Start with your head just off the floor and your hands underneath your forehead.Rotate your hands for the thumbs to point towards the ceiling as your bring your arms to the W. Make sure you have a 90 degrees angle in your shoulders and that your elbows are in line with the shoulders. Pull your hands and elbows up towards the ceiling and not back.Keep your chest on the floor the entire time and rotate your hands for the thumbs to point towards the ceiling.Keep your legs engaged but on the floor. Point your feet and make your ankles touch.
Reach your hands out towards the front to elevate your scapula, then lift the hands up towards the ceiling keeping your chest on the floor.On the way back stop with your elbows in line with your shoulders and a 90 degree angle in your elbows. Lift your forearms towards the ceiling and squeeze on top for a moment.Keep your chest on the floor the entire time and rotate your hands for the thumbs to point towards the ceiling.Keep your legs engaged but on the floor. Point your feet and make your ankles touch.
Lock your elbows and place your hands next to your hips. Start by internally rotating your arms so the back rounds and the pinky fingers touch the floor.Then externally rotate your arms, squeeze your shoulder blades together in the back, look up towards the ceiling and engage the whole back lifting the upper body of the floor.Keep your feet about shoulder width apart on the floor the entire time.Move slowly! The longer this takes the more control and strength you will develop!
Interlock your hands behind your head and keep your forehead on the floor.Lift your elbows up as you were trying to make them touch behind your head. Bring them back down slowly. Do not slam them into the floor.Keep your legs engaged but on the floor. Point your feet and make your ankles touch.Move slowly! The longer this takes the more control and strength you will develop!
Place your forearms or wrists on the yoga blocks or foam roll. Adjust the distance for increased difficulty.On the bottom end of the body the elevation should be on the quads just before the knees.Look at your hands and keep them around shoulder width apart.Push your lower back up and engage your core to create an even and slightly rounded line.
Gently stretch your wrists on the floor.Rotate, twist and move them to stretch them in each direction.Spend more time in positions where you feel less mobile or even stiff.Keep your elbows locked and hands shoulder wide apart.
Hold the elastic with your entire first. The band basically becomes an extension of your fingers. Do not make it exit from the pinky or thumb side of your fist.Place your hand overhead, lock your elbow and elevate your scapula. Look towards the front.Open your hand every time your wrist moves into extension and fully close as you move into flexion.Train your forearm muscles and fingers in exactly the way that you need the when fighting for balance in handstand or when gripping a bar or rings.
Rest your upper back, the back of your head and if possible even your hips on the foam roller.Starting with your hands by your hips draw a snow angel on the floor seeking to stay on connection with the floor for as long as possible.On the way back to your starting position bring your hands back to the floor as early as possible.The palms of your hands face towards the ceiling the entire time.
Place your hands until your wrists about shoulder wide apart on a box in front of you. Look at your hands.Lock your elbows and slightly depress your shoulders.Place your knees far enough so they are behind the hips and not right underneath them.Once your rib cage is approaching the floor start pushing your hips towards the hands for an additional stretch.
Engage your whole body! Do not allow your back to arch or your shoulder blades to stick out behind your back.Take small and controlled steps with your hands facing towards the front.Only your feet should touch the wall. Do not place your knees, hips or chest on the wall.Look at the spot in between your hands. Do not look at the wall placing your chin on your chest.
Align your hips, shoulders and top foot on top of the center of your hands. Create a 45 degree angle at the hips for the other foot to touch the wall.Isolate the movement into the working leg only. Place the knee on the wall and pull it as low as possible without un-squaring the hips or flipping them into a posterior pelvic tilt.Focus on the immobile leg. Keeping it perfectly stable is much harder than moving the other knee down to the tuck and back up.Make sure your shoulders stay right on top of the center of your hands. Do not push them open in the direction of your armpits or allow them to close and slide in the direction of your back.
Focus now for a little brain teaser. As a tip: Instead of focusing on each legs journey separately picture your legs as one! It will help! First you are moving them into a straddle. Then you are moving them into a Single Leg Tuck!Keep your hips and shoulders perfectly squared and parallel to the floor.Make sure your shoulders stay right on top of the center of your hands. Do not push them open in the direction of your armpits or allow them to close and slide in the direction of your back.Remind yourself how to do a Single Leg Tuck Take Off first. Stay clean from start to finish.
