Handstand mount

minicoopergrl started this discussion · 1/25/2010

Ive been working on this for a bit. After a bit of encouragement from some fellow polers I did the handstand. Heres the things I run into: 1. my legs missing the pole and going to one side. 2. not making it completely to the pole. I get my hands close but when I flip up, I dont stay up long enough get my legs to the pole. I think I dont arch my back enough to get my legs there. Any suggestions?

11 replies

Foxy_Rei · 1/25/2010
I don't know how comfortable you are with handstands without a pole, but here are a couple things I would try: Practice against a wall. Put a mark or piece of tape or something to help give you something to aim at, that way when you practice on the pole your feet are less likely to miss. Are you trying to get both feet around the pole or just one? I learned it by kicking one foot up and hooking it around the pole first, that way I could guide my other leg to the pole and you get a better feel for where the pole will land against your butt and back. Also that way your free leg is ready to help catch you if you fall 😜 I'm no expert, but I'd imagine arching your back would be a bad idea. Learn to tip your body back against the pole instead, keeping your back straight. You can practice this against a wall too - just place your hands further away from the wall than normal, then let your body tip back until your heels touch the wall. The wall won't go anywhere and gives you a bigger target than the pole would. Hope this helps!
Sapphirecatzeye · 1/25/2010
ooooo i do these all the time!! here is what i suggest; for me the wall was a little more scary just because your head had to be completely down and there was nothing to grasp with your legs- but everyone is different some like using that better. when i do handstands on the pole i put my head to ONE side of the pole, then your less likely to bang your head around when you flip. Your splits look good, so you should be able to try kicking one foot at a time and the other will follow. when your comfortable with that, the more important thing is to try and use as much force and the same spot where your hands go down every time you flip down. hope that helps... it kinda sounds more confusing than i thought it would be to explain... 🙁
Sassafrassle · 1/25/2010
Hokay, here's what I would say: -def practice against the wall. If you're not making it up to the pole, it's not an arching problem, it's probably a "commitment" problem. I know this because I've had this problem with handstands in the past. It's a lot about the fear of kicking over too far, which is why practising against the wall is great because you will learn just how much kick you need to put in it. Another possibility is finding a spotter who you trust completely and kicking up into a handstand in front of them so they can grab/hold your feet. Kinda like the wall but less fear of falling/slipping to the side etc. But the key is to find someone you do trust to catch you because otherwise you will continue to have the commitment problem (if that's what it is - again, this is based completely on my prev experience) -when you do practise against the pole, try bending one of your legs at the knee with it turned out (much the same position as you would have your leg in a CKR). This provides a stabler target to rest against the pole then once the other leg is up there, you can straighten both from a position where the pole is supporting you. I'm pretty sure it's the first leg that bends btw. This part is a bit hard to explain in words but hopefully you get the gist. Good luck!
yogabeachbabe · 1/25/2010
Your splits look good, so you should be able to try kicking one foot at a time and the other will follow. That's a very good point. If your splits are good, your guide leg (top leg) will be really close to the wall or pole or spotter anyway. Use the strength of your bottom leg/push-off leg to get your hips into position and then there's only just a little more to go for your guide leg/top leg to touch whatever is behind you. I would highly encourage you NOT to "kick up", but instead, push off the floor with that bottom leg and try to find your balance instead of forcefully crashing into the wall or pole. As for the arch: that's slightly more complicated, in my opinion. Some girls like to arch a lot to make a prettier line. I find that I have to arch a lot, because I'm so used to yoga-type handstands and I had a teacher scream at me to arch in order to get my sacrum to rest against the pole. This helped me (not the screaming but the advice!) because if I wanted to, say, grip the pole with my thighs and then sit up, I wouldn't have been able to unless I arched and got my tailbone closer to the pole. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you engage your abdominals like mad in order to keep your body safe.
Veena · 1/25/2010
I like to have dancers work on their elbowstands first, once they have control over that move, (no throwing themselves again the wall or pole) but gently lift one leg then the other, using abdominals then its on to the handstands. The key is really control, if you don't have the strength to lift your self into the position, then we tend to use force and that can result in missing your pole 😲 The girls are right about your splits, so try that, its how I teach the elbow and handstands. Also to keep excessive pressure off your wrist, spread your fingers far apart and think of pressing into the floor with the fingers and not pressing with the palm so much. If you have the lessons here are the 2 moves elbow and hand http://ver3.studioveena.com/lessons/view/2191 http://ver3.studioveena.com/lessons/view/2253
minicoopergrl · 1/26/2010
I am gonna try guiding my legs up there. That totally makes sense. I also do have a wee bit of a commitment issue as well. I can go up, but when I feel like ive got nothing left then, im back down again. I can do it from the elbows, when I do that I try to get my back as close to the pole and do a small push off to get them up there. Thanks everyone for your tips! I am going to use them today when I head to the studio.
SissyBuns · 1/26/2010
Do they count hand and elbow stands as an invert in the comp Mini?
minicoopergrl · 1/26/2010
Do they count hand and elbow stands as an invert in the comp Mini? Yes, b/c it requires more effort. Vanessa and Hope clairfied it for me. They also told me I could use 2 chairs in floor/chair!!!
smokinangel · 1/26/2010
I have crazy commitment issues with this move! What helps for me is setting up the mirror so I can look into it without turning my head at all, then you can see exactly how far you have to go to get your feet to the pole. I guess someday I'll try it without the mirror, but for now I like to see what I'm doing. =)
RoxyPink · 1/27/2010
I am a handstand junkie...do them whenever I get a chance. I believe hand stands are the key to really getting a strong core, shoulders/arms, back and really learning where your center of gravity is. When I'm waiting for my water to boil when cooking dinner I'll do them up against the door....do them in my bedroom, hall way, pole room of course...and living room! I would suggest getting comfortable with elbow/head stands prior to jumping the gun with handstands. If you don't have the "commitment" to get up there and hold yourself there you are setting yourself up for disaster! elbow stands allow you to learn/feel what your body should be doing while not risking crashing down on your noggin! You should practice lifting one leg at a time and then eventually both legs together into it. Most people do not get to a point where they can "lift" both legs at a time into a handstand so you will most likely have to split one leg up at a time (as previously suggested).... Sissy can attest to my handstand addiction! I even got my kids doing em!! 🥂
PoleGrrrrl · 1/27/2010
I don't know if its too late for an additional suggestion, but one of my first instructors gave me a big help with this move by saying 'ALWAYS LEAD WITH YOUR BUTT' 😀 Its fairly safe to say a person's butt is probably wider than their foot 😂, so its a lot less likely to miss or slip off the pole. If, when you kick up, you need to push your butt towards the pole, then, as it starts to make contact/lean against the pole, your foot/feet can grab on (obviously your feet will be following your butt up in the normal handstand motion). This is a great way to learn the move, and get the confidence to do the handstand in the first place. Once you're comfortable with that, all you need to do is lead less with the rear end and more with the feet 🥂