Do these 5 exercises to help your handstands

Handstand is probably the most important exercise for any acrobatic! Essential for keeping everything balanced, lined up (we will explain) and strong! If you have a good look at almost all acrobatic skills they all move through a handstand or have a variation with handstand incorporated! I can’t tell you how many students I have seen working on handstand to bridge and forward walkover but couldn’t kick to handstand on the wall and hold for 10 seconds. So let’s get those handstands happening with these 5 exercises and all you need is a wall.

But first let’s quickly talk about lining up your handstand. The aim is to kick to the wall but if you have a curve through the shoulders, back or hips your handstand is not lined up properly and will affect your skills later on. Making sure you pull up through your shoulders (press the floor away with your hands) will help straighten through your shoulders, engage your stomach muscles will help straighten through your back and only placing your toes on the wall in your normal or reverse handstand will help stretch through your hips and legs. If you take a photo of you handstand from side on you should be able to draw a straight line from you wrists, up through your shoulders and all the way to your toes with no curve.

  1. Start with the basics - walking up and down the wall in a reverse handstand (stomach to the wall). Stand with your back against the wall, lean forward to place your hands on the ground with your fingertips facing away from the wall then start 1 foot at a time walking your way up the wall and back down. When you feel strong enough you can walk your hands into the wall and back out before coming down, this will work on lining up your handstand. 

  2. Shoulder taps - once you have your straight reverse handstand you can start shoulder taps! If shoulder taps are too much, start with wrist taps and work your way up. The idea is the keep your body as still as possible when you’re shoulder tapping, that’s the hard part!

  3. Let’s get moving - handstand walking down the wall, both sides! Kick to your reverse handstand and start walking across the wall one way and come back the other way. It’s important to work both ways to get both shoulders strong! Try to keep your handstand lined up and only toes on the wall ;) 

  4. It’s time to start to kick to the wall - start about your body length away from the wall (it will feel really far away but that’s ok!) Start with 1 foot pointed towards the wall and arms by your ears, lunge forward and reach your hands towards the wall, kick your back leg with a bent knee and touch the wall with your foot and come back down. Work your way up to bringing your other leg straight up to the ceiling before coming back down. 

  5. Handstand time - now you have mastered all the exercises, it's time to kick up to the wall into a full handstand, both legs straight and only toes touch at the top, try to stay for 10 seconds and then come back down. 

Hint: Video and photos will be your best friend here, get someone to video you or set it up with a timer. Then you can watch it back and make corrections where you need to!

Happy Handstanding! 

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