is this open shoulders?

Well I've been doing some h1 stuff and decided I would try out a handstand. first I want to show an old video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2V-_6HptkY

Yuri gave me feedback on it and said that I didn't have open shoulders and that it was better to look at the floor.

Heres the video I just did today. 

I was also told that for a perfect handstand you need to do three things all at the same time. One of them is have open shoulders and I forgot the term for the other two. I don't think I'm doing all three because it looks like my back is arched. But is this at least an improvement from the first video?

Shoulders are more open, nice!

The other two keys are posterior pelvic tilt and open hips. Your pelvic tilt could be a lot better, also protraction of the scapulae. Keep the ribs in (my favorite cue for this is pretend someone is poking you in the chest, I think Yuri or Handbalancer shared this one), and open the hips simultaneously.

But, if you're following H1...just give it time.

Thanks for the reply. I tried following the tip about someone poking me in the ribs and this is how in turned out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPfkkrLOLSw&feature=youtu.be

So is this the right motion? Do I lose my balance because I did it too much or because my hips aren't open?

Your hips are closing in order to compensate for the lack of mobility. H1 fixed this issue with me, especially PE 5. What I have found works for me is to pull my sternum in. When I do it correctly, it feels like my sternum is being pulled in, or poked by somoene's finger. You can work on this motion on the floor. Let chest go out, and then pull it in, or have someone poke your sternum. It's all about that hollow position. 

Another thing I did/do if I am feeling like my hollow is weak, I hold a hollow body position for a minute or so to reinforce the position. It's a process, a rewarding, never ending one too

ok thanks for the tips. ill focus on that mobility and just keep on doing handstands 

tonio145 said:

Thanks for the reply. I tried following the tip about someone poking me in the ribs and this is how in turned out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPfkkrLOLSw&feature=youtu.be

 

So is this the right motion? Do I lose my balance because I did it too much or because my hips aren't open?

Your line is actually quite nice after the correction at 0:04 - at the shoulders and upper back. When you pull the sternum in, your motion seems right, because the said area straightens out even more. You do, however, mess your lower body alignment by closing the hip. When you are concentrating 100% on something it's easy to forget the rest of the body.

I don't think it's a mobility issue, but just a lack of proprioception. My suggestion is to do the same motion, but after that rotate the pelvis posteriorly and to keep you from falling back, open the hips. So push the hips forward and pull the legs back.

Niklas03 said:

Your line is actually quite nice after the correction at 0:04 - at the shoulders and upper back. When you pull the sternum in, your motion seems right, because the said area straightens out even more. You do, however, mess your lower body alignment by closing the hip. When you are concentrating 100% on something it's easy to forget the rest of the body.

 

I don't think it's a mobility issue, but just a lack of proprioception. My suggestion is to do the same motion, but after that rotate the pelvis posteriorly and to keep you from falling back, open the hips. So push the hips forward and pull the legs back.

This advice helped me a lot I've been practicing against a wall and my line has improved. I think the problem before was that I wasn't doing posterior pelvic tilt. Its not that I couldn't do it I just didn't understand what it was. heres a video of my improvement. It feels much harder to balance like this. I have to squeeze every part of my body to keep the form, and my balance is all in my hands now. The movement that I do at around 12 seconds is what I wasn't doing before

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGWwEO41Xgg

not bad. i think the best alignment is around 34 secs. btw to test your form better try to move near to the wall with the wrist.

alex87 said:

not bad. i think the best alignment is around 34 secs. btw to test your form better try to move near to the wall with the wrist.

thanks. I've never been able to get my wrists touching the wall. but maybe thats because my hips were too piked before. ill have to try again sometime 

4-5 cm from the wall is good. in this position you have to feel the rib cage and the quads in contact with the wall and a sort of perfect alignment like a stack.

That's much better, but now, on top of what you're already squeezing/doing, you have to clench your butt and your legs more to straighten out your line, and open your hips some more a well. And, at the same time, not forget to squeeze everything else. Everything at the same time. All the way to your pointed toes. To hold a good line in a handstand is to have your entire body under tension. It is only when you can stop thinking about it (but still do it perfectly) that it becomes easy, and you can just rest on your hands. Until then, understand the specific queues, then squeeze it all (because it's possible to squeeze in the wrong position, but it helps immensely if you're closer to the right place).

Chisei said:

That's much better, but now, on top of what you're already squeezing/doing, you have to clench your butt and your legs more to straighten out your line, and open your hips some more a well. And, at the same time, not forget to squeeze everything else. Everything at the same time. All the way to your pointed toes. To hold a good line in a handstand is to have your entire body under tension. It is only when you can stop thinking about it (but still do it perfectly) that it becomes easy, and you can just rest on your hands. Until then, understand the specific queues, then squeeze it all (because it's possible to squeeze in the wrong position, but it helps immensely if you're closer to the right place).

thanks for the advice. i will keep doing wall work until i have a good line without thinking about it

Yesterday when I trained my alignment was atrocious. I have found that doing my current H1 exercise throughout my handstand practice helps tremendously with my alignment! I was able to get my handstand straight by the time the training session was done. I noticed that there's a strange line between tension and relaxing that comes with handstand training. My abs were sore today from handstand training yesterday, however I felt as relaxed in the position as ever. So try relaxing a bit, and after a while the muscles that need to be tense will be tense, and you can be somewhat relaxed.

Try using a mirror for your training, you can get real time feedback. However, once you get your alignment satisfactory ditch the mirror and learn the feeling of a straight handstand with alignment checks here and there to make sure you are good.

P.S I am no Yuri but this is what I have found so far in my hand balancing journey.

hey everyone. I'm going to keep all my handstands on this thread so I don't create clutter. I think I improved and would like some opinions on my new video. I'm extending my arms even farther then before and can feel my ears touching my shoulders now. I can only balance like this for a couple seconds and I cant do it without gripping the carpet. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr1-0ZI1BPU&feature=youtu.be