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SIMONSTERSTRENGTH.COM

DISCLAIMER

Prior to commencing any exercises, it is the responsibility of the reader to consult a registered health professional regarding participation in this program.

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

The author does not assume responsibility for any injuries or damages arising from use of the information contained herein. Use the following material at your own risk.

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INTRODUCTION

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KEY ELEMENTS

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Video tools

Patience and consistency Balancing Tension Alignment

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

Hand position Wrist position Arm position Head position Open shoulders and pushing tall Trunk position and posterior pelvic tilt Lower limb position Practicing the integrated alignment Breathing in a handstand

PREREQUISITES

Front support shoulder taps Push-ups

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WARM-UP AND CONDITIONING

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WORKING TOWARD A HANDSTAND – INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

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HOW TO PRACTICE

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CLOSING WORDS

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Active range warm-up Gentle resistance warm-up Stretching

Frog stand Headstand Exiting a handstand Wall handstands Balancing handstands off the wall Chest-to-wall handstand scissors Freestanding handstand Walking on your hands Bonus exercises

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION The handstand is a fundamental element for many disciplines. The ability to perform a solid handstand unlocks an array of impressive bodyweight skills and strength training exercises.

The Simonster Strength approach integrates principles from many disciplines, including circus, gymnastics, and breakdancing, to provide the safest and most efficient method to achieving a technically sound handstand.

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

To perform a handstand, a combination of mobility, strength, and neuromuscular control is required. This eBook provides a safe, scientific, and progressive blueprint to achieving a strong and technically sound handstand.

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VIDEO TOOLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

We strongly advise you to watch all the included videos. The entire video collection is available on the Simonster Strength website. Each exercise included herewith will refer directly to the relevant video link.

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KEY ELEMENTS

PATIENCE AND CONSISTENCY HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

As with all new skills, it is important to take a gradual and progressive approach. Rushing or skipping steps may lead to injury, incorrect technique, and/or bad habits. When done correctly, the handstand is a skill largely reliant on balance and requires relatively little strength. As a result, the progress of a handstand is usually less linear than conventional strength work. There are often plateaus, which can be frustrating, but this should be respected. Training for short-term satisfaction often results in the development of bad habits in the long term, habits which are difficult to unlearn. Be patient and consistent with your training and it will pay off.

KEY ELEMENTS

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BALANCING

Standing on your hands is similar to standing on your feet. You are not perfectly still when standing on your feet; rather, you are constantly making corrective adjustments based on feedback of body position to stop yourself from falling over. If you watch a toddler learning to stand you will notice a significant degree of movement, whereas adults usually appear to be still. In both cases, the distribution of weight continuously shifts position around the base of support. When developed - for example in adults - the balance comes from very subtle, early corrective movements allowing one to appear still. A toddler’s balance is not as refined; their reaction to falling occurs later, requiring larger corrective movements. Similarly, if you look at an adult under the influence of alcohol, you may notice their degree of sway is larger. This is a result of the delayed reaction caused by alcohol.

The same is true when on your hands. Initially, when balancing as a beginner, corrections will be made by bending and straightening the arms, as well as changing the position of the shoulders, back, hips, and legs. The sway will be large when you initially learn to hold a static handstand. As you improve, the degree of sway will decrease and you will reach a point where you maintain balance by making small adjustments with your hands and wrists. The weight should predominantly be in the middle of your hands or slightly toward the base. Your weight will shift toward your fingertips or the heel of your hand as you begin to lose balance. To recover from falling “over” toward your back, press your fingers into the floor to push the body back to an upright position. To recover from falling “under” toward your chest, push the heel of the palm into the floor to return the body to the upright position. Initially, you may find that you push too hard with corrective movements, throwing you off balance in the opposite direction. Balancing a handstand requires very precise adjustments; early subtle corrections are the goal, rather than delayed larger movements.

KEY ELEMENTS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Refined balance in standing is controlled by early corrective movements of the feet and ankles. If the balance is challenged enough or the reaction is too slow, other mechanisms, such as hip movement, will be used. If one is unable to maintain balance using static mechanisms, they will either fall or be forced to take a step in an attempt to stay upright.

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TENSION

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Body tension refers to contracting or maintaining tension in relevant muscles to keep proper alignment and posture during a handstand (correct handstand alignment will be covered in the following section). For example, the abdominal and gluteal muscles should be contracted to maintain a posterior pelvic tilt and flat lumbar spine, and the upper trapezius to maintain elevated shoulders (pushing tall). Initially, it is often difficult to know which muscles to contract, so a whole-body tightening is adopted where beginners tense their whole body in an attempt to maintain good posture. As you become more familiar and proficient with handstands, you will learn to contract only the relevant muscles. This is more energy efficient, resulting in longer duration holds and greater capacity for practice.

KEY ELEMENTS

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You may have noticed variety in the way people perform a handstand. Some arch their back with closed shoulders, and some practitioner’s bodies resemble a perfectly straight line. The arched handstand used to be commonplace in physical culture decades ago, including Olympic-level gymnastics. Now this technique is seldom seen amongst adept gymnasts, and performing handstands with this technique rather than a straight body is penalized. In a technically proficient handstand, the body should be positioned in a straight line from the hands to the toes. This means the wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles are all stacked on top of each other, making the handstand more reliant on skeletal structure and less so on muscular strength. This is the technique of choice, as it provides a solid foundation which will make future progressions easier, and employs a body shape with greater transferability to other skills, such as the planche. It is also, among many disciplines, the desired aesthetic position.

