My Handstand Video. Tips please :)

Hi guys,

This video is mostly for handbalancer, who has a similar background to me and is helping me with handstands, but if you feel like you can help, please post away

The video contains some flag exercises, handstand exercises, one arms in straddle, and a some attempts at some static holds I am having trouble with (Vsit, straddle L, MSH).

LOL I started typing this Post before I finished the session, and I just did my first ever press to handstand from straddle L, I think I owe this skill to a recent increase in flexibility in the pancake position. I achieved this flexibility from a specific PNF stretch I got from a ballet dancer, I must thank him!

Edit I cant for the life of me embed videos so here we go

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ThomasJG said:

...The video contains some flag exercises, handstand exercises, one arms in straddle, and a some attempts at some static holds I am having trouble with (Vsit, straddle L, MSH).

LOL I started typing this Post before I finished the session, and I just did my first ever press to handstand from straddle L, I think I owe this skill to a recent increase in flexibility in the pancake position. I achieved this flexibility from a specific PNF stretch I got from a ballet dancer, I must thank him!

Congrats! Great flexibility, too. Press to HS is on my goals list.

Can you do Vsit, straddle L, MSH on first knuckle? Hands pointed out? I'd suggest try that, actively push the shoulders down a bit more and roll them around some.

Nice, some slight bending of arms on the V-sit when leaning back on triceps and during straddle-L press to HS. I'm sure you can correct this easily though.

Looking good dude! The main thing I would say to you in this video is to try to lean less forward in your shoulders when pressing handstands, and try to really press down from your trapezius trough your shoulders. You can also close your chest a little bit more to create even better alginment. Other than that your technique on 1 arm is totally ok, it is just to keep working it and it will get more and more consistent. Try to be very concious about your leg position every time you remove some weight from the other arm. feel it when you lean over, when you go to fingers, and especially when removing, so that they wont do something funny at the moment you take away the free arm. Twisting often comes from starting with one leg either a couple of inches too far front or too far back. Your left leg twisted inwards, so it this happens often you can try to start with that leg just a BIT more back to see if it gives any result.

Once you get really good at the flag exercises it will help you a lot to fight and get back from bad position or mistakes. They look better than in the previous video so keep on doing them! You should eventually aim for being able to go down with both legs to the side while still on 2 arms, but get safe at one leg to the floor first and it will come. You might try to roll your hips a tad forwards, before going down with the leg. Im not sure this would make it easier for you, but just something you can try to see if it works for you.

and congrats with the straddle press! keep at it! if you have more questions,just ask!

Thanks blairbob, I hope my elbows will straighten more as I get more comfortable with straddle L press. I didnt even notice I bent my arms in a vsit, good observation thankyou I will try to straighten them actively.

TO Jl555, I have tried many hand positions for MSH and Vsit. As you can see in my MSH I cant even lift myself off the ground at all with hands backwards, but the moment I spin them around to forwards (when I look at the camera), I can lift myself off the ground but my chest caves in. I will experiment wtih first knuckle again. Also Can someone tell me why I am so weak at Vsit? my flexibility is good and Im pretty sure my abdominal strength is fine.

Handbalncer yes my left leg nearly always twists inwards or my right leg drifts behind me and I topple. I will try hard to focus on position in my next video

Thanks heaps for the support!

Handbalancer said:

The main thing I would say to you in this video is ..... try to really press down from your trapezius trough your shoulders.

First nice video! From my perspective a really strong stable looking handstand, hope i can get there this year!

Handbalancer, watching the video i can easily follow all of your instructions but this one. Do you mind elaborating on this? When you say down, you mean towards the floor down, or anatomically down towards the hips? This point is for some reason hard for me to grasp....

I mean that you should press down to the floor. The reason for this is that the more you activate your trapezius the more weight you can apply straight over your shoulders so that you do not need to lean too much forwards when pressing. It also helps you to make use of pike/pancake flexibility as you can get your legs very close to your body before pressing.

Handbalancer said:

I mean that you should press down to the floor. The reason for this is that the more you activate your trapezius the more weight you can apply straight over your shoulders so that you do not need to lean too much forwards when pressing. It also helps you to make use of pike/pancake flexibility as you can get your legs very close to your body before pressing.

Ok, that makes sense. Now in doing this, do you try to keep the shoulder blades spread and behind you, just (anatomically) lifting?

EDIT- worked on it today and now i get what you mean. Thanks for the great advice!

Yo handbalancer I am currently doing some flag exercises, and i am trying to do that thing of getting both legs on one side of my body like you described.

I am a little bit confused though as to which position to try and hit, do you mean that I should go down whilst straddled, then try to bring my top leg down "in front" to achieve a sort of pikeflag on 2 arms? Or do you mean I should go down with legs together to the side like a full legs together flag?

Also i have been having trouble extending my max handstand time. After one minute my forearm muscles are so tired they kinda stop functioning. My max is like 70-80 seconds. Do I just need to keep trying to increase time? I am wanting to hitt 2-3 minutes before the end of the year, because the handstanders Test at my school requires a 2 minute handstand.