Tag Archives | handstand for beginners

How to do a Handstand for Kids

By on September 21, 2012 in Handstands

Every kid loves to kick up some dirt and spring into a handstand. It’s a fun way to release energy and show off a little bit for their friends. It’s important to make sure that when learning how to do a handstand for kids, both the child is comfortable and strong enough for the handstand and the adult is comfortable spotting for the handstand. Be sure that you’ve fully mastered the headstand with the child to ensure that they are properly conditioned in order to learn how to do a handstand without injury. Similarly, it is important to make sure that when teaching how to do a handstand for kids, you ensure the safety of both you and the child.

Beginning the Handstand

To begin instructing how to do a handstand for kids as the spotter, get down on one knee just off to the side of the child, near the head. Have the child get down on their hands and knees with their wrists beneath the shoulders, knees below hips. Sometimes it is useful to place a sticker, or a toy between their hands. This keeps their focus down onto the floor where it is needed in order to safely perform the handstand. Before the child begins, as the spotter, place your hand on/under their shoulder. There is a real possibility that the child’s elbows will buckle and they could fall onto their head. Having your hand in this position can help add support and prevent head and neck trauma in the event of a fall.

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Going into the Handstand

Similar to the headstand, in order to go into the handstand, the child should bring one knee in towards their chest while extending the other. As the spotter, place your hand under the extended leg to assist. The child should then push off using the bent leg, lifting the extended leg, and bringing up the bent leg to meet it. If the child has trouble pulling their legs straight up and together, just work on the push off and bringing the legs together without worrying about getting the legs straight up. When you’re both comfortable, you can try for the fully extended handstand. Be sure to always provide proper support while the child is learning now to do the handstand.  Again, it is always important to ensure the safety of both you and the child.

Posture during the full Handstand

Once you and the child are comfortable and they have lifted into a fully extended handstand, you can focus on the proper posture while holding the handstand. Be sure that both you and the child have your tummies tucked into your backbone. As the spotter, slide your hands up the length of the child as you straighten your knees to standing. Focus your support on their waist. At this point, you can add an element of fitness to the pose. The ‘straddle’ and the ‘pike’ are two fitness positions you can add on once the handstand has been mastered.

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Handstand Drills for Beginners

By on August 9, 2012 in Handstands

Skipping the basics is one of the biggest and most fundamental flaws when training to do a handstand, whether it is solo or with a trainer. Handstand drills for beginners are a very necessary part of training to be able to do a perfect handstand. Many gymnastic coaches seem to skip the fundamental basics of training drills. They seem to invoke the theory that, in order for their gymnast to be able to do a full handstand, they have to make them try out right for one, over and over until it’s right. Sadly, these coaches are doing their pupils a great disservice. The value of learning the basics, step by step, is something that is far too often underestimated.

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Handstand drills for beginners help break down the handstand into the basic steps involved, making it easier to get the whole thing executed in full later. This is starting from the lunge into the handstand, building up into posture and muscle tension during the handstand and ending out with a flawless return to standing upright with triumph. By practicing each step individually using drills that break down the different parts of a handstand into simpler movements, you help strengthen the muscles a gymnast needs in fully accomplishing a handstand.

With the right practice and patience, you can go from basic lunge drills into a full and glorious handstand, with your arms fully extended, straight strong shoulders, a solid core, and extended legs with proper body and muscle tension throughout. Trying for the full handstand right off the bat can not only be more difficult, but it can lead to frustration or even injury without ever properly achieving a full handstand. Before you jump right into it, get yourself warmed up with some basic handstand drills for beginners. It’s smarter, safer and leads to more flawless handstands.

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