Remind yourself how to do a Slide Away first. Lean your shoulders towards the front the get the feet off the wall and stabilize your handstand.In the straight position your legs should be in a parallel position. As soon as you pull into the diamond your legs need to externally rotate.Imagine you are in a toaster. You do no want to burn your glutes, knees or toes! Only pull your feet as close as your flexibility allows it.Isolate the movement into your legs. Keep your shoulders and hips perfectly stable.
When combining multiple shapes upside down it is important to stay calm. Move slowly and focus on 1 movement at the time! Do not try to outrun your balance. If you feel like you are losing control: stop, fix your position and only after move on!Time your hips and knees when moving between the straight handstand and the tuck. If you were watching this drill from the side the feet should travel down and back up on 1 vertical line.When your legs are together your feet should be in a parallel position. As soon as your legs open they have to rotate externally.Carry your legs into the straddle from the straight. The downward movement of the legs in combination with gravity will create momentum. The faster you go the harder it will be for your shoulders to stay elevated and your elbows to remain locked.
Move slow and work on staying in control at all times. The goal is not just to jump from one position to the next but even to control the journey between the positions.Work on isolating the movement exclusively into your legs! Your elbows should stay locked and the shoulders fully elevated and immobile throughout the entire drill.Hold each position for at least a short moment and bring your body to a visual stop of movement.Do not try to outrun your balance. Stay cool! If something does not go as planned: come to a stop, fix your position and then move on. Alternatively, you can also come down and reset from the top or simply continue.
Focus on the immobile leg. Keeping it perfectly still is much harder than moving the other one to straddle and back.Focus on the rotation of your leg inside of your hip. In the straddle position the leg needs to be externally rotated. When the leg is on top it needs to be in parallel.Keep both elbows locked and shoulders elevated. Due to the nature of the movement you will have more weight on one side of your body. It is up to you to create the visual illusion of the weight staying perfectly even between your hands.Engage your legs! They make up a significant part of your handstand. Lock your knees, point your feet and squeeze the water out of them.
Jump into the tuck handstand and stabilize your position first before moving on.During the tuck leg extensions keep your knees glued together and isolate the movement exclusively into your knees joints.Move slow and try to hold the position with the extended leg for a moment.Engage your lower back to pull on your hips. Do not allow your lower back to round or your shoulders to collapse towards the front.
Keep your immobile leg perfectly on top of the hands, shoulders & hips. Do not arch it towards the back as a counterweight.Engage your back and flip your hips into an anterior pelvic tilt when bringing both legs down but avoid arching your back completely.Go slow when opening into the straddle at the end. The change of position will shift the pressure on your body quite a bit. Combine this with momentum and you can almost be guaranteed to fall over!Make sure your shoulders stay right on top of the center of your hands. Do not push them open in the direction of your armpits or allow them to close and slide in the direction of your back.
Remind yourself how to do a Slide Away first. Lean your shoulders towards the front the get the feet off the wall and stabilize your handstand.When your legs are together your feet should be in a parallel position. As soon as your legs open they have to rotate externally.Move slow and work on staying in control at all times. The goal is not just to jump from one position to the next but even to control the journey between the positions.Keep your scapula elevated, elbows locked and and the weight in the fingertips at all times. Look at the space in between your hands and engage your legs!
Focus on the Slide Away first. It is the main priority. Hold your freestanding handstand before moving on.Engage your legs and actively push them open into the straddle. Keep pushing them open whilst bending the knees into the diamond position.Externally rotate your legs and push your knees back actively in the diamond position. Do not pull your feet too close towards your hips to avoid closing the legs. Use 2 blocks touching each other or place your hands on the floor right next to each other where the thumbs are either crossed aligned side by side.
Jump up into a tall and strong narrow handstand first. Only when you are stable and in full control move on to the next challenge.Engage your glutes whilst closing your legs to avoid piking at the hips.Go as slow as possible and try to stay in control the entire time! If you feel like you are going to low and you are about to lose control: Stop and simply try to freeze in place!Use 2 blocks touching each other or place your hands on the floor right next to each other where the thumbs are either crossed aligned side by side.
Bend your block elbow so your shoulders and hips remain parallel to the floor. Elevate your scapula to cover your ears.Place equal amounts of weight on both hands.Bend your block elbow so your shoulders and hips remain parallel to the floor. Elevate your scapula to cover your ears.Push your legs open actively to lock them in the full straddle.Start each Slide Away by leaning your shoulders towards the front.