KEY ELEMENTS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

BODY ALIGNMENT

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SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

Hand position should provide you with a stable base of support upon which to rest your weight. Hands should be positioned directly under your shoulders. Wrist creases should be approximately parallel, usually found by positioning the index fingers facing forward. This can be adjusted slightly for comfort. The weight distribution in your hands will be constantly changing as you rebalance your handstand, and the area on which you focus the weight is a matter of preference. Maintaining your weight roughly in the middle of the hands or slightly proximal (under the knuckles or slightly closer to your wrist) is most efficient. Keeping the weight too far forward toward your fingertips will force the forearms to work harder to maintain balance and result in fatigue. The position of the fingers is at your discretion. Some hand balancers splay their fingers apart while others keep them together. While maximally splaying the fingers widens the base of support slightly, it also compromises the functionality of the fingers; that is, less force can be generated. What is important, is that you can effectively apply pressure to correct your balance with your chosen finger position.

WATCH VIDEO

ALIGNMENT – HANDS

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

HAND POSITION

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To perform a straight body handstand with correct alignment, 90 degrees of passive wrist extension is required. This means being able to keep your palms flat on the floor with your forearms vertical. Having less range will result in a handstand where the forearms and arms are not vertical, and the rest of the body will need to compensate to maintain balance. You do not need 90 degrees of wrist extension to commence handstand training, but continued effort should be made to achieve this throughout your training. The following exercises can be used to improve your wrist extension range. Ensure your body is warmed up before performing these. An example warm-up can be found in the “warm-up and conditioning” chapter.

WATCH VIDEO

ALIGNMENT – WRISTS

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

WRIST POSITION

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EXERCISE TO INCREASE

WRIST EXTENSION SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

PRONATED WRIST EXTENSION STRETCH On your hands and knees with your fingers facing forward, gently lean your shoulders over your hands, keeping your arms straight. As with all stretches, perform this to a point of mild discomfort - not pain. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat for three sets three to four times weekly; if you have no issues with soreness, you can perform this stretch daily.

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

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SUPINATED WRIST EXTENSION STRETCH

Starting on your hands and knees with your palms on the floor and fingers facing toward your feet, gently lean your shoulders backward, keeping your arms straight until you feel a stretch in your forearms. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat for three sets three to four times weekly; if you have no issues with soreness, you can perform this stretch daily. The above two exercises can also be performed dynamically instead of statically, at your discretion, by gently rocking back and forth in the stretch. Perform for 30 seconds and repeat for three sets three to four times weekly; if you have no issues with soreness, you can perform these daily.

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

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As mentioned previously, the joints should be stacked on top of each other, approximating a straight line. To keep the elbows above the wrists, the hands should be shoulder-width apart and the elbows straight. A bend in the elbows will require a larger degree of triceps strength rather than using skeletal alignment. Elbow creases should be facing each other. WATCH VIDEO

ALIGNMENT – ARMS

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

ARM POSITION

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HEAD POSITION

Handstands can be performed with various head positions. In early gymnastics, athletes used a “head out” posture, where the neck would be extended to focus their vision on their hands or the floor in front of them. Looking at the floor gives a visual reference for the position of the body, which is helpful. However, this head position means compensation must be made somewhere else in the handstand and therefore results in an arched body position.

The ideal head position involves gazing at your hands with minimal neck extension, so as not to compromise body position. To find this point, stand looking straight ahead and then try to look at the ceiling above you by peering toward your eyebrows, extending the neck as little as possible. When you are first able to focus on the ceiling directly above you, this is the posture your neck/head should be in when you are upside-down. With the head in this position, the deltoid muscles should be covering your ears when the handstand is viewed from the side, and you will still be able to look at your hands or the floor between them. Neck extension is minimal in this position, so posture elsewhere in the chain is compromised minimally or not at all. This is the position adopted by most gymnasts today.

WATCH VIDEO

HEAD NEUTRAL

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Alternatively, a “head in” posture can be adopted where the neck is flexed and the line of view is parallel to the floor (looking straight ahead), or angled slightly toward the ceiling. Although there is still visual input, it is not very useful to use as a reference for body position or to help with balance.

ALIGNMENT – HEAD

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HEAD IN SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

HEAD OUT

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OPEN SHOULDERS AND PUSHING TALL

You can test your active shoulder flexion range by standing upright and, with straight arms, raising your hands as high above your head as possible. Ensure you do not lean back or arch to compensate. Do not worry if you cannot actively flex the shoulders to 180 degrees, as this is common in those commencing training as adults. Progress can still be made with handstand training, but continued effort should be made to achieve 180 degrees of active shoulder flexion. The following exercises can be used to improve your shoulder flexion range. Ensure your body is warmed up before performing these. An example warm-up can be found in the “warm-up and conditioning” chapter.

EXERCISES TO INCREASE SHOULDER FLEXION RANGE

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Shoulders should be open to 180 degrees and positioned directly above your hands. When people talk about “open shoulders” they are talking about the ability to flex the shoulders to 180 degrees. “Closed shoulders” refers to falling short of this. There are few activities in everyday life that require this range of shoulder flexion, so a lack of this mobility is common. An inability to fully flex the shoulders to 180 degrees will result in a handstand that is not properly stacked and inefficient, as well as affecting the aesthetics of the handstand. This will either require a great deal of anterior shoulder strength or compensation elsewhere in the body to maintain the center of mass over the base of support. In addition to flexing the shoulders to 180 degrees, the scapulae (shoulder blades) should also be elevated by pushing tall in your handstand. As mentioned above, your deltoid muscles should cover your ears. This requires a combination of shoulder flexion, elevation, and correct head positioning.

