Shea on Handstand Troubleshooting

Some of the common issues I see in handstands are a short lunge, head out and improper balance.

A tip I got from Debbie Love was to walk heel to toe 4 steps and that should be the distance of step into the lunge.  Elbows behind ears with an invisible straight line from finger tips to pinky toe.  This lunge will provide the proper angle for athlete to stretch to the floor for their handstand.

Neutral head position is often tough for athletes starting handstands as they often feel as they will fall over if they don’t poke their head out. I prefer the athlete watch their fingertips touch the floor then look back the direction they came. This will allow for a neutral head position.

Balancing a handstand to hold for 3 seconds is often much more difficult than it may seem.  Kicking legs and arching the lower back is the most common ways I’ve seen athletes try to balance and hold a handstand.  I have my athletes clap their hands palm to palm and squeeze their fingertips so that their palms stay touching but there is a slight lift in the finger while the palm and tips stay touching.  This allows the athlete to engage the muscles throughout their arms into the core.  Pointing toes and engaging glutes, quads and hamstrings is crucial to holding a proper handstand.

The handstand is such an important skill for shaping as well as strength and when done properly helps all aspects of the athletes tumbling.