs will descend.

 

This is an important skill in order to get use to being upside down, work on your breathing, and develop the strength/muscle memory. At first don't be surprised if you feel a lot of strain on your body and your red in the face. Spidering up the wall is a good exercise in itself for lats, core, shoulders and triceps. When you can comfortably spider up the wall and hold the handstand position for 20 seconds, you're ready for the next step!

 

Step 2: Kicking up

After being able to spider up the wall, the next step is learning how to kick up into a handstand using the wall as a spotter.

 

A. Face the wall being about 1 foot away and move into a sprinters stance with your hands pressed down and shoulder width apart.

 

B. With your dominant leg, push off the ground with your back and recessive leg straight like this. The closer the foot your pushing off with is to your hands, the less amount of force you need.

 

C. With practice, you should eventually be able to successfully kick up into this position.

 

A lot of the challenge of kicking up is finding the right amount of force and getting over the fear element. With practice you will find the right amount of force that will get you into a handstand position without slamming against the wall or coming up short. As long as you push your weight on your hands and keep your arms locked, you will not fall on your neck or face . When you are able to do controlled kick ups into a handstand, you are ready to start working on your balance.

 

Step 3: Hand Balancing

Using your hands to balance is what takes the most practice when you are learning the handstand. The good news is by reaching this stage you have probably developed a lot of strength in your lats and triceps, which makes you now physically capable of doing a handstand! All you need to do is work on the balance.

 

A. Body Position

When you are first learning, your body position is very important. The ideal goal is you want your body to line up in a straight line so that all of the force can be focused on your hands and shoulders which makes balancing less complicated. You want to lock your arms and shoulders out in a straight position so that you have a sturdy base. A good way to keep your arms straight is to twist your arms while your hands are pressed against the ground.

 

You also want to keep your hands no more then shoulder width apart. The further apart they are, the less balance you'll be able to generate.

 

When you are in the handstand position, the goal is to have your feet, hips, head, and hands lined up so they form a straight line. You want to keep a straight back while squeezing your butt and pointing your toes. You should try to tuck your head closely between your arms and stare down at your hands. Here is an example of what you want

 

B. Balancing

When you first starting to work on balancing on your hands, you will probably be either falling forward [the wall will catch you], backward, or both . The goal is to try to push your weight on the base of your fingers/knuckle area. If you are able to keep your weight on that area of your hands, you will be balancing! However it's very difficult to keep your weight directly on that specific point, so there are methods to help keep your balance

 

Over balancing: If you feel yourself falling foward [towards the wall], you want to apply pressure to your fingertips to even yourself out.

 

Under balancing: If you feeling yourself falling backward, you want to push your weight on the palm of your hands in order to stay upright.

 

Balancing on your hands is the same as balancing on your feet. If your falling forward you dig your toes in, while if you feel yourself falling backward you push on your heels. It is important to try to apply the pressure to the base of your fingers, or else you will always either be falling forward or backward .

 

Once you realize that you no longer need the wall, congratulations! You are now able to handstand! The more you practice, the better you will become.

 

Tips:

 

-Chances are you will not learn this skill in a few days. The key to learning to handstand is consistency and patience. Enjoy the journey, watch yourself grow! The more you practice, the faster you will develop.

 

-If it hurts, don't do it. If your wrists are aching, give them a day or two of rest before you start practicing again. Doing too many handstands can be hard on your wrists and can lead to long term effects like tendonitis. Respect your body and you will be rewarded!

 

-Practice! Learning to handstand is basically all practice. It is a learned skill. Practice makes perfect! Try to practice as much as you can. Even if it's just for 5 minutes a day it helps a lot!

 

Good luck!

[cerridwen]

Sweet.

 

Don't think for a minute this won't be invaluable to some of us.

Thanks, Pelican!

 

Question: I'm tired and might have missed it. I have small wrists and wonder how they'd hold up. Would wrapping them be a bad idea?

Edited August 1, 2011 by cerridwen

[betterdeal]

Nice one, Pete.

 

A yoga headstand might be an option if you want to take pressure off your wrists, cerriders:

 

[cerridwen]

Nice one, Pete.

 

A yoga headstand might be an option if you want to take pressure off your wrists, cerriders:

 

 

Oooo, yes, nice. That's what I need because my wrists are always first to go.

 

Thanks, bd my friend!

[thelovingkind]

I'm starting on handstands now - anyone who wants to get a real strength-building exercise out of them ought to look into handstand press ups.