Today I’m sharing something with you that I’ve been implementing with my members at nook. It’s a cheat code for you to develop your handstand body map and get more control over your balance!
Your balance highly depends on your sensory awareness at the bottom of your hands and your proprioception while you’re upsidedown. The bottom of your hands is the point of reference for your body to know where it is. When the pressure in your palm changes, you know your body is moving towards where the pressure is going. This informs you about where you have to resist in order to rebalance yourself and prevent a fall. Your proprioception tells your brain where your individual body parts are in space and in relation to each other.
It can be hard for some people to really tune into those sensations and it’s hard to describe how some people “just know” how to balance. I think this is a big aspect that sets some people’s progress apart from others. The better connected you are with your physical sensations while you move, the easier a handstand will come to you. But the drill I describe in this video helps you to highten your senses and pay attention to the subtleties that happen within your body while you’re in a handstand.
The exercise is simple: close your eyes while you do your wall drills and pay attention to the feeling in your hands and your body placement. Start out with your back towards the wall. If you’re comfortable with bailing, also do it facing the wall. If you’re pretty solid in the free space, go ahead and try it there!
Closing your eyes is most helpful if you already understand the general concept of over- and underbalance and you have a few seconds of inconsistent balance. If you have trouble holding yourself up at the wall in the first place, this exercise is too advanced and you should work on building a basic capacity and basic line awareness in your handstand.
Give this a try and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
If you like this exercise, come check out my live classes at nook and get your 7-day free trial. I’d love to see you on Zoom!
It’s never too late to do what you love!