Blog Post #2: Skill tutorial – headstand/handstand
Hello!
Welcome to my second blog post! I’ve had a lot of eager gymnasts requesting help with handstands. Most gymnastics skills involve passing through a handstand. They’re fun and wildly important in the sport. Olympic gymnasts hold handstands for 1 minute on the beam during conditioning. I am breaking down some of the exercises we do when teaching a handstand. Please practice in a safe environment with trained supervision. Do not perform gymnastics unless you have warmed up and stretched. Safety first!
At Ita we have additional exercises, equipment, tips and tricks that can assist you in learning your handstand. The most important thing is to always:
- Keep your arms straight and strong to protect your head.
- Prepare for how you will fall. I suggest cartwheeling or rolling out of the handstand. Every gymnast learns how to fall safely in their first gymnastics lesson at Ita. Sign up today so your little one can learn this very useful info!
In order to do a handstand, you want to start with a frog stand to master balancing on your hands.
For a frog stand:
- Squat down, both hands go flat on the floor shoulder width with elbows slightly bent.
- Move your legs to the outside of your arms and rest your knees on top of your elbows.
- Slowly move your shoulders forward until you can lightly lift your feet off the floor.
- Practice pushing your fingertips into the floor and holding
- Once you can hold for 10 seconds you are ready for a headstand.
For a headstand:
- Place your head on the ground
- Place hands flat on the ground. Your head and hands should make a triangle where you can see the tips of your fingertips. If you cannot see your fingertips move your hands farther away until you can.
- Slowly place knees on top of elbows while fingertips push into the ground. Hold this pose for 3 seconds.
- If you feel stable, move your knees off your elbows and have them come together while knees stay bent (tuck hold). Hold for 3 seconds.
- If you feel stable, slowly move your feet over head while straightening your legs. Congrats, you’re in a headstand! If you can hold this for 10 seconds you are ready to practice the entry of your handstand.
Handstand Entry/ “T”
- Start in a standing lunge. Feet will face forward. One foot in front of the other with about 12 inches between feet (shoulder width). Bend front knee. Put straight arms up to the sky.
- Lean forward, lift back leg off the ground. Make the letter “T” with your body, hold for 5 seconds looking at your hands, and return to the standing lunge. If that feels easy you can upgrade to a teeter totter.
Handstand entry/Teeter Totter:
- For a teeter totter you will start in a standing lunge, pass through the “T”, put your hands flat on the ground and look at them, and your back leg should go as high as it can without your front foot leaving the ground. Move like a teeter totter: hands move down while leg moves up. If you can do that quickly and easily you can upgrade to a ¾ handstand.
¾ Handstand:
- Follow teeter totter directions but let both feet go in the air, staying in a split. Once that feels easy you may upgrade to a handstand.
Handstand:
- For a handstand you will start in a standing lunch, pass through the “T”, hands go flat on the ground, and legs kick until your feet are together directly over your head. While in the handstand watch your hands. This is where you want to look in a handstand but you also want to take notice of your fingertips. They should be pushing into the ground and adjusting as needed. Squeeze your muscles and push up through your shoulders.
Practice makes perfect! The more you work on it, the better and longer your handstands will become.
Hope these tips were worthwhile, and I can’t wait for you to challenge me to a handstand contest when you get yours.
Love,
Coach Alyssa
