I could use a few cues...

Training alone is great, except in terms of getting feedback on form. I'm having trouble decoding and altering my body's reactions to changes in my handstand line. I'm only at PE2 in H1, so I've got a long way to go, but there's a specific problem I'd like some help with.

When I'm in a handstand and turn my head up to look at my feet, I'd expect my body to increase the hollow, but instead my arse begins to stick out and I get a fairly big arch in my back. Why?

I guess it has to do with shoulder flexibility...

PS: Shot on New Year's day, so we're all being lazy, walking around in underpants. Sorry 'bout that.

i think your head position is the problem here try looking in the middle of your hands and see if that helps

DiTi said:

i think your head position is the problem here try looking in the middle of your hands and see if that helps

That's what I usually do, but I read on this forum that one of the standard HS development exercises is to look at the feet while in a handstand, in order to teach the body how to disconnect the overall posture from the movement of the neck. It's just that when I do it, my alignment goes all over the place.

Nothing wrong there but you lack a bit of shoulder opening. Notice the angle of the arm from shoulder to wrist. There is nothing technically wrong though as you stay hollow. You need to work on pushing your shoulders out well and not change your point of balance in your palm when you move the head like that. The better you activate your trapezius in this one, the easier it will be.

Thanks Handbalancer, I was pretty sure I was doing it all wrong, but from what you're saying it's more a matter of refinement. It all comes down to those shoulders... :-)

What happens it you think abdomen/core and knee extensors tight  while your hip flexors stretch long opening up or maybe pressing forward the space where your front pockets in a pair of jeans would be? 

Another one might be put down a lumb line and line up the ball of the shoulder, the belly button, the ball of the hip, knee and ankle, then push them up to the ceiling starting from the lowest to the highest.

Or I've heard, back of ankles wrinkly like an elephant. back of knees smooth like a rhinocerous, front of hips smooth like a grape, glutes  wrinkly like a raisin and the tummy scrunches in yum!... but that might only work on very small children paired with tactile cues.

synchroGENized said:

Or I've heard, back of ankles wrinkly like an elephant. back of knees smooth like a rhinocerous, front of hips smooth like a grape, glutes  wrinkly like a raisin and the tummy scrunches in yum!... but that might only work on very small children paired with tactile cues.

Yeah, the backside of my knees is probably a tad too wrinkly...