Are people doing this everyday?

Reading through search results I keep coming across people working handstands every day.  Is this something that is advised somewhere in the course? 

I'm currently doing my H1 progressions twice a week, and haven't quite got to Wall handstands yet.  I can do a wall handstand but I have not jumped ahead because I see the value in the prereqs in terms of teaching you the correct shoulder and body position (in addition to the mobility!).  I wouldn't want to work these elements every day though! 

So is there some unspoken rule that when you start doing freestanding handstands you practice them daily or something?

Hi Mitchell,

No such unspoken rule. Rather, experiment gradually with what volume of work you find most beneficial without incurring an injury. I believe many of us here have found that we will train our H1 progressions 2-3 times per week, and then on other days we will simply spend 10-15 minutes limbering up, holding a wall HS, or practicing kicking up.

Being somewhat more skill-oriented than pure strength, I think handstand work responds well to a higher frequency of exposure, especially compared to most of the Foundation elements. Coach?

Best,

Chris

This is very interesting!  Thanks for the replies. 

Zach Armijo said:

The benefits of the higher frequency come with correct execution, also given you are proper prepared to take on the daily practice. It has always been recommended to work 10 min block of HS (whatever your current capability is) a day. I explicitly pushed this on my students every class and say massive results from it where people previously stalled.

 

Like Chris pointed out though, experiment if you can handle the frequency and see where your limits are.

Does this include the weighted mobility work?  I would doubt it, but I've been stuck on HS PE2/iM pretty much from day one, and the progress has been painfully slow.  The bridge series has seriously helped, but at the current rate I'm still likely looking at 6-12months until I get shoulder width parallel to the floor.

Would working this more than twice a week help?  Added unweighted movements on my non-HS days?  I mean, I did H1 for a full year without ever actually doing a handstand, and that makes me sad as I type that out.

Sensei JP said:

Does this include the weighted mobility work?  I would doubt it, but I've been stuck on HS PE2/iM pretty much from day one, and the progress has been painfully slow.  The bridge series has seriously helped, but at the current rate I'm still likely looking at 6-12months until I get shoulder width parallel to the floor.

 

Would working this more than twice a week help?  Added unweighted movements on my non-HS days?  I mean, I did H1 for a full year without ever actually doing a handstand, and that makes me sad as I type that out.

I'm glad you asked this follow-up question as I am also curious about this.  I looked at the progressions and saw what looks like two distinct paths in H1.  Headstand to get comfortable upside down, and mobility work to hold a great handstand.  Are you now practicing your handstand and working mobility at the same time?

Zach Armijo said:

 

 

A year of proper preparation is nothing compared to working to reverse years of bad habits and lack of mobility.

Thanks for that.  Not what I wanted to hear, but likely exactly what I needed.  Fifteen years of sparring hunched over, always punching straight ahead, I can see how that takes more than a few months to fix.

Zach Armijo said:

The benefits of the higher frequency come with correct execution, also given you are proper prepared to take on the daily practice. It has always been recommended to work 10 min block of HS (whatever your current capability is) a day. I explicitly pushed this on my students every class and say massive results from it where people previously stalled.

 

Like Chris pointed out though, experiment if you can handle the frequency and see where your limits are.

So if I am working wall hanstand, should I do wall handstand for blocks of 10 minutes everyday (at least many days)?

It does feel like I recover from handstand holds as fast as I recover from hanging.

I believe a 10 min block entails doing as much as you're capable of within those ten minutes. Don't get overzealous; Remember that there is a day after tomorrow.