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ADDRESSING THE

PASSIVE COMPONENT

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HOLLOW BODY SHOULDER FLEXION STRETCH Start facing a wall with your palms flat against the wall and arms straight ahead, then stretch your shoulders by bending forward, trying to reach 180 degrees of shoulder flexion (see photo). Keep your torso in a hollow body position by performing a posterior pelvic tilt (this is covered in the following section) and preventing your ribs from flaring out. This should not be painful; stop when you feel a mild stretching sensation. Repeat for three sets of 30 seconds, three to four times weekly; if you have no issues with soreness, you can perform this stretch daily. If your shoulder flexion mobility is limited, it is recommended that this stretch be performed between sets of handstand skill practice. This is a much better use of rest periods compared to sitting idle - or worse, devouring social media!

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

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COMBINED THORACIC AND SHOULDER FLEXION STRETCH Perform the stretch as above; however, this time try to arch your upper back. This stretch is particularly useful for those with a rounded back and shoulder posture who have difficulty flattening or extending their thoracic spine. Repeat for three sets of 30 seconds, three to four times weekly; if you have no issues with soreness, you can perform this stretch daily. As noted above, this stretch should also be performed between handstand skill practice sets if shoulder flexion remains limited.

WATCH VIDEO

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

ALIGNMENT – SHOULDERS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

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ADDRESSING THE

ACTIVE COMPONENT SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

WALL SLIDE

Stand with your back against the wall and your arms bent to the side. Touch your forearms to the wall in a “W” position. Maintaining contact with the back of your hands and forearms on the wall, slide your hands up until they reach the position they would be in during a handstand. Lower down slowly and repeat. If you are struggling to keep your hands against the wall, this reflects poor active shoulder mobility. Positioning your feet further from the wall will reduce the difficulty. Position your feet as close to the wall as possible while being able to maintain contact with your hands on the wall. Strive to perform this movement with your entire back touching the wall. Repeat for three sets of ten repetitions every second day.

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

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PRONE BAR SHOULDER FLEXION Lying flat with your chest on the floor and your arms extended straight in front of you, hold a light stick or bar, such as a broomstick, and lift it off the ground as high as you can. Your feet and forehead should remain on the floor. Ensure that you keep your arms straight and strive to maintain a hollow body position throughout the hold (see below). Hold for five to ten seconds and repeat repetitions until you accumulate 30 seconds. Perform three sets every second day.

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

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SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

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TRUNK POSTION AND POSTERIOR PELVIC TILT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

The natural curvature of the spine is not a straight line; instead, it resembles a subtle “S” shape. To achieve the preferred handstand position, you want to eliminate this curvature so the body forms a straight line from the hands to the toes. The upper and lower spine should be made as flat as possible. Gymnasts refer to this as the “hollow body” position, meaning that any arch in the thoracic and lumbar spine is eliminated. To prevent the curvature of the lower spine the practitioner should perform a posterior pelvic tilt, which requires good control over the core muscles. The ability to perform a posterior pelvic tilt in other postures, such as standing and lying on your back, will make finding correct alignment in a handstand quicker and easier. As a result, I recommend practicing this on your back prior to the inverted handstand work.

WATCH VIDEO

ALIGNMENT – TRUNK

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PRACTICING THE POSTERIOR PELVIC TILT

Lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor. Flatten the arch in your lumbar spine to remove any gap between your lower back and the floor. Practice this until you can achieve the position without difficulty. The same exercise can be performed standing with your back against the wall, tilting your pelvis posteriorly to eliminate the gap between your lower back and the wall. motor control of the core will improve your handstands, so throughout your handstand journey, the difficulty of the following exercise until you can hold a full hollow body position for 30

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Greater strength and practice and increase seconds.

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

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HOLLOW BODY HOLD

Start by holding the posterior pelvic tilt lying on your back in the position described above for 30 seconds. If you cannot hold this for 30 seconds but can reach the position, perform this in sets to fatigue until a total of 30 seconds has been accumulated. For example, do six sets of five-second holds. When a 30-second continuous hold has been achieved, progress until you can perform a full hollow body hold for 30 seconds.

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

To progress toward this final position, start by lifting your head, arms, and legs a couple of inches off the floor, then straightening your legs, extending your hips, and finally, lifting your arms above your head. Your lower back should remain flat on the floor. Select a level that you can hold for 30 seconds and perform for three sets every second day. When you can hold a position for 45 seconds, increase the difficulty.

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

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FRONT PLANK

An additional exercise to increase the core strength and motor control required for handstands is the front plank. This requires greater motor control than the hollow body hold, as you are not provided with as much tactile feedback to direct body alignment.

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

To perform the front plank, start in a push-up position with your elbows on the floor directly under your shoulders, and your hands in front of your elbows. Your head should be in a neutral position with eyes looking toward your hands. Maintain a posterior pelvic tilt to ensure a hollow body position. Point the toes to replicate the foot position used in a handstand. Build until you can hold this position for three sets of 30 seconds.

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

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PLANK

If you are unable to hold this for 30 seconds, perform the exercise with your elbows elevated on objects to reduce the difficulty. Select the lowest height at which you can maintain good technique for 30 seconds, and perform this for three sets every second day. As you get stronger, lower the height of the objects to increase the difficulty. If you can comfortably perform the exercise on the floor, lengthening the plank by placing your elbows in front of your shoulders will increase the difficulty. The plank should be performed on the same days as the hollow body hold exercise to allow for recovery on the days between exercises.

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

FRONT

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Lower limbs should be straight, with knees fully extended, feet together, and toes pointed to ensure a straight line from your hands all the way to the toes.

WATCH VIDEO

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

ALIGNMENT – LOWER LIMBS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

LOWER LIMB POSITION

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PRACTICING THE INTEGRATED

ALIGNMENT

This drill is surprisingly difficult and requires a high degree of mobility and motor control. To reduce the difficulty, position the feet further from the wall. If you cannot maintain contact with the wall as you lift your arms, it may be because your shoulders are stiff or you are having difficulty engaging the correct muscles to maintain a posterior pelvic tilt. You may, like many, feel that your butt is too big - it probably isn’t! Possessing larger gluteal muscles will require greater range of movement of the posterior pelvic tilt to maintain contact with the wall, but most people can achieve this. For those commencing training as adults, shoulder mobility is often the limiting factor. If you cannot reach the wall with your hands, continue to practice this, in addition to the hollow body hold exercise and stretching your shoulders, as described earlier. Build until you can maintain this position for 30 seconds. Once this position has been mastered against the wall, try to reach the same position away from the wall. This is more challenging as you are not provided with tactile feedback to guide your alignment. I recommend recording yourself performing the exercise and reviewing it to ensure you are reaching the correct alignment.

WATCH VIDEO

INTEGRATED ALIGNMENT

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

A great way to practice this straight body position is to perform it in the more familiar position of standing. First, stand with your heels against the wall and make your entire back contact the wall by performing a posterior pelvic tilt. Then, keeping your arms straight, lift your hands above your head so they touch the wall. Ensure that your entire back remains in contact with the wall as you do this.

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BREATHING IN A

HANDSTAND

During your handstand work, it is important to continue to breathe. Holding your breath will prevent you from maintaining a handstand for an extended duration. To avoid compromise in your body alignment, try to avoid breathing from the chest with large breaths. Rather, keep your ribs and skeleton still, and breathe through your abdomen with small breaths. This is known as diaphragmatic breathing and will result in the least compromise to your handstand alignment.

Diaphragmatic breathing can be practiced lying on your back prior to the inverted handstand exercises. Lie on your back with your knees bent and place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen below the rib cage. Keeping your chest as still as possible, allow your abdomen to rise as you breathe in and fall as you exhale. When you have mastered this on your back, progress to standing and finally to performing this in the integrated alignment position, explained in the previous section.

WATCH VIDEO

BREATHING IN A HANDSTAND

SEGMENTAL BODY ALIGNMENT

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

For some people, breathing in a handstand comes naturally. Many achieve a high level of handstand proficiency without any conscious attention to their breathing technique. However, if you feel your breathing technique is hindering progress, you can practice this technique separately before integrating into your handstands.

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PREREQUISITES To ensure your safety when first learning to handstand, it is important to confirm you have adequate strength to support your body in the inverted handstand exercises. This is to minimize your risk of injury and optimize the efficiency of your training. If you are unable to achieve these prerequisites, the exercises to assist you to fulfil them will follow. Please ensure your body is warmed up before attempting these. An example warm-up can be found in the following section.

WATCH VIDEO

PREREQUISITES

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

To perform a technically sound handstand, certain levels of strength, mobility, and motor control are required. Adequate mobility in the relevant joints is needed to achieve a position of proper alignment (i.e. the wrists must be able to extend and the shoulders must be able to flex proficiently). Control over body segments is required to reach and maintain the correct posture (i.e. posterior pelvic tilt to flatten the lumbar spine) and finally, a mild to moderate degree of strength is required to maintain these positions.

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PREREQUISITE ONEFRONT SUPPORT SHOULDER TAPS HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Holding a front support (position at the top of a push-up) with the feet shoulder-width apart, lift one arm to touch your opposite shoulder, taking three seconds for the movement. Move your body as little as possible while maintaining balance. Repeat this three times with each arm.

PREREQUISITES

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EXERCISE-ELEVATED FRONT SUPPORT SHOULDER TAPS HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

If you are unable to do this exercise, perform it with your hands elevated on objects so you fatigue when performing six to eight repetitions on each arm. Repeat this for three sets to fatigue every second day. When you can perform ten repetitions comfortably, lower the height of the objects. Gradually lower the height of the objects until you are able to complete six repetitions in total on the floor. When doing this, maintain a posterior pelvic tilt and hollow body.

PREREQUISITES

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PREREQUISITE TWOPUSH-UPS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

To ensure you have adequate arm strength, you should be able to comfortably perform at least three solid push-ups on your hands and feet with good technique before commencing handstand training. This means the body should stay in a rigid straight line from the shoulders to the heels throughout the movement. Increased arm strength will allow you to train longer and harder, so aim to increase the number of pushups you can complete. I recommend continuing to train these until you can perform at least ten comfortably.

PREREQUISITES

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EXERCISEELEVATED PUSH-UPS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

If you cannot perform three push-ups on your feet, you can perform them on an elevated surface by raising your hands on a sturdy object. The body will form an incline. The further the hands are from the floor the easier the exercise will be. As the hands are placed closer to the floor, the push-up will become more difficult. Every second day, perform three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions with your hands at a height where you fatigue in this repetition range. When you can perform 15 at a given height, reduce the height to increase the difficulty. Keep doing so until you are able to do three full push-ups on the floor.

PREREQUISITES

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WARM-UP AND

Before commencing each training session, it is important to warm-up. You should not become fatigued during the warm-up; its purpose is to prepare the body for training and reduce the risk of injury. The following warm-up will condition the relevant joints and surrounding tissues simultaneously. For handstands, this should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

WATCH VIDEO

WARM-UP AND CONDITIONING

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

CONDITIONING

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WARM-UP This involves actively moving relevant joints through their full range of motion. Perform each exercise with ten repetitions.

WARM-UP AND CONDITIONING

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

ACTIVE RANGE

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WRIST CIRCLES With your arms out to the side, make a fist and perform circles with your hands. Once you have completed ten repetitions, repeat in the opposite direction.

ELBOW ACTIVE RANGE With your arms out to the side, bend your arms at the elbows, focusing on contracting your biceps. Then extend your elbows, focusing on contracting your triceps.

ARM CIRCLES Move your arms through their full range in a circular motion. Start with a forward direction and ensure you control the movement through the full range, rather than swinging your arms. Perform for ten repetitions, then repeat in the other direction.

Stand with your back against the wall and your arms bent to the side, with the back of your hands and forearms touching the wall in a “W” position. Maintaining contact, slide your hands up to reach a handstand position. Lower arms down slowly and repeat. Position your feet as close to the wall as possible while maintaining contact with your hands throughout the slide. If you are struggling to keep your hands against the wall or extend your arms fully, move your feet further away from the wall to reduce the difficulty. Strive to maintain contact with your entire back against the wall. The goal is to be able to perform this in a hollow body position.

WARM-UP AND CONDITIONING

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

WALL SLIDE

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GENTLE RESISTANCE WARM-UP This is to further prepare the neuromuscular system. Each exercise should be performed with ten repetitions.

WRIST PUSH-UPS (FRONT AND BACK) On your hands and knees, put minimal weight on your hands and push up onto the fingertips. Do the same with the back of your hands. Once completed, repeat as above, however, now push up onto the knuckles. Over time, as this becomes comfortable, gradually increase weight-bearing through your hands.

Start on your hands and knees. Push your chest as far from the floor as possible, hold for three seconds, then relax and squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom. To increase the difficulty, do this on your hands and feet in a push-up position. Ensure your elbows stay straight throughout the whole movement. Focus on moving only at the shoulder blades. It is unnecessary to hunch the upper back excessively during this exercise.

WARM-UP AND CONDITIONING

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

SHOULDER PROTRACTION PUSH-UPS

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STRETCHING

Adequate mobility is important for handstands, as outlined previously. Performing the following stretches as part of your warm-up will help to improve your shoulder and wrist mobility. Those who can already comfortably reach the positions needed for a handstand do not need to stretch as part of their warm-up, but can do so for maintenance if desired.

WARM-UP AND CONDITIONING

DYNAMIC PRONATED WRIST EXTENSION STRETCH On your hands and knees with your fingers facing forward, gently lean your shoulders over your hands, keeping your arms straight. As with all stretches, perform this to a point of a mild stretching sensation - not pain. Gently rock forward, in and out of a stretching sensation, for 30 seconds and repeat for two sets.

WARM - UP AND CONDITIONING

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

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DYNAMIC SUPINATED WRIST EXTENSION STRETCH

Starting on your hands and knees, with your fingers facing toward your feet and palms down, gently lean your shoulders backward, keeping your arms straight until you feel a stretch in your forearms. Gently rock forward, in and out of a stretching sensation for 30 seconds, and repeat for two sets.

WARM - UP AND CONDITIONING

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

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DYNAMIC SHOULDER FLEXION STRETCH Start by facing a wall with your palms flat against the wall and arms straight ahead. Stretch your shoulders by bending forward, trying to reach 180 degrees of shoulder flexion. Remember to keep your torso in a hollow body position (no arch in the thoracic or lumbar spine). If you find your lumbar spine arching, remember to perform a posterior pelvic tilt. This should not be painful; stop when you feel a mild to moderate stretching sensation. Gently rock in and out of a stretching sensation for 30 seconds, and repeat for two sets.

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

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WARM - UP AND CONDITIONING

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INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS If you have fulfilled the prerequisites, you are now ready to start working toward a handstand. The following is a guide of systematic progressions toward a freestanding handstand.

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

WORKING TOWARD A HANDSTAND

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FROG STAND

Use the frog stand to familiarize yourself with supporting your weight through your arms and balancing. This is significantly easier to balance than a handstand due to the lower center of mass.

Build toward holding this for three sets of 15 seconds.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE BEING UPSIDE-DOWN For many, the biggest barrier to achieving the handstand is fear of going upside-down. The headstand, along with the angled wall handstand, can help you build the confidence required for doing a handstand.

WATCH VIDEO

FROG STAND

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Start in a full squat, with your elbows on the inside of your knees and hands resting on the floor directly in front of your feet. Gradually lean forward, taking the weight into your hands. The weight of your legs will rest on your elbows through your knees. Gradually increase the degree of lean until your feet come off the floor. Control your movement to prevent yourself from falling forward.

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HEADSTAND

The headstand is significantly easier than a handstand because you have a larger base of support, your center of mass is closer to the ground, and less upper limb strength is required. To begin, kneel down and place your hands on the floor shoulder width apart with your head in front of your hands. For the safety of your neck, ensure that you bear weight through the top of your head, rather than your forehead. From here, straighten your legs so your weight is no longer on your knees. Gradually shift more and more weight onto your head as you walk your feet closer to your head. When able, lift one knee and place it on your elbow, then repeat with the other leg. Here, the weight will be distributed across the hands and head, with some of the weight of your legs being supported by the elbows. As you become comfortable with this, try to lift your knees off your elbows into a tuck headstand. From here you can progress the difficulty to a straddle and finally a straight body headstand. Notice in the straight body headstand the line of the body is not vertical, as the base of support is distributed across the head and hands.

