What is the difference between protraction and ribs in

This feels like such a stupid question at this point, but honestly I am so very confused.

I understand that during the actual press and negative press, the shoulders must be strongly protracted. My confusion comes from the course which says that once you have pressed into the handstand, your handstand should have ribs in with protraction of the shoulders.

Now, I was under the assumption that only the ribs need be in during the handstand position. The H1 course makes no mention of protraction. Now I am quite confused because it is awkward to maintain full protraction in the handstand. Is this a subtle step in improving one's line or something?

I am simply not sure if protraction is only meant to be in the handstand during press repititions or if the normal static handstand should at all times feature protraction.

I think my confusion comes from that people have often in the past a tendency to interchange the words protraction and ribs in and now I don't know left from right. I thought ribs in was all about thoracic flexion and it was strongly linked with PPT, and protraction was about the shoulder blades. For example, Handbalancer always says protraction instead of ribs in, so what's what?

One is the scapula and one is the ribs.  

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

yep. protraction / elevation is whats going on up in your shoulders. ribs in happens from the bottom of your ribs to the top of your pelvis.

Right, so as I thought. Thanks for the clarification on that.

Still, the question remains: H1 makes no mention of protraction in HS while H2 does. So, the regular static HS, scaps are elevated and protracted, or just elevated?

The section of the H2 course, for your convenience: "Finally you arrive in the handstand....The back is flat and the ribs are pulled in with the shoulders elevated and protracted."

i am quoting this from memory, ill actually have to look for the citation, but i do recall reading either coach or Mikael (handbalancer) mentioning protracting while in a handstand. if i find it, i'll redirect it here

All HS are always protracted, unless we are working reverse planche.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

at least for me, protraction is important because if i dont and simply elevate, i have a "loose" open shoulders. it gets tighter and my arms don't rotate like in a dislocate, if i push down and protract. it feels funky but when i look at it in photo i can notice in the protracted handstand line there'll be activation in the serratus anterior. there was actually a drill in the GB NY HS challenge where the goal was to elevate and do retraction /protraction while against the wall.

Strongly protracted, such as in a planche?

I recall Handbalacer saying to maintain only slight protraction, but having been throughly confused until now, I could be wrong.

Edit: A perfect explanation https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/9511-scapula-position-in-oahs/

 

Micawberian said:

... Strongly protracted, such as in a planche? ...

Obviously not.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer