Trouble Kicking Up to a Headstand (HS/PE2)

As the title suggests, I'm having problems kicking up to a Headstand. I'll kick my feet off the floor, and they might raise themselves 4-6 inches off the ground, before they fall back down again. If anyone has any advice or knows about a thread with a smilar problem (I couldn't find any), then that'd be really helpful

i started doing them by tucking up from tripod. eventually compressing and doing the lift with my lower back wasn't so challenging but at first it was!

hope that helps ya

I can see how that could be helpful. I'll try it out tomorrow. Thanks!

De nada. (You're welcome.)

Yeah pressing up from a tripod is the easiest way to do it.

As you get stronger more efficient, you'll feel the lift coming from your mid back through thoracic extension and it will seem almost effortless.

From there, if you want, you can learn to press up from your knees tucked to your chest, rather than resting on your arms.  And eventually with straight legs altogether.

Headstand leg lifts are surprisingly tough though, and require a decent amount of pike flexibility.

Bare in mind that none of these really work form HS/PE3, but by the time you get there you should feel more comfortable inverted and jumping up wont take you very long to learn.

What the other guys said. Press up and out of Tripod. When you finish your set you can lower down slowly in straddle or pike so you get the benefit of the negative

I have the exact same problem. Although I haven't completed PE1 (on week 7 ) yet, I just tried it for the heck of it and got nowhere.

I'll remember this tip to tuck up from tripod - after I complete PE1 and ready for PE2.

Would seeking help from a partner be ok if I still have problems tucking up from tripod?

T-Nat

Tripod is there for a reason!

A somewhat sarcastic answer to the question of 'how to kick up into a headstand' is don't!

It should be a controlled movement either pressing up from tripod or from straddle or pike position. Plenty of good advice above.

The Natural said:

Would seeking help from a partner be ok if I still have problems tucking up from tripod?

.....no.

Progress Update: H1 training has been pretty sporadic lately, but I've gotten pretty good at the "tuck headstand." Studying a lot recently has kinda screwed up my neck, so I'm taking it pretty easy right now. This summer, I'm hoping to do a combination of partner assisted headstands (like maybe 10% of my time) and spend the rest of my time working on the ROM between the tuck and the full headstand. I don't feel the movement coming from my upper back, more from my hips, so something needs to be fixed here..

Aadil Siddiqi said:

I don't feel the movement coming from my upper back, more from my hips, so something needs to be fixed here..

It's definitely hip action, especially if you're using straight legs, but you have to learn to engage the upper back if you want to do it effectively.

Take me for example: I can do a straight leg headstand leg lift no problem, but I can't do the same movement with the same ROM inverted on stall bars.  My hips haven't gotten weaker, they're just out of alignment (well, my upper back is)

This is the real trick behind GST.  It's not about learning how to muscle your way through an exercise, it's about learning how to activate the right muscles so that the exercise becomes effortless, so that you can learn to do something harder.

I have begun to practice HS/PE2 the last couple of weeks following my PE1 exercises.  For the first time, today, I was able to extend my legs from the tripod position into the headstand.  I was able to hold for about 3 seconds before losing my balance.  That being said, it felt good to be able to start to show some progress in this area.  I will look forward to continued practice and the eventual work load as I attempted to master the PE2 template hopefully in the near future.

I have mastered the HS/PE1 element, however, I need to work further on the mobility.

I guess my point is just to keep practicing,  Eventually, you will develop the strength and coordination of both the musculature and balance to perform these correctly.  I experienced this with the Tripod HS's initially as well.  Encountered difficulty getting into position.  Now it is a breeze.

Nice, Fazool don't worry about the 3 seconds either, balance progresses quite fast in headstands!