Build toward holding the full position for three sets of 30 seconds.

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HEADSTAND

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

To exit the headstand when falling toward your chest, simply put your feet on the floor. To exit a headstand when falling toward your back, tuck your chin to your chest and roll.

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EXITING A HANDSTAND

Prior to commencing the next progressions, it is important to know how to exit a handstand. When falling toward your front, bring one foot to the floor to safely exit. When falling toward your back, twist out of a handstand so you land on your feet. This is very similar to a cartwheel and involves turning the body so that when you bring your feet down they are in front of you. This is the safest way to bail from a handstand when you can no longer control your balance by pressing your fingers into the floor.

Ensure you are comfortable with this before commencing freestanding work. Always aim to control the exit to perform it as gracefully as possible.

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EXITING A HANDSTAND

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

To practice this and simulate falling, you can start by performing a chest-to-wall handstand, as explained below, and gently push off the wall with your feet. This way you can perform a more precise and mild fall, rather than kicking up, where you may greatly overshoot. When you get to the point that you can no longer control your balance with your fingers, turn your body, step with one arm, and cartwheel out of the handstand. You should land on the same leg as the arm you stepped with.

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WALL HANDSTANDS WATCH VIDEO

WALL HANDSTANDS

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

CHEST-TO-WALL

The chest-to-wall handstand is a great way to build confidence for a handstand and perfect your alignment without the need to balance yourself freely.

To perform the chest-to-wall handstand, initially you will start with an angled handstand and gradually progress toward vertical. Start in a push-up position with your feet against the wall and gradually walk your feet up the wall, moving your hands toward the wall. Ensure you keep your elbows straight to reduce the risk of your arms giving way. Only go as far as you feel confident, and gradually increase the angle as you progress. You can mark on the floor how far your hands were in the previous session and aim to go closer each session. Try to maintain straight body alignment, meaning your body should be in the same position as it would in a full handstand, but angled to the wall.

Walk your hands away from the wall or cartwheel out to exit the handstand. Exiting a chest-to-wall handstand can be challenging. Practice bailing from this position so the movement becomes automatic. For maximum safety, don’t perform chest-to-wall handstands to failure as you will not have the energy to exit correctly. Build toward holding the full position for three sets of 30 seconds.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

When you have reached a full chest-to-wall handstand, the base of your hands should be no further than a few inches from the wall. Find the correct alignment by having your sternum, hips, and toes all touching the wall. Ensure your shoulders are open as close to 180 degrees as possible.

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HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

CHEST-TO-WALL

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

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BACK-TO-WALL

When you are comfortable and proficient maintaining good alignment in a chest-to-wall handstand, you can commence the back-to-wall handstand. Performing this prior to the chest-to-wall handstand can instill bad habits, especially arching the back. There is only one point of contact with the wall (heels) in a back-to-wall handstand, compared with three in the chest-to-wall handstand. As a result, there are fewer tactile cues to direct proper alignment.

The back-to-wall handstand also helps to familiarize you with the entry needed for a freestanding handstand, with the safety of a wall behind you. Place your hands on the floor a few inches from the wall, kick up by pushing off one leg and kicking the other toward the wall. Start with a very small kick and gradually increase the height until the leg touches the wall. The second leg should follow to join the first leg. As you kick into the handstand, the shoulders must simultaneously open.

Build toward holding this for three sets of 30 seconds.

Note: The posture of a freestanding handstand is between the chest-to-wall and back-to-wall handstand. When you move on to freestanding drills, continue to perform one to two sets of wall handstand work, short of fatigue, as part of your warm-up. Doing so will help reinforce accurate alignment and prepare the neuromuscular system for correct technique during your freestanding drills.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

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Try to resist the temptation to arch the back in this exercise, keeping the body as close to a straight line as possible.

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BALANCING HANDSTANDS

OFF THE WALL Once you are comfortable with the wall handstands, you are ready to increase the difficulty by introducing a balance component.

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BALANCING HANDSTANDS OFF THE WALL

BACK-TOWALL BALANCE

Start with a back-to-wall handstand, keeping your body rigid, and lift your feet off the wall by pressing your fingertips into the floor. Try to resist the urge to kick off or arch the body to get off the wall. Placing your hands further from the wall will increase the range of movement of this exercise, but make it more difficult to lift off the wall. Initially, lift the feet off the wall slightly before returning to the wall. As you become more comfortable, reach the vertical handstand position before returning to the wall, ensuring you are maintaining correct alignment throughout the movement. Build toward performing this for three sets of 30 seconds.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

This exercise will help you learn how to correct your balance as you begin to fall “over” toward your back.

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INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

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BACK-TOWALL BALANCE

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CHEST-TOWALL BALANCE

Ensure you are comfortable with how to exit a handstand before attempting the chest-to-wall balance.

