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Handstand - Gymnastics
THIS TUTORIAL WAS RENEWED - VISIT THE NEW VERSION HERE !!!
The handstand is very basic gymnastics knowledge and has to be trained
in every session.
There is no limit of how much somebody should practice his handstand.
Training aspects are strength and reaction. Concerning the handstand
I wouldn't give too
much attention to the word "balance", as I think strenght and technique make out more
than 90 percent of the technique.
Technical description: Handstand - Gymnastics
- Lift your straightened left leg and put your arms straight up into the air, so that your bicepcs touch your ears.
Finger tips point up.
- Step on your left leg and start moving down. Try to keep your arms in one line with your trunk.
- When you touch the floor, the right leg is already on the way up.
Also keep your right leg in one line with your arms and your trunk.
- The left leg follows and the big toes touch eachother at the top.
Toes point straight up. Distance between hands and toes as large as possible ( grow grow grow !!! )
- Only balance the handstand with forearm strength. When you center of gravity moves closer to your finger tips, you have to press them in harder. If you replace your hands, you fail. (don`t walk on your hands)
- Move down your right leg at first and follow with the left one.
At the end put your hands straight up again like in the beginning.
Finger tips point backwards.
- LESSON 1 gymnastics, basics of gymnastics, balancing a handstand (clip 1)
Preview of the movement: Technical correct handstand.
In the following lessons you will learn how to perform a poper handstand.
The first clip shows the entire motion.
=> How to swing up, act of balance, swinging down.
Watch the clips and read the descriptions. Then press the "next"-arrow in
Flashmavi´s controll field to go to the next step.
IMPORTANT: Only the standing on hands is tought here.
Walking on hands does not require much technique and is useless for tumbling and acrobatics.
Eyerybody who can stan on a spot can walk easily.
Only a high level of skill and strength make it possible to stand still.
- LESSON 2 gymnastics, basics of gymnastics, balancing a handstand (clip 2)
Illustration of the whole motion with automatic stops at key positions.
Initial position: Legs closed, View straight, ...see Illustration.
Maintain a straight posture to prepare for the straight posture while performing the handstand.
Initial movement - gymnastic handstand
Move your straightened arms sideways or forwards overhead.
The Palms point up, the fingers point forwards. The entire body is straightened but not tenses too much.
Heels, hip, shoulders and head are lined up straight.
strike out motion - gymnastic handstand
Rise the straightened left leg a bit. (no more than horizontal)
At the following step forward, this leg-angle of less than 90 degrees should stay unchanged.
The upper body must stay straight and the arms must not move to the ground too fast.
The shoulder-angle never has to amount less than 90° while you reach for the floor.
touching the ground (swinging up) - gymnastic handstand
Rise the straightened left leg a bit. (no more than horizontal)
Under a minimal change of joint-angles, you put your hands on the ground.
Shoulderangle at his moment: About 45 degrees. Upper body, knees and elbows are straight.
Only the right leg has to reach a bit faster for a vertical level.
posture in the handstand - gymnastic handstand
Just like in the beginning position, you have to straighten your body in order to make it possible to
controll the position. The legs and the toes point straight up. It is very important not to relax the
lower back because this makes your posture instable and causes damage to your intervertebral disks.
Never rest weight on your vertebra. Without a straight posture you dont even need to try to balance
the handstand. That would be like trying to run without knowing how to walk.
Act of balance - gymnastic handstand
It is not necesary to have a special talent or much of something called: "balance" to perform a good
handstand. If you take a closer look at what people call "balance", you will find out, that most of the
balancing act is strength, combined with a little bit of reaction.
First of all you have to know the definitions of CENTER OF CRAVITY and TIP AREA
Center of gravity: The point within something at which gravity can be considered to act
Tip area: An area at the bottom of an object, which gives the object stability.
As long as the gravity acts over the tip area, the object stays stble.
If the axis of gravity (which always directs to the center of the earth) leaves the tip area, the object tips over.
In the case of a handstand, your palms and the area between your palms is the tip area.
In the case of a head-handstand, the triangle formed by your 2 hands and your head is the tip area.
A head-handstand is easier to balance than a handstand because the tip area is bigger and therefore lets the
axis of gravity more space. A headstand is the most difficult to balance, because the tip area is only a point
on your head. Unless you are a neandertha or have a flat head like frankensteins monster.
It is aspired to bring the center of gravity exactly over the tip area to maintain the handstand with a
minimal effort. If the axis of gravity moves to the towards your fingers, you have to press in the fingertips
harder. If the center of gravity moves to the other direction, you have to lower stress from your fingertips.
Elbows and shoulders can also be used to the act of balance.
But at the beginning you should only use forearm strength.
Balance under maintenance of posture. Uncontrolled movement of limbs makes the center of
gravity move like at an earthquake.
distance
moving down - gymnastic handstand
The right leg, which came up at last, goes back to the floor at first.
The body stays as straight as possible while going back down.
distance
moving down - gymnastic handstand
The right leg touches the floor at first and the left one places next to it.
After both legs are back to the ground, the arms move up again like in the beginning position.
- LESSON 3 gymnastics, basics of gymnastics, balancing a handstand (clip 3)
Scissor swing ups.
This is an exercise to train handstand-stength, posture and motion.
From a pushup position you swing up the right leg and follow with the left one.
At the highest point the big toes of the two legs touch eachother and then the left
leg moves down again. The left foot touches the ground at first and the right one
follows. The feet have to land at the same spot from where the started.
Every repetition goes a bit higher until you reach handstand level. If you cannot perform
a handstand without wobbling and falling down uncontrolled, dont go too high at the beginning.
