Handstands

Handstands are fundamental if you are interested in advanced body weight exercises. Working on them can increase your strength and coordination. Technically, a handstand is any act of balancing on the hands while supporting the body in an upside down, stable position. There are many variations on the common handstand, and all of them require upper body strength and balance.

To learn how to do handstands start by "kicking up" onto a wall.   That is, put your hands on the floor about 30 cm away from the wall, then kick one leg up, quickly followed by the other.  As you get accustomed to the maneuver try to control yourself so that you arrive at the wall, instead of slamming into it.

Little by little you can wean yourself off the wall.  One of the best ways to get comfortable with handstands is to practice them a lot, if you keep at it for a few practice sessions you will be doing hand-stand push-ups and capoeira moves in no time.

Here are some tips:

• Practice on a flat surface with lots of space.  
• Keep your fingers spread out slightly and facing forwards. This is to allow for the greatest amount of control and stability in the handstand.
  
• Engage and extend your shoulders. Think of shrugging your shoulders upwards or trying to push into the floor. This muscular tension will give you greater control. Don't "sink" into your shoulders.
• Keep your abs tense to keep your body in line and protect your back.
• If you feel like you are going to fall, try to twist 90º, and then bend over, so that your feet touch the ground.