Don’t run before you can’t walk! The purpose of today’s episode is to give you a general blueprint of what to focus on to get results when you’re in the process of learning a handstand.
Build strength without balance first
Make sure you can hold a shape in a stacked position at the wall without balance for at least 30sec, before you attempt to balance it on your own. If you can’t lock in a shape in the first place, there’s no way you’ll be able to balance it!
Work on balance before improving your form
Once you start getting some seconds of balance, focus on improving your hold times without obsessing over perfect form. It ususally isn’t until you’re pretty consistent with 30-45 second holds that you can focus on anything other than just staying in balance in the first place. It’s hard enough to just balance, and it’s even harder to have it look a specific way. So first things first!
Don’t get upset about not making progress, if you don’t have a consistent practice!
This one is huge! In order to adapt to training and create results, your body needs repetition. Lots of it. Especially if you start later in your life, it just really takes lots of time and lots of practice to teach your body how to exist in a handstand. I’m not saying this to disencourage you. I’m saying it, so you can cut yourself some slack when your progress doesn’t come as expected. And if you’ve seen my episode about frustration in handstands, you probably know that in my opinion you shouldn’t have any expectations in learning a handstand and rather shift your perspective to an explorative one that is fueled by curiosity (click here to watch the episode).
I hope this episode, though it is short and sweet, points your practice in the right direction. If you wish you had more guidance in your handstand quest, come and join my live Zoom classes at nook! You can sign up for a 7-day free trial.
Let me know in the comments below what you think!
It’s never too late to do what you love!
-Sonji