This is to build strength and safety, so dont train wanton.
At least 20 reps.
- LESSON 4 gymnastics, basics of gymnastics, balancing a handstand (clip 4)
Double leg swing ups.
Another exercise to train handstand-stength, posture and motion.
From a close pushup position you bounce up your lower body.
The legs stay together and the body straigthens a bit at the highest point.
Land at the same spot where you started from.
Dont go to high if you fell tat you will lose controll.
- LESSON 5 gymnastics, basics of gymnastics, balancing a handstand (clip 5)
Wall handstand.
Start off like in lesson 3, but in front of a wall.
Swing up like in öesson 3 until your heels touch the wall.
Correct your posture if necesary; lower back, joints and so on.
Now you have a good beginning position for plenty of exercise.
This is the most important one:
Press in your fingertips, so that your heels leave the wall and you stand free for a moment.
But dont press to hard, so that you fall back to the pushup position, where you started from.
This exercise only works, if your whole body is perfect straight.
Bleiben sie in dieser freien Position so lange wie moglich unter stetiger Belastung der Fingerspitzen.
Mit de Fersen zu Wand hin und wieder zu berühren ist erlaubt, mit den Zehen den Boden aber nicht.
Stay at this free position as long as possible under steady pressure on your fingertips.
You are allowed to touch the wall with your heels now and then.
But you must not go back to the ground with your toes.
If you are not able to move your heels and your straightened body away from the wall with your
forearm-strength only, you can go a bit closer to the wall, or you just have to weak forearms.
But... Don't push your body off the wall with your heels or use any other part of your body to get
away from the wall.
Only use your forearms!!!
- LESSON 6 gymnastics, basics of gymnastics, balancing a handstand (clip 6)
Run into handstand - hop - roll forward.
Run a few steps before your make a hop on your right leg, after which you swing up into a handstand.
like in lesson 2. (see illustration). Because of the initial speed you would tip over after the swingup-
motion and fall on your back.
So make a hop forward (about 20 cm) on your hands to compensate the momentum. (see illustration)
End the exercise up with a roll forwards - (see lection roll forward)
You can use very soft mats to try this without a hop at first.
- LESSON 7 gymnastics, basics of gymnastics, balancing a handstand (clip 7)
Handstand - illustration of tip area and center of gravity
tip area = Palms plus the area which lies in between.
center of gravity = center of your body depending on posture.
If your center of gravity moves outside your tip area, you tip over.
- LESSON 8 gymnastics, basics of gymnastics, balancing a handstand (clip 8)
Head - handstand - illustration of tip area and center of gravity
tip area = triangle formed by head and palms. A bigger area makes it easier to balance.
center of gravity = center of your body depending on posture.
If your center of gravity moves outside your tip area, you tip over.
- LESSON 9 gymnastics, basics of gymnastics, balancing a handstand (clip 9)
Headstand - illustration of tip area and center of gravity
tip area = Small spot on your head which touches the floor
center of gravity = center of your body depending on posture.
Balancing a headstand works different to a hand or head-handstand, because you cannot balance
by using your hands. Instead you use your whole body to compensate tipping.
(no good exercise for handstand.balance)
- LESSON 10 gymnastics, basics of gymnastics, balancing a handstand (clip 10)
Head-handstand - balancing examples
In this lesson a few balancing examples are illustrated.
tip area = triangle formed by head and palms.
center of gravity = center of your body depending on your posture.
If your center of gravity moves outside your tip area, you tip over.
Head-handstand with spread legs - gymnastic handstand
Stand is stable because the center of gravity is over the tip area.
The spread legs dont affect the head-handstand because they compensate eachother.
Head-handstand - one leg forward - gymnastic handstand
Stand is still stable because the center of gravity is still over the tip area.
The right leg makes the center of gravity move towards the endge of the tip area.
(fingertips => press in harder to move the center of gravity back to thee center of the tip area)
Head-handstand - both legs forward - gymnastic handstand
Stand is instable because the center of gravity is right over an edge of the tip area.
The legs made the center of gravity move to the edge of the tip area.
All the weight rests on your fingertips. If you dont correct your posture and press in your
hands immediately, you tip over.
Head-handstand - legs bend back - gymnastic handstand
Stand is instable because the center of gravity is over the tip area.
This posture doesn´t make it more difficult to balance, but is not good for the lower back.
(only do this if your abs keep contracted the whole time to support and protect your lower back.
Head-handstand - leaned back - gymnastic handstand
Stand is instable because the center of gravity is right over an edge of the tip area.
The posture made the center of gravity move to the edge of the tip area.
All the weight rests on your head und you cannot correct your posture with your hands.
Only a rapid change of posture can save you from tipping over.
Head-handstand - leaned back with legs bend back - gymnastic handstand
Tipping over. No chance to safe the stand because the center of gravity already left the tip area.
Head-handstand - leaned forward - huge tip area - gymnastic handstand
Stand is still stable because the center of gravity is still over the tip area.
Because of the huge tip area this position should be the the easiest to balance, but the extreme
shoulder-angle and the straight arms make it very difficult for hold he position if the center of
gravity moves towards the fingertips. This position can be used to train back and shoulder strength.
Trainer advice: Handstand - Gymnastics
- Learn the headstand at first. Because the area within your head and your two hands build a bigger tip-area,
a headstand is easier to balance.
- Practice all the handstand exercises.
- Train your forearms and your shoulders.
- Avoid to relax your back while performing a handstand.
Straighten your handstand with this exercsie.
Related instructions: Handstand - Gymnastics
Videos: Handstand - Gymnastics
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