Press Handstand

Aside from the planche, front, and back lever, my biggest goal is a straight arm, straight leg(straddle or pike) press handstand.

I understand that you can use a coach to spot you and give you assistance during the press and you can also use a wall to help... But I was wondering what other exercises I could do to work on a press to HS.

How useful is Straddle L work for a press to HS?

How about the RLL variations in Building The Gymnastic Body(namely the stall bars variation)?

Thanks

-Matthew

The stall bars and headstand RLL versions are both good for developing a handstand press. Straddle L's are useful if' you'll be pressing out of a straddle which is a goal you should be aiming at.

Check out the exercises at drillsandskills. The controlled negatives are good if you're just starting.

It's also important that you have proper technique. Because first you must lean forward and try to lift your hips so your back will be vertical and then lift your legs.

-Ivan

Thanks IvanPS.

My coaches never really explained the technique. I'm not really sure if I do it that way but when I'm in the gym Thursday(if the snow isn't too bad like today ).

Actually, I think one of my coaches told me not to lean forward...

-Matthew

Well I'm not really sure myself but in all pictures and videos I've seen there is a small lean forward. Maybe when your coach said don't lean forward he meant don't planche it?

Possibly. But the coach that told me that didn't seem to compotent anyway.

I disregarded most of what he said. :shock:

You must lean forward in a press somewhat to counterbalance pulling the hips. However, we want the gymnasts to focus on the hips and not trying to planche it out, even if they're not flexible enough to have a decent pancake split or straddle L.

Ideally I would tell a kid to stand in a straddle and they could press from putting their hands directly underneath. Unfortunately, many young or beginning/aspiring gymnasts can hardly move from that position.

You know those elite gymnasts or itty bitties who can do a dozen straddle L presses like nothing? It's all in the hips as they will hardly lean forward. It's also in the excellence of press technique relating to very good control of their hips ( engaging hip flexors ).

I have the problem you are talking about not being able to move from a straddle stand with hands below you. But I'm working on it. =]

Thanks for clarifying the forward lean.

Learn how to press with your back leaning on the wall, then move your hands closer to the wall. This will test your flexibility. Once you have this down, kick up to a handstand and do negatives and partials.

Thanks JoeS. I'll definitely do that.

Did you mean negatives with my back against the wall or not?

-Matthew

You should check out THIS website the guy on there has a few interesting ways to train it also.

matthew.percussion said:

Thanks JoeS. I'll definitely do that.

Did you mean negatives with my back against the wall or not?

-Matthew

No, negatives against the wall are too easy. I mean free-standing kick up and nagatives and partials from the top. The wall is good for building brute strength from the bottom.

Many gymnasts will put their hands forward of their hips because they lack the hip flexor compression ability to activate their hips in the press otherwise.

Negatives lowering down from a HS will also develop a solid static free HS. In fact it sort of requires one to really make it slow. Most of my boys kick up and either don't hit HS and the legs fall down fast or they hit HS and they fall fast either to a straddle stand or into a pancake split. Eventually they'll lower to straddle stand or through straddle L. You can also do this to L sit. I do this with parallettes on top of a panel mat ( one panel mat and parallette per side so it makes a valley ). Kick or press up to HS, lower through to L.

I prefer pressing off with your feet higher than your hands than pressing against a wall. There are some habit it creates that are just funky. It also could be just because I never liked them. There is also a progression of pressing from a straddle stand with your butt on the wall and dragging your legs up the wall. Hard.

Would doing a tuck planche and then pressing up until my hips are over my head, then straightening my legs be beneficial?

matthew.percussion said:

Would doing a tuck planche and then pressing up until my hips are over my head, then straightening my legs be beneficial?

No. This is not only significantly harder than an actual straight arm press, but it won't teach you how to do it at all.

Hmm. I'm pretty sure I can do at least a couple of these. I'll test it out in a bit.

If I could do these would that mean I have all of the necessary strength to do a press to HS or is it different muscles working in different ways?

Well... I was sadly mistaken. braindx, you are absolutely correct when you say a planche press to HS is very difficult. I barely even came close. So, I'm going to work the other exercises you all have suggested.

Just to make sure I am doing them right I made a short video after I tried them out. The first clip is Press to HS with back against the wall, the second and third are supposed to be straddle L/L-Sit to straddle stand, but I lack the strength to get the full ROM as of now.

Quick question, is it acceptable/normally for the back of my head to be pressing on the wall quite hard on the wall press HS?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMY0Fnw2Qj4

Good effort, you're close!

Yeah, it's to be expected with the head against the wall.

Great! Thanks for your input everyone.

Last question(I think) how many of these should I do?

I was thinking:

Press HS against wall - 4x3

Attempt to press from straddle L to straddle Stand and back - 4x3

And when my static handstand gets a little better, negatives 3x3

Does this sound about right?

Matthew,

Nice effort.

At this stage in your development, I would recommend that you not allow your feet to touch the ground in between repetitions. They may, and should, very very lightly touch the ground; but there should be no actual support.

Once you are strong enough to perform your repetitions consecutively without touching the ground, then add a 3 second static hold at the bottom of each repetition. Once again, remember to only lightly brush the ground.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Sounds about right as we used to do about 10 of each. It's a lot easier to implement this in groups, especially with children than 3 sets of 3 or something. It all depends on the kids.

Hi all

This is a video of my last straddle press handstand try, I'll be happy to know what and how can I improve.

Also how can I improve my hadstand form.

http://www.sibir.bg/index.php?page=videoAlbumPreview&albID=123303&VideoID=152916&others=6

Please tell me if you have problems opening the video ...

Thank you

TRy to keep shoulders above wrist as much as possible

Okay. Thanks Coach.

I have also been doing my own variation to your RLLs from the book.

I get up onto the stall bars(back to the bars) and basically do a straddle press until my feet are at the top, then come back down in a pike(slow negative). I could be mistaken but in your RLL you only bend at the hips correct? The only way this is different is that I continue down after my hips are bent all the way.

Does this sound like a useful exercise?

They aren't really difficult, but require you to work pretty hard. My face gets really red when I do them. :oops:

matthew.percussion said:

Well... I was sadly mistaken. braindx, you are absolutely correct when you say a planche press to HS is very difficult. I barely even came close. So, I'm going to work the other exercises you all have suggested.

Just to make sure I am doing them right I made a short video after I tried them out. The first clip is Press to HS with back against the wall, the second and third are supposed to be straddle L/L-Sit to straddle stand, but I lack the strength to get the full ROM as of now.

Quick question, is it acceptable/normally for the back of my head to be pressing on the wall quite hard on the wall press HS?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMY0Fnw2Qj4

sasquatch said:

When I do these I put alot of pressure on my head too, I stopped trying them because I thought I wasn't doing them right.

I believe I did the same thing a while back. Wanted to work press HS but didn't know how, so I didn't try really hard.

Stupid me, should have asked sooner. :roll: