Press Handstand

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Bella's Mom

My daughter is practicing her press handstand at home. She was just recently introduced to it and it is driving her crazy that she can't get it. What she is doing is standing in front of a folded mat (folded four times). She does a candlestick and then tries to straddle press to handstand at the edge of the mat. I assume this is a fairly common beginning when teaching this skill.

She is getting frustrated because she gets to the straddle but then has to bend her elbows and "muscle" her way up. When she does this herfingers point straight ahead and her elbows go straight back rather than out to the side. What muscles should she be using for this skill? Is it a core and shoulders thing? Is it a bicep/tricep thing? Is her hand placement wrong?
 
I JUST noticed that you have me quoted for your signature - I'm totally flattered!:)

Anyway, I couldn't begin to tell you about hand placement (though I think your fingers are supposed to be pointing straight ahead), but based on what my DD has told me about presses, it is based on core strength, not an arm thing. So, do not let your DD get frustrated, she'll get it. My DD was the last one in her TOPs group to get it, but she holds the record at her old gym for most presses done continuously (and I doubt the record has been beat) - I think she got up to 17 or 20 - some insane amount.
 
Maybe she could try to do it as a stalder roll...so basically once her feet clear the ground, go into a straddle roll (then can try to press through and roll again doing a couple in a row). This can help them keep from kicking their feet back and basically trying to planche. Just, obviously be sure the path is clear of obstacles ;)
 
I had to look up what a planche was but YES!!! This is what it looks like she is doing. I'll have to see if I can clear some space for her to try the roll.
 
I JUST noticed that you have me quoted for your signature - I'm totally flattered!:)

Anyway, I couldn't begin to tell you about hand placement (though I think your fingers are supposed to be pointing straight ahead), but based on what my DD has told me about presses, it is based on core strength, not an arm thing. So, do not let your DD get frustrated, she'll get it. My DD was the last one in her TOPs group to get it, but she holds the record at her old gym for most presses done continuously (and I doubt the record has been beat) - I think she got up to 17 or 20 - some insane amount.

You probably don't remember but I sent you a PM asking if it was okay. I just loved what you said.

Thanks for asking your DD about this. And her record? Uh MAZE ing.
 
tell her to practice against a wall. much easier method to learn this.
 
dont know if this is helpful, but when mine were learning them they seemed to have a two pronged approach!
They would do an 'elephant lift' (stand in straddle, hands on floor, and lean forward, trying to lift to handstand (wall good for this) - big lightbulb moment with mine was when they found the point they could 'balance' in a handstand with legs straddled (still pointing towards floor) rather than trying to rush their legs up as quick as possible.

Also they would straddle lever, and try and lift their rear as high as possible and hold and lower prefereably to straddle lever.

[The push up handles you can get were a help too as they mean it is easier to get the straddle as your legs will already be higher than the floor, and also it reduces pressure on the wrists of little ones as they are in a straight position. All conditioning in the gym for levers and press handstand was done on 'parallets' for the same reason with little ones.]
 
tell her to practice against a wall. much easier method to learn this.
Dunno - how does that work?? My DD starts from straddle sit rather than roll, and I would have thought the legs stuck out in front of her hands would make her too far from the wall for it to catch her if she feel forward??

DD has me a bit mystified over this skill. She could do it (but yes bent arms and muscling up through planche) 7 mths ago then didn't try for a while then couldn't do it, then could do it again 2 mths ago but even though periodically kept trying couldn't do it again ...

I don't think she could have lost the strength, so I'm guessing it's at least part technique that's the issue?? She does stalder rolls pretty easily.

Can't wait 'til she starts trying kips lol.
 
Forr DD it was a progression. First they started with it in parts. Getting good leg form while doing it in a headstand. Getting good form in a straddle press-- legs as high as possible held for as long as possible. Then working with it against a wall- back against the wall- bent in half and working on just the action of lifting legs off ground into a handstand. Then they moved away from the wall and did the same thing now without the wall. It helped my dd to learn to concentrate on lifting her butt- NOT jumping into it. It's a very controlled movement using stomach muscles- at first she just wanted to jump her feet into the air. When she got good with that they then again had her working on the straddle press part and trying to muscle her way up into the presshandstand.

I think it was 90% conditioning and 5% understanding the proper form and movements needed and 5% pushing through the "pain" (the transition from straddle to butt in the air and legs pressing has a bit of a sting to it she reports-- muscle pain-- not a bad pain-- just muscles working hard like in a chin-up) and just working on it a lot that had her get it.

Hope this helps a little- I am not a coach so coaches may have even better advice.
 
...I'm not very good about all the "extras" on this site so I must have missed your PM, or more likely it's old age depleting my brain cells...
 

Dunno - how does that work?? My DD starts from straddle sit rather than roll, and I would have thought the legs stuck out in front of her hands would make her too far from the wall for it to catch her if she feel forward??

DD has me a bit mystified over this skill. She could do it (but yes bent arms and muscling up through planche) 7 mths ago then didn't try for a while then couldn't do it, then could do it again 2 mths ago but even though periodically kept trying couldn't do it again ...

I don't think she could have lost the strength, so I'm guessing it's at least part technique that's the issue?? She does stalder rolls pretty easily.

Can't wait 'til she starts trying kips lol.

from the straddle sit, begin with your tailbone against the wall.
 

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