Progression for Handstands

In this section I will explain specific ways to track your progression in handstand related training. However, the opportunities are many more than I can ever try to remember, so don’t trust this article blindly – use it as an guidance – and rather make your own progression notes! And whatever you do, don’t write them down on paper.

What to look for:

Look for the things that you know for sure you’ve improved on since last time, and believe me there is always something you’ve improved on. You just don’t know it. Perhaps your back is a bit straighter? Or maybe you have, in average, more long holds than short ones. It can be that you finally walk with a better technique, or the fact that you get less exhausted of doing handstands. It can be a better handstand pressup, different angles with your feet – it’s everything that makes your handstand last longer, look prettier or less energy consuming. The two last ones sounds like improvements for a marriage – perhaps I should get a real job as an “soon-separated-counselor” or whatever they call them these days!

Control

How much control do you feel you have? Is there any change in your feeling of control sine last time? Even though its a good progression to be able to stand/walk for a long time on your hands, a better progression will be when you can control it all by yourself. Walk, stop, walk is one way of increasing your control and even better, it’s easy to track your progression on. For more advanced techniques you can see if your’e able to do an handstand pushup? Lower yourself, then rise without loosing control – how close can you get to the ground? Save it and try in a week or two after more handstand practice, see if you’ve gotten more control. And with control comes more endurance and better technique! The same rule applies for nightly rounds of bed golf, the more control, the longer endurance, and the happier, if you know what I’m talking about, your’e lying over/under.

Endurance

Many don’t realize this, but after awhile you adapt to the handstand – your muscles responds better – and you use less energy upside down and therefor get less exhausted. That’s a good progression, though too many people don’t see it and that’s a shame because it really is one of the most important parts of handstand; being able to endure long holds on hands, and regain balance if you loose it. Endurance plays a crucial role on improving your handstands, therefor it’s worth seeing whenever you improve. And always remember that it’s not always the amount of time you can hold, or walk, your handstand, but also how much energy you use on it. Hard to follow? It’s the opposite of one of the many problems men have in bed – endurance vs energy. Bet you had a laugh of that one.

Your Technique:

I assume that you know what a technique is – if not well. . It’s the way your muscles work together: handstand related this is your balance on hands – and by looking at it you can find your progression. Now you can’t literally look at it since your’e the person up side down however you can either film it or have a spotter to look at it. The spotter don’t need P.H.D in Physiology or be a rocket scientist, this spotter can be anybody – even your mom. Now what you, or your mom, want to look for is things that can make your balance better. This depends from person to person but one fact remains strict: being a “pole” is the least exhausting way of holding a handstand. The technique for this is try to be firm as a pole, straight elbows, straight back and straight legs – therefor the name pole – and progress here is to be that pole. Beginners will look like a broken pole with bend elbows and/or some degrees off vertical on their upper back and they have a lot to see their progression on! More advanced handstand people might try to look at how they respond to shifting the center of weight in their body, try shifting your legs in different position, or even lean both legs to one of your sides, and see how your balance hold. People practicing walking on hands might look at their feet. Bent or straight? Moving or still? And from there track the progression to whatever goal you have set, and don’t forget endurance whenever you walk on your hands – how far or how long did you manage to do it this time? There are wast opportunities here, the key is to see your progression. Perhaps you missed one?

Summary:

Find something to track
Focus your mind and be sure to see your progression
Look for the small details

Here’s an annoying but useful tip: look for everything. At this point, I guess that your quite glad you read the entire article just to read this peace of crap statement – in fact I think you know that already, and that makes you even more glad huh? Anyways, here is the tip in depth!

Last warning:
I’ve received some emails regarding putting sexual undertones and parents in the same article to be – hold on – disgusting. I’m sure I’m not the disgusting one since you are thinking it, not me writing it!