Start by performing a chest-to-wall handstand with just your feet touching the wall and your hands positioned slightly further from the wall than a normal chest-to-wall handstand. Placing your hands further from the wall will increase the range of movement of this exercise, but make it more difficult to lift off the wall. Keeping your torso and lower limbs rigid, try to lift your feet off the wall by pressing the heel of your hand into the ground and allowing your shoulders to move forward over your wrists. From here, straighten your shoulders to achieve the straight-body handstand position with no part of your body touching the wall. Initially, just lift the feet off the wall slightly before returning to the wall. As you become more comfortable, increase the range of movement to reach the vertical handstand position and try to hold it momentarily before returning to the wall. Ensure you maintain correct body alignment throughout the movement. Try to resist the urge to kick off or arch to get off the wall. This will make corrections harder in the future when no wall is present. Build toward performing this for three sets of 30 seconds.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

This exercise will help you learn how to correct your balance as you begin to fall “under” toward your chest. This correction is more difficult than correcting falling “over”. This is the result of a mechanical disadvantage due to the structure of the hands. The fingers extend further in front of the wrist than the heel of the hand does behind the wrist. This difference in leverage means it is easier to correct falling “over” by pushing the fingers into the floor than it is to correct falling “under” by pushing the heel of the hand into the floor. As a result, falling “under” often requires a change in shoulder position in addition to wrist movement to maintain balance. Only very early corrections will be effective using just the wrists.

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HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

CHEST-TOWALL BALANCE

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CHEST-TO-WALL HANDSTAND SCISSORS

Start in a chest-to-wall handstand with the hands at least a foot away from the wall. Having the hands further from the wall will increase the range of this exercise. Keep one leg upright, in line with the rest of the body, and one leg flexed at the hip so that the foot touches the wall. Keep the weight on the wall to a minimum. You should reach a level where you could hold this position even if the wall was removed. Note: The body and upright leg will be angled slightly away from the wall to counter the weight of the flexed leg. From here, lift the flexed leg to join the other leg in an upright handstand, hold for three to five seconds, then flex the opposite leg to meet the wall. The exercise should be done slowly and controlled. As you progress, you should reach a level where pausing at any point during the exercise is possible. Build toward performing this for three sets of 30 seconds. WATCH VIDEO

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

When you are comfortable correcting balance with the previous exercises, you can add a dynamic component with the lower limbs. In addition to improving your balance and body awareness in a handstand, this exercise will help refine the last stage of the kick-up to handstand.

CHEST-TO-WALL HANDSTAND SCISSORS

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FREESTANDING HANDSTAND

Start with your hands on the floor and your shoulders directly over the wrists. From here, kick with one leg and push with the other. For safety, gradually increase the height you kick to until you reach the full handstand position. Once your legs leave the ground, try to keep them straight. The shoulders must open as your legs rise to reach the correct handstand posture. To improve the consistency of your entry, kick into a handstand and catch with your legs split, then slowly bring them together, rather than trying to snap them together straight away. The split position is easier due to a lower center of mass, less power required to reach the position of balance, and greater stability. This position and moving to a full handstand from it has already been practiced with the chest-to-wall handstand scissors. Practice is required to perfect the entry until you can use the precise amount of power to stop at the balance point. This will be refined over time. Initially you may overshoot or undershoot with your entry. Build until you can consistently hold the freestanding handstand for 60 seconds. If endurance is an issue, practicing wall handstands for 60 seconds can help improve your capacity.

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HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

As you commence your freestanding training, keep in mind the desired straight body posture.

FREESTANDING HANDSTAND

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HANDSTAND

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

FREESTANDING

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Although not necessary to achieve a handstand, having the luxury of a spotting partner can speed your progress. If you have a partner available, you can have them spot your handstands by placing their hands a small distance to either side of your legs once you have kicked into the handstand. From here, they provide assistance only if you fall to the limits of their hands. The spotter should act as walls on either side of your handstand. Rather than pushing you back to a handstand, you should try to correct the balance yourself and lift off their hands, using the skills learned from the wall balance exercises. The spotter should also provide feedback about your handstand technique if your alignment deteriorates. They can also help you to gain confidence with your entry by assisting if you overshoot.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

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PARTNER SPOT

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WALKING ON YOUR HANDS WATCH VIDEO

WALKING ON YOUR HANDS

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Many teachers discourage their students from walking at any time in their handstand journey; but to truly master the handstand, you should be competent with both static and dynamic handstands. Having the ability to walk provides a greater skillset and allows you to choose between static or dynamic handstands. Handstand walking is also a prerequisite for more advanced skills, such as one-arm handstands and hops.

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Before attempting to walk in a freestanding handstand, ensure you have adequate single arm strength by performing small steps on the spot with your chest facing the wall. Start by simply shifting your weight, then progress by going to your fingertips on your non-supporting hand, then lift one arm to touch the opposite shoulder. When you can perform this for repetitions, touching the opposite shoulder comfortably, you are ready to start freestanding walks.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

WALL WALKING PREREQUISITE

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WALKING AS A BALANCE STRATEGY

Often when learning to perform a handstand with the goal of holding a stationary position, you will find your corrections are not quick enough to stop you from falling. A good way to make handstand training more efficient and add an extra balance strategy is to walk on your hands. When commencing the freestanding handstand, walking on your hands is not the goal - it is only a strategy to maintain balance. Walk on your hands in the same direction that you’re falling to reposition your base of support under your center of mass. Once you have regained your balance, you should try to stay in the position and balance statically, only walking when you are unable to correct with static balance strategies. You can begin to practice walking upon commencing your freestanding training, assuming you have mastered the previous levels.

