Hs Form Critique, How Bad Is It?

[Colibri]

Starting to integrate it with my training. Be brutal, how is it (for a total novice)?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE4STj94wps

[Joshua Naterman]

Can you see how your upper traps are working hard but the mid and lower are only halfway kicking in? That's because your hands are not close enough together. You will feel the difference between what you do now, and how it feels with your wrists under your shoulder sockets, immediately: Traps will go crazy and the handstand will be both more solid feeling and much more difficult to hold.

 

You may also want to concentrate on touching your chin to your chest and forehead to the wall when learning to open the shoulders. This will ensure you learn to fully open the shoulders. This is also extremely difficult and may take a while to master, but it is worth learning.

 

There's another thread that I posted a good drill on that I came up with while doing some body line work, and then saw a few days ago in a circus handbook that is free online.

 

Basically, lay on your stomach with forehead on the ground and zero arch in your back. Basically, proper handstand alignment.

 

Now lift your arms off the ground. I can't get them off the ground yet, but I'm getting stronger and success will come eventually. This has big payoffs in the long run because you'll have fully open shoulders and will have what you need in the strength and shoulder mobility department to do HS presses. Combine that with good pike and straddle pike flexibility and you're good to go.

 

 

It could be worse, for sure, but these are the major clean-ups I would recommend. 

 

Mats Trane commented earlier that he uses his hands on a stick at shoulder width for the drill I mentioned. I tried this earlier after I read his post and it's quite nice, so I think it's a good idea.

[Colibri]

Can you see how your upper traps are working hard but the mid and lower are only halfway kicking in? That's because your hands are not close enough together. You will feel the difference between what you do now, and how it feels with your wrists under your shoulder sockets, immediately: Traps will go crazy and the handstand will be both more solid feeling and much more difficult to hold.

 

You may also want to concentrate on touching your chin to your chest and forehead to the wall when learning to open the shoulders. This will ensure you learn to fully open the shoulders. This is also extremely difficult and may take a while to master, but it is worth learning.

 

There's another thread that I posted a good drill on that I came up with while doing some body line work, and then saw a few days ago in a circus handbook that is free online.

 

Basically, lay on your stomach with forehead on the ground and zero arch in your back. Basically, proper handstand alignment.

 

Now lift your arms off the ground. I can't get them off the ground yet, but I'm getting stronger and success will come eventually. This has big payoffs in the long run because you'll have fully open shoulders and will have what you need in the strength and shoulder mobility department to do HS presses. Combine that with good pike and straddle pike flexibility and you're good to go.

 

 

It could be worse, for sure, but these are the major clean-ups I would recommend. 

 

Mats Trane commented earlier that he uses his hands on a stick at shoulder width for the drill I mentioned. I tried this earlier after I read his post and it's quite nice, so I think it's a good idea.

 

Will work on putting my hands closer. It's just a matter of overcoming fear now

 

That drill from the Fedec manual - I can do this fairly well, with my hands 3-5 inches from the floor? I will work on pike and straddle pike flexibility alright, definitely.

 

Thanks Joshua.

 

 

Just to add a little tidbit -  even though I only held it for 25~ seconds last night, I have some major DOMS in my upper traps today

[Joshua Naterman]

With the drill from Fedec, are your hands shoulder width? Is your body hollow (back not arched AND front of body slightly hollow)? Video of this would be awesome.

 

If you actually have that down as described, you're going to see rapid improvements in your handstand once you start doing hands closer together.

 

If not, well That's your first goal, just like me! I am making slow, but steady, progress and if I can make progress in this area then I think almost anyone can!