HS Hold Balance or Mobility

Hi, 

I am trying to diagnose the problems with my handstand. I have been practicing my trying to kick up in a split leg handstand, then try and bring the feet together. I have been trying to straighten out that first leg but it always wants to bend.

Anyway I am trying to workout if my position is OK or if I am broken at the shoulders/ribcage due to tight thoracic mobility. Any ideas on how to progress with my practice would be great.

I have foundation 1. So you can reference that. Should I get Handstand 1?

Thanks.

Video: 

Shoulders not open or elevated, strong arch.

You have a very similar handstand to mine before H1. It _will_ fix these

It's not about mobility so much as most people think it is.  It's about change and how the body wants to resist it. 

You have to become accustomed to holding the handstand in the correct position, which means more work against the wall is necessary.  As soon as you throw another variable in the chain your body will instantly go back to the position that it is used to doing. 

I disagree with Yuri; for beginners it is very much about mobility.  Especially for adult students with zombie like mobility.  If you are unable to assume the correct alignment; just how is it you are going to train a correct HS?

Remember this general GST rule; first we build a physical structure that is capable of handling technical demands and THEN we place those technical demands upon the body.  To do otherwise is a long, frustrating, often fruitless endeavor.  GST is already hard enough, why throw additional obstacles in your own path?

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

I disagree with Yuri; for beginners it is very much about mobility.  Especially for adult students with zombie like mobility.  If you are unable to assume the correct alignment; just how is it you are going to train a correct HS?

 

Remember this general GST rule; first we build a physical structure that is capable of handling technical demands and THEN we place those technical demands upon it.  To do otherwise is a long, frustrating, often fruitless endeavor.  GST is already hard enough, why throw additional obstacles in your own path?

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the reply. So as I understand it. If I can't get into the proper head through position there isn't much point practicing. Would you say this is the case here? Or where you speaking more generally.

 

Thanks

Correct, but not only head position; shoulders, back, rib and pelvic positions are all also critical for HS success.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

While I'm not nearly as experienced as Yuri and Coach, I most definitely see the points of both.  

Coach is absolutely correct (as if I needed to say that) in that if you are unable to move your body into the position it will never happen and you should focus on mobility.

I have however, seen some people go through many mobility drills in and then completely loose every shape they had been working on.  One of my teammates is like this.  In his case he just needs to feel the body in space and hasn't taken the time to correct his old banana handstand even after getting much better mobility.

So yes, first focus on being able to get into the position (mobility) then lock these things down in your mind by putting them into practice.  I've got to say that H1 is the absolute best written source of this out there.  If you really want to get the handstand you should buy that.  H1 and learning from Yuri brought me from barely able to kick up to one to holding for minutes in about a year.  I also can credit much stronger press handstands to the drills in H1.