Progress on HS Press / OAEL & AB / Freestanding HS Form (Help & Critique)

[Robert Pretorius]

The following videos display my current progress with the skills specified. Any critiques or help is incredibly appreciated.

 

Long-time lurker of this website and forums, I've learned an incredible amount from all the people here and I just want to say thanks to Coach Sommers and all the good people contributing!

 

I've been attempting to do the HS press for some time now, a couple months ago I was working it really hard doing headstand presses while stacking books everyday, got up to around 7 large novels stacked for 3 reps but then I went on a 3 month hiatus from the skill due to a shoulder injury. (still battling it, have had it for a year, cannot externally rotate my arm and have a huge hole in my back due to missing my entire infraspinatus, apparently nerve inflammation is blocking the connection to my nervous system?) Never the less, with this injury I have still acquired human flags, 1 legged FL/BL and 70LB pullups for 3 reps, etc.

 

I would really appreciate any form critique or suggestions, for my HS press, I currently do the following exercises, the ones within the video (press swings on canes, and presses against the wall) Yuri's presses on my back which he talked about in his rant, dragging my feet up to my hands while stacking my shoulders on my wrists, and just attempting to press (which I just give up immediately on because it feels like I'm just jumping up and down and not accomplishing anything)

 

Box presses feel impossible to me, so I'm currently doing the following for my pressing:

 

HS Press.. swings?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-ytcxtX-gY&feature=youtu.be

 

HS Press w/ wall assist, threw a HS into one of the videos as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1vrmideQMY&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymI2BHacuIQ&feature=youtu.be

 

Here's my form on my HS, AB & OAEL if anyone would be so kind to critique or give suggestions, it would be incredibly appreciated:

 

Here's my current FS HS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05yOl-UYv8&feature=youtu.be

 

OAEL, AB on 5 fingers, and AB on 3 fingers (old video, I can hold 3 fingers for around 5 seconds now)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiP3SR-75qU&feature=youtu.be

 

OAEL on the canes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHQbqm8yuGs&feature=youtu.be

 

Another FS HS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPP-g9xAAqk&feature=youtu.be

 

My apologies if it feels like I'm asking for too much, just obsessive and really want to be a great hand-balancer some day

 

 

 

 

[Mats Trane]

 

 

Box presses feel impossible to me, so I'm currently doing the following for my pressing:

 

 

 

How high is your box?

 

I started in 2011 with a high box. See video:

 

[Jon Douglas]

 

 

 

Box presses feel impossible to me, so I'm currently doing the following for my pressing:

 

 

 

How high is your box?

 

I started in 2011 with a high box. See video:

 

 

I started even higher than that on a wall barely off the vertical and lifting to HS. It works, with time, and has the side bonus of spending a lot of time with your shoulders set in the correct position.

[Joshua Slocum]

Another drill that's useful is the half-press: lean forward onto your hands until your feet come off of the floor, hold that for a second, then place your feet back on the ground.