WALKING DELIBERATELY

You can also try to walk on the spot, which requires greater control when shifting weight onto one arm. This is the same as the wall walk; however, now you will be trying it freestanding. Try to shift your weight to one arm, initially taking the other hand onto the fingertips. Once comfortable, use your free arm to touch your opposite shoulder. This exercise can be performed in straddle, half straddle, or full positions. Remember, the goal with this is to be able to perform the exercise while staying in the same spot. Build until you can walk for 30 seconds continuously.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

If you are competent in holding a static handstand and want to develop your handstand walking skills, try to deliberately walk in a particular direction. This will require you to “lose balance” slightly by letting your center of mass drift in the direction you want to walk. Try to master this in all directions (forward, backward, both sides) so you can deliberately walk at will in any direction.

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BONUS

EXERCISE WATCH VIDEO

BONUS EXERCISES

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Once you have mastered the static two-arm handstand and are confident walking on your hands, the following exercises can be used to further develop your handstand control.

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Perform a static handstand hold, but rather than looking at your hands, flex your neck to look straight ahead of you, or put your chin on your chest. This will challenge your balance, as it will change the distribution of your mass and your visual field.

Build until you can hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

HEAD-THROUGH HANDSTAND

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TUCK AND STRADDLE

POSITIONS

The tuck and straddle positions are beneficial for continued handstand improvement. Flexing the hips in the tuck and straddle positions forces the shoulders and hips to move in front of your wrist to counter the weight of your legs.

TUCK

Start with a straight body handstand and bend your hips and knees to enter a tuck position. Keep your back straight as you enter the tuck.

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Build until you can hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

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STRADDLE Build until you can perform this for 30 to 60 seconds.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

Start with a straight body handstand and open your legs - you will notice they only go so far when you open them directly to the side. This position is often referred to as “half straddle”. To open the legs fully, the hips need to flex to some degree.

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A good exercise to further improve balance and control is to transition between tuck, straddle, and straight body positions. Start with a straight body handstand and move to straddle, tuck, and back to straight position, then perform in the reverse order: tuck, straddle, straight. Ensure that you control the movement throughout the full range. Build until you can perform this for 30 to 60 seconds.

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

COMBINED TUCK, STRADDLE, AND STRAIGHT HANDSTAND

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HANDSTAND SHRUGS

Keeping your arms straight, relax your shoulder muscles, allowing the body to move closer to the floor; then elevate your shoulder blades by pushing yourself as tall as you can. Hold the position at the top for two seconds. Repeat and ensure you control the movement through the full range.

SHOULDER BLADES DEPRESSED

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

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Build toward performing this for 30 seconds.

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SHRUG SHOULDER BLADES ELEVATED

INVERSION HANDSTAND DRILLS

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HANDSTAND

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HOW TO PRACTICE

As the handstand is mainly skill rather than strength-dependent, training resembles a structure similar to learning an instrument or juggling. Practicing a skill requires repeated exposure and repetition. Think of your sessions as blocks of time working on drills which will make you more proficient. The quantity of the reps is less important than the quality of the practice. This is contrasted with a weight-training program, where prescribed sets and reps are important to force growth and adaptation. Training for handstands is very individualized and different people will be able to train to different capacities. Improvement is not just dependent on the number of repetitions or hours spent practicing, it is also dependent on the quality and effectiveness of that practice. Practice should be consistent and focused to address content or weaknesses that lie at the edge of your current abilities. Practicing exercises or drills that are too difficult or too easy will be largely ineffective in promoting progress. Practice should focus on exercises that are not so easy that you can perform them consistently every time, but not so difficult that you can rarely achieve the desired goal. To guide which drills you should be performing, recommendations of what to achieve before progressing to more difficult drills are listed in the explanations. Frequent repetitions of an exercise with breaks for recovery should form the foundation of your practice. You can perform multiple sessions a day, but beginners should start slowly and gradually build the volume of their practice to reduce the risk of an overtraining injury to the wrists or shoulders. I recommend beginners start by training every second day, and gradually increase the volume to daily if there are no issues with general fatigue or soreness. There is no golden rule for how many hours one should be practicing, but generally more practice means more improvement, as long as the quality of training is maintained. The key to progress is finding the balance between practice and recovery. Symptoms of overtraining can include fatigue despite adequate sleep, sore joints and muscles, and reduced strength/energy when training. It is important that you listen to your body; if you are experiencing these symptoms, reduce your training volume. Practice should stop when you are no longer able to perform exercises with decent technique. When you notice that your form has been compromised, stop and rest. Training with bad technique can reinforce bad habits. For those training for strength and skills concurrently, strength should be trained after skills so bad habits are not formed when fatigued. For example, if you can hold a freestanding handstand but want to perform wall handstands with the purpose of building endurance, these should be done after the freestanding practice.

CLOSING WORDS

An extremely important component for progress with handstands is consistency. For many, handstand progress is subtle and gradual, making short-term improvements difficult to perceive. As a result, staying motivated can be challenging. Try to enjoy the process and set small, progressive goals along the way to help keep you driven. Be patient and consistent with your practice and long-term results will be extraordinary. Mastery of the two-hand handstand is an impressive feat, but not the pinnacle of handstand ability. There are many options beyond the scope of this eBook if you want to progress further (for example, the one-arm handstand). The skills taught in this eBook should provide you with a solid foundation, no matter what your handstand goals may be.

We would love to see your progress! For feedback and queries related to this eBook, please contact: [email protected] No part of this publication may be reproduced, uploaded to the internet, or transferred to another person by any means without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

HANDSTAND • SIMON ATA

I hope you find your journey toward the handstand enjoyable and rewarding, and wish you luck along the way.

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