Bend your block elbow so your shoulders and hips remain parallel to the floor. Elevate your scapula to cover your ears.First finish your straddle slide away and solidify your position. Then move on to close the legs.Engage your glutes whilst closing your legs to avoid piking at the hips.Film yourself from the side and watch it back between sets to check on your form and increase upside down body awareness and coordination.
Commit! If you only jump up less than 80% of the way you will not be able to fight for your handstand like you are used to from handstands with regular grip.Lift your legs. Do not let them hang behind in a pancake and drag you down.Place equal amounts of weight on both hands.Bend your block elbow so your shoulders and hips remain parallel to the floor. Elevate your scapula to cover your ears.Place equal amounts of weight on both hands.
Engage your glutes whilst closing your legs to avoid piking at the hips.Focus on one movement at the time. First step is getting up into the Miami. Only when you are stable move on to the next part.Place equal amounts of weight on both hands.Bend your block elbow so your shoulders and hips remain parallel to the floor. Elevate your scapula to cover your ears.Place equal amounts of weight on both hands.
Lock your elbows, elevate your scapula and engage your core. Tighten up your legs and squeeze them together. Your back should be perfectly straight and your hips in a neutral position.Look from one hand to the other. Your head should visually move during this drills whilst everything else remains perfectly immobile.Engage your legs! They make up a significant part of your handstand. Lock your knees, point your feet and squeeze the water out of them.Keep your shoulders on top of the center of the hands and squared with your hips.
Start by looking at your hand. Then bring your shoulder slightly towards the outside to align it with your hand. On the way back look at the spot between your hands first and then bring your shoulders back to the middle.Let your hips drift behind and keep them somewhat parallel to the floor. Do not purposely side bend yet.Lock your elbows, push out tall and work on staying in control at all times!Freeze at every movement change. This will allow you to check on your positions and forces you to stay up longer and ultimately to get stronger.
Drive your bottom shoulder towards the front and pull your top shoulder back gently to bring the hips and shoulders in line.Isolate the side bend between your last rib and the hip bones.Look towards the front and reach with your top arm far over to the side.
Keep both hips and knees on the floor.Keep both of your shoulders and hips in line. Gently drive your bottom shoulder towards the front.Stretch long and reach far with the top hand.Keep your shoulders low and far away from your ears.
Work on side bending flexibility and especially stability. Use your core to keep balance and control.Place your hands overhead about shoulder wide apart.Isolate the side bend between your last rib and the hip bones.Keep both of your shoulders in line with your hips. Gently drive your bottom shoulder towards the front and the top one towards the back.
Keep your shoulders stable and isolate the side bend between your last rib and the hip bones!Make sure the distance between your armpits and the wall remains constant. Keep your shoulders stable in between your hands.Adjust the distance to the wall and how far you open your legs according to your available middle split flexibility. Once your hips pike and your back arches you are opening your legs too far.Push tall from your shoulders and do not allow your head to touch the floor or your hands.
Keep your shoulders stable and isolate the side bend between your last rib and the hip bones!Make sure the distance between your armpits and the wall remains constant. Keep your shoulders stable in between your hands.Adjust the distance to the wall and how far you open your legs according to your available middle split flexibility. Once your hips pike and your back arches you are opening your legs too far.Only allow your feet to touch the wall and push your legs open fully. They must create one solid structure with your hips.
Freeze at every movement change. This will allow you to check on your positions and forces you to stay up longer and ultimately to get stronger.Engage your back to pull your hips into a slight anterior pelvic tilt. This will allow you to keep your hips on top of your shoulders and hands.Before pushing up align your block hand, shoulder and opposite hip. For this bend your block elbow and bend towards the side between your hip bones and the last rib.Instead of handstand blocks you can also use hard yoga blocks.
Before pushing up align your block hand, shoulder and opposite hip. For this bend your block elbow and bend towards the side between your hip bones and the last rib.The push needs to come exclusively from the block arm and should only be vertically. Your body should not change its general position during the climb.The free hand is for balance only. Only slide up on the fingertips when you can not reach the floor with a flat hand anymore.Stay focused and go slow on the downward motion of the climb and keep your opposite hip on top of the supporting shoulder. The only thing in your body changing here is the supporting elbow!
Walk your feet slightly towards the side to line them up with your working hand.Side bend between your last rib and the hip bones to align the hand, shoulder and opposite hip.Reach far to the side with the stretched out hand to force your free shoulder low towards your ear.Lock your supporting elbow, look at your hand and fully elevate your scapula.