Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Using the correct form
• Tips
• Warnings

Doing a handstand requires mastery of strength, technique and balance. Whether you're a cheerleader, gymnast, or yogi, you can learn to do a handstand and thus become more centered, learn balancing techniques, and move on to the more advanced skills, such as swinging in a bridge from handstand, or the handstand transfer.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Using the correct form

1. Go stand in a handstand using proper technique. The first thing to do if you want to be able to maintain the handstand is to use the correct technique to get into the handstand. If you don't start with a strong foundation, it will be difficult to maintain your handstand for long. Here's what to do:
   • Stand up straight with your arms raised above your head, as if they were glued to your ears.
   • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
   • Take a step forward with your dominant leg. About half a lunge.
   • Tilt your body forward while keeping your back straight. Your non-dominant leg should go up first.
   • Place your hands on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
   • Lift your dominant leg all the way to your non-dominant leg.
   • Straighten your legs and keep your back and body straight.
2. Press your fingers into the ground to maintain a strong grip on the ground. You may think that all the force has to come from your wrists, when in fact the most important thing is to press from your palms and the pads of your fingers to develop enough force, almost as if you were pushing away and gripping the floor at the same time.
   • If you put all the pressure on your wrists, the chances of injury are high, while also making it much more difficult for yourself to keep your balance. If you put too much pressure on your wrists, you will lose your balance and fall back to your feet.
3. Make sure you don't arch your back. Another mistake to avoid is arching your back. Not only can this cause injuries, but it can also cause you to fall forward, as the arching of your back will cause your legs to move past your head. Instead, you focus on keeping that part of your body straight from your shoulders to your waist. You may mistakenly think that you don't arch your back at all, so ask someone or an assistant to check your posture.
4. Keep stretching your toes. Keep your toes straight while balancing your body and make sure your feet are fully aligned with your back and body. If your feet are bent, it will be more difficult to control them, and they will be more likely to sink past your head. Instead, focus on maintaining nice, straight toes from the moment you get into the handstand until you drop back down.
5. Tighten your glutes. Another thing you can do to maintain your handstand is to contract the glutes so that your glutes are tight while doing the handstand. This will keep your power centered and will make it easier for you to maintain control of your handstand. You can practice this first while standing to get the hang of it before going into a full handstand.
   • If you've forgotten to tighten your glutes, you can do so as soon as you've gotten into the handstand and notice you're about to lose your balance.
6. Push your legs together. Another thing you can do to maintain your handstand is push your legs together. Ideally, there should be no or very little space between your legs and they should be parallel to each other. Keeping your legs together can prevent one leg from falling to the side, causing you to lose balance.
   • However, you can also maintain your balance by keeping your legs in the splits - but that should be purposeful.
7. Don't forget to breathe. A lot of people freeze when they stand in the handstand because they get nervous or want to concentrate. When this happens, many people forget to breathe and let out all of their breath. If you do this you will not be able to stay in the handstand for long and you will be much more likely to get dizzy. Make sure you keep taking a deep breath, in and out from your stomach, and know how to concentrate on breathing as much as on keeping your body upright.
   • When you breathe purposefully, you maintain control of your body and you will find that maintaining the handstand is much easier. In yoga, for example, purposeful breathing is key to any pose, especially the handstand.
8. Keep your arms locked next to your ears. You should check to make sure your arms are locked next to your ears. If they are too far apart, not parallel, or even too far above or below your ears, it will be difficult to sustain a handstand for long. The next time you do a handstand, make sure your hands are in the correct position. This allows you to maintain the handstand much longer.
9. Train your core muscles. Your core muscles, such as your abs and lower back muscles, are essential for maintaining a handstand, as well as for any balance pose. If you want to be able to maintain a handstand, you will have to work on your core muscles so that you have a more solid foundation to work with. You can work on an arm and core workout daily to get stronger for the handstand. Here are some exercises you can do for your core muscles:
   • The standard sit-up. Lie on your back, pull your knees up, cross your arms across your chest and come up towards your knees, then lower yourself back onto your back. Do two sets of 20.
   • The banana. For this exercise, lie on your back, your hands extended in front of you and a few inches off the ground, and do the same with your feet until your body has taken the shape of a "banana". Hold this position for 10 seconds and repeat.
   • The bicycle. Lie on the floor with your hands behind your head and neck and "cycle" with your legs in the air. Lift your elbow towards the opposite knee as it moves towards your head and repeat with your other elbow. Ride for 30 seconds at a time.

Tips

• Ask someone to act as a "wall" and as soon as you feel like you are going to do it, ask if they can let you go.
• Learning to do a handstand takes a lot of practice and if it doesn't work right away, that's okay. Some people cannot do a handstand.
• Pretend you're using an "invisible wall" as a support. Place your hands a few inches from this "wall", trying not to hit it when in the handstand, and pretend to touch the wall as a way of keeping your balance better. This will help visualize a careful handstand.
• When you roll out of the handstand, do it on a soft surface as it will likely be painful the first few times.
• To stay in the handstand, try balancing against a wall. Once you can do this for about 10 seconds, try without. Then return to the wall and hold it for 20 seconds, etc.
• Work on the strength in your arms / core. This will allow you to keep the handstand longer.
• It will help if you are confident. To build confidence, try doing the handstand against a wall first.
• When doing a handstand, keep your back straight. When you fall over, try to move to the side on which you fall.
• Try the handstand outside in your yard, where you have a lot of open space. Uneven or sloping ground can also help you do the handstand from many different angles. That way, a handstand on flat ground will become much easier.

Warnings

• When you roll out, be careful with your neck and back.
• When doing the handstand, make sure you have about two meters of free space around you to protect yourself and other people.
• Be careful - if you have a mat that is slippery, you can easily slip.
• If it starts to hurt, stop rolling out.
• Do not handstand against a wall with pictures or paintings on the wall.
• Make sure there is enough space around you so that you and other people are not hit. If you hit someone, you can seriously injure them.
• Make sure there are no cupboards, fragile things, etc. in the way if you fall over.