Handstand quiestion

Hey there, I started playing around with handstands like 2 weeks ago, but I didn't do everyday during that time.

Well, I started with my feet against a wall of course, but I wanted to ask, is the stomach-against wall version totally necessary?

I prefer to do them with my back against the wall, with my fingertips like 8" inches away from the wall, it feels better to me and well, I nearly fell while trying the stomach-against wall version, I didn't like the feeling that I was leaning forward too easy.

So basically my question was that, if this version of wall handstand (back facing wall) was good for progressing to free handstands, or if the other version was best and most necessary (stomach against wall).

Well, I'm terribly sorry if a thread of this was already made, I had to take off when this question came up on my mind so I wrote this pretty quick. Thanks in advance for anyone who replies.

Handstands against a wall or a fine progression for learning how to kick up to handstand and not worrying about beginners landing on their back knocking the wind out of themselves.

Unfortunately, it allows the body to either arch excessively or slightly.

Doing a handstand against the wall ( once close enough ) enforces the proper hollow position.

To come out of it, simply step to the side or roll out. You can also lower to headstand then roll out. That means you have to learn how to do a forward roll and a headstand, which should be learned before handstands anyways.

You can bounce off the wall by tapping your insteps against the wall one at a time from foot to foot or off both insteps at the same time.

Stomach to wall is typically more difficult and that is a good indicator of why they should be done instead of back to wall.

Yes, it is necessary. That is if you're serious about developing a good handstand.

So the back-to-wall ones are a no? Is the position you are in when doing those, not the same as a free handstand?

The reason I don't try the stomach to wall one is because, I usually do them inside my house, so there's not much space if I were to do a forward roll, so I prefer the others. I'll have to go outside to experiment with those then.

The back to the wall handstands are good for developing the kick up to handstand, but you are correct, the form isn't the same as a normal handstand.

When your stomach is to the wall it teaches you to push with your hands so that your don't wall forward.

matthew.percussion said:

The back to the wall handstands are good for developing the kick up to handstand, but you are correct, the form isn't the same as a normal handstand.

When your stomach is to the wall it teaches you to push with your hands so that your don't wall forward.

Well, anyways, are they good to get strength and get better at them? I'll try the other version later, when I get better at them.

Back to wall? No, they are not as good and do not transfer over as much.

1. Even a slight arch doesn't load the midline/core as much. One, can arch and sag in the stomach to wall but if you're dead flat, that's pretty hard to.

2. They teach a better open shoulder position.

3. Tapping and bouncing off the wall translates to a free handstand a lot better than arched back to wall.

4. They are harder to do HSPU this way against the wall from head to handstand. However, you can still arch and close the shoulder to recruit chest musclature in stomach to wall. It's sort of a pain to do HSPU stomach to wall unless you have room to kick into it from the side or have long parallettes.

Back to wall handstands are better than nothing but not optimal. Crossfitters use them a lot for their typical HSPU to just their heads. However, most of their HS are atrocious. Again, I'm speaking from a gym coach. Were I to state it from a CF opinion, I probably wouldn't care unless the goal was to eventually to do a free handstand or handstand pushup with no assistance and free.

Blairbob said:

Back to wall? No, they are not as good and do not transfer over as much.

1. Even a slight arch doesn't load the midline/core as much. One, can arch and sag in the stomach to wall but if you're dead flat, that's pretty hard to.

2. They teach a better open shoulder position.

3. Tapping and bouncing off the wall translates to a free handstand a lot better than arched back to wall.

4. They are harder to do HSPU this way against the wall from head to handstand. However, you can still arch and close the shoulder to recruit chest musclature in stomach to wall. It's sort of a pain to do HSPU stomach to wall unless you have room to kick into it from the side or have long parallettes.

Back to wall handstands are better than nothing but not optimal. Crossfitters use them a lot for their typical HSPU to just their heads. However, most of their HS are atrocious. Again, I'm speaking from a gym coach. Were I to state it from a CF opinion, I probably wouldn't care unless the goal was to eventually to do a free handstand or handstand pushup with no assistance and free.

Alright man, looks good, I'll have to transfer to those then. But today I did some hspu with the back facing the wall, and I tried to position myself as straight as I could and as similar as possible as a freestanding hs, and I think I managed to get almost like a freestand hs, that's what i felt, but who knows.

And another question about the stomach-to-wall version: when I get in the position, which part of my body am I going to press against the wall? When I tried them, i think that i was pressing the tip of my feet to it, and it felt so weird that I couldn't do a single one.

Oh oh, sorry guys! I just realized that I got everyone thinking about something else here, instead of what i was really talking or refering to about.

What i was really talking about, were handstand pushups, and my question was that, if the back facing wall was as good as the stomach against wall, for doing them; i never meant handstans only haha.

This is really my fault, as i somehow thought that by just mentioning "handstands" everyone would know i was talking about hspu hehe.

So now that we know what i am really talking about, is it ok if i use the back against wall version only? Like i said, doing hspu with the stomach against wall style felt really weird.

I've always done my HeSPU with chest against the wall. I find that I still arch on later reps and its occasionally fun getting down when you get overzealous, but I don't have the space to kick into a handstand inside and the only place to do them outside is in the street . You'll get used to them

this is how I typically do them since I can't kick up sideways or walk up the wall.

Actually I guess I could start stomach to wall with hands wider then hangs up to my parallettes.

Blairbob said:

this is how I typically do them since I can't kick up sideways or walk up the wall.

Actually I guess I could start stomach to wall with hands wider then hangs up to my parallettes.

So back facing the wall are good for hspu's? That's how i position myself too, like in that pic, but with both feet on the wall.

So long as you stay hollow as you go forward by keeping your knee flexed to allow room for your body to come forward of your hands it's ok.

Blairbob said:

So long as you stay hollow as you go forward by keeping your knee flexed to allow room for your body to come forward of your hands it's ok.

What does that "stay hollow" thing mean? I'm not familiar with those concepts

Read your gymnastics bodies book. It has the body positions.

That's hollow position. In handstand you want be be in a slight hollow or perfectly straight. Arch = no no.

turn your pelvis under and round your shoulders. in a handstand basically just turn your pelvis under ( squeeze your butt and suck your gut ). it's also called an anal lock.