5 Tips to Hold a Handstand
If you are looking to improve your handstand skills, then look no further!
Here are DFJW’s 5 top tips to improve your handstand.
- Work on core strength: no banana backs!
One of the most important things to remember is to engage your core and abdominal muscles. This will ensure you keep your spine straight which can help you hold the handstand shape for longer. It is much harder to hold a handstand with a slumped back, but it is a very common mistake. Before you practice handstands take a second to do some sit-ups, plank holds, and V-snaps.
- Pull up through the shoulders: don’t sink into them.
Before you kick up, practice hugging your shoulders to your ears. Then, when you are in the handstand try to recreate this shape. Tight shoulders will help to keep you stable while upside down. Many dancers forget this step and sink down through the shoulders, which in turn can create a slouchy spine.
- Bunny hops: practice hovering the weight aligned over the wrists and landing softly.
Start in a ball pose and then practise transferring the weight into the hands and kicking the feet up into a tuck shape. Ensure that you land on your feet, not your knees! Aim for a straight line from the wrists, to the shoulders, to the hips.
- Splayed fingers: grip the floor better and keep the weight in the knuckles and fingers not the wrists.
When you are upside down, make sure your wrists are square: fingers facing forward. Make sure that the fingers are spread wide so you are able to grip onto the floor and assist yourself in balancing. Also ensure that you are leaning forward into your fingers and not back on the heel of the hand/wrists as this will pull you down.
- Legs together: make sure not to scissor them.
Finally, when you are upside down make sure to snap your legs together. Don’t let them wobble around in the air as this is just going to throw you off balance. Ensure that you land on the same foot you kicked off from and don’t scissor/switch your legs as this too can throw off your balance.
Happy Handstanding!
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