side flexions benefits

What's up everyone !

 

I was wondering what are the benefits of this exercise ---> ( 1:52

)

It is recommended to work toward a OAHS but i don't feel/see any logical correlation between this flagging move and the actual one arm handstand where underbalance problem seems to come  more from pressing work.

 

Can someone clarify me ?

 

thanks in advance !

 

(if you don't clearly understand my question, ask me to write it again )

The flag position opens up more vocabulary (shapes+transitions) in the OAHS. Also the strength and flexibility built through the flag is needed for the OA press to handstand.

Thanks Jules !

 

in order to get stronger to balance a one arm handstand is it better to focus more on these flag presses than the standards pike/straddle or Both are neccessary ?

The two types of presses are completely different. The OA Press is probably the hardest thing to learn in handbalancing. 

To try and put things in perspective of difficulty, If you were to imagine handstand training as rings training from easiest to hardest: HS would be HS, HS press = HS press, OAHS = Cross, OAHS Press = Maltese press to inverted cross.  If you want to improve your OA handstand, You should master the 2arm handstand (Open shoulders, great bodyline, Solid 2min+ hold) and the Straddle+Pike press. The the same process applies to OAHS. Your OAHS should be pretty solid before beginning direct focus on the OAHS Press.

 

( HS + HS Press) --> OAHS --> OAHS Press  

 

I'm no handbalancer (although it will be a focus of mine when I'm all healed), but that has been my observation knowing and watching HBalancers train.  I know we have a few HBalancers on the forum, hopefully they can chime in too, and correct me if i've missed the boat on this one. 

thanks for this very clear and complete explanation !

right know i can easily hold a one min HS with good body line and PPT and can do 3 straddle press to handstand without planching so i don't think i'm prepared enough to work on OAHS (f**k !)

 

anyways, thank you again !

Haha, It looks like you have a while to go!  But thats the fun of the journey.  

oh and by the way, how many presses are required to begin OAHS work ? (approximatively)

when you think about it, you just know that at least 5x5 would be the bare minimum and that to me sounds down right diabolical.

First of all, this exercise is important for more than flags. It is one of the best ways to strengthen the positioning of the shoulder as you place all of your bodyweight over it. The further you can go down the better, and touching toes to floor is a basic drill, even before learning 1 arm. Though this depends a bit on flexibility, you should definitely build it if you want to balance on 1. It also strengthens your obliques which you will need to do rougher corrections of your balance on 1 arm as well as teach you how to move your hips without twisting when you get comfortable with it. 

 

As for 1 arm pressing, it does relate of course. Its a very easy version and even the 1 arm version where you lift with legs already in straddle is several orders of magnitude harder than starting with both legs facing down. I dont do any crosses, so i cant really relate to any comparison in levels of strength, but if talking of the full ROM presses, they are indeed very very hard. Most people would become a performing level handbalancer quite some years before pressing from straddle L.

 

As for regular presses, being able to rep them are a great starting point for 1 arm hs. Good pikes from the floor are more important than from L or straddle L because that is the ROM that is relevant to balance in, even though they should be mastered as well. 5x5 isnt necessary at all, but working towards high capacity is always good. Very good form on them are super important though. Being able to hit the pike handstand with already completely open shoulders is the most important thing, something that I dont see as often in gymnastics. Im no expert on gymnastics, but it seems they often straighten into line with their shoulders just as they reach the full handstand position, something which makes sense if you are on a high bar, pbars, rings or the like, and want to use the extension through the feet to generate momentum over the top. They also stay very straight and correct their balance from a slight planching of the shoulders as I assume you get deductions from breaking the line of your hips. This habit is something which is counterproductive when balancing on 1 arm where piking from your hips is your main line of defense from falling and thus you need to be used to staying on top in the shoulders and in a press(or otherwise) be very proficient at piking in the hips. This concept is really difficult to explain in text so I hope i didnt confuse too much

Thanks for the tips Hanbalancer! See! I knew there was at least 1 on the forum!

 

While on the subject, I have a question for you. When learning OAHS, the hardest thing for me was not dropping the weight into bottom of the palm/heel of the hand.  If this happens the OA is lost, and cant save it (without trying to do big correction with bending the elbow). 

Do you have any tips for this?  It is my weight placement in the palm? Or could it be due to not fully open shoulders?

There are hundreds of reasons why you might end up losing balance and falling towards the heel of the palm. Since there are so many variables in the 1 arm hadnstand and on top of that, peoples body structures make a bigger impact on the position than it does on 2 arms, it is hard to know exactly why that happens. Usually it involves losing the shoulder placement and you drift off into the void. The thing is that if you want to be solid, you need to be able to catch it with a bigger correction. The ways to do big corrections are very individual as well, but the absolute most necessary thing is to have the mindset of fighting as hard as you can to get it back. Ideally you can stay on top quite well and catch it from piking the hips, but you need some ability to press 1 arm for that. Alternatively it can go more into flag sideways, with or without bending the arm.

 

Since 1 arm is so infinitely more techncial than 2 arms you will start to wobble as soon as you fatigue. Building capacity is one thing, but you need to be able to catch yourself from mistakes. Learning this,"the fight" as i call it, on 1 arm is the main thing I find that you cant teach in the conventional sense, which makes up a big part of why 1 arm is hard. You need to have this as a mindset and build it up through the years to become sharp enough to being able to catch small mistakes quickly and muscle out of big ones

Anyone know what OPs exercise is actually called?

Good question, isn't it basically  HS flag for repetitions ?

Jules , i got a quick question, let's say someone mastered pike and straddle presses, if then he/she start to work on his one arm while stopping pressing work, won't he/she loose pressing ability ?

You should never stop press work. 

That is clear

thank you !