Comfort before complexity.
It's a phrase I use a lot when I teach and think it's a really important concept. This applies not only to handstands, but also to skill training in general.
When training handstands or any other skill, the general idea is to progress by increasing difficulty and complexity. This is something that can only be achieved after getting comfortable with the foundational elements leading up to your desired skill. This is an idea that you can take from a complete beginner perspective all the way up to the highest levels. If you're not comfortable, you will struggle to add elements and make progress. This is actually a common mistake I see people make, where they try to move forward too fast without getting comfortable where they are.
I especially see this a lot when students are working their basic handstand and learning freestanding balance. This is a particular place where getting comfortable with the basics will be a massive help for moving forward in the process.
What does it mean to be comfortable in a handstand? Here are some thoughts:
-You can stay up for a long time.
This is one of the more obvious ideas, but generally if you can stay up for a long time it's a good sign of comfort.
-You can easily, smoothly, and consistently enter and exit the handstand.
People often focus on the handstand, but the entry and exit are also crucial parts of the skill. You should be able to calmly and casually transition in and out of the handstand.
-Repeatability.
Are you able to repeat your performance with minimal deviation? PRs are cool, but your true skill level lies in what you can repeat, eventually under imperfect or adverse conditions. If you are able to replicate your performance, it's a good sign of comfort.
-Physical Demand.
Comfort means minimizing the physical demand of the skill. It shouldn't make you tired. This may be accomplished through physical adaptation, refinement of technique, and keeping the right mindset. If doing the skill tires you out, you may not be comfortable there.
-Breath control.
How is your breathing? This is very important because it sets the intention behind the exercise. Are you breathing normally? Continuously? Calmly?
Conversely, are you holding your breath? Is your breathing heavy or labored?
Improving this will help make you more comfortable.
-Surplus of Conscious Awareness.
How much of your focus does it take to perform the skill? Is it something that requires all your mental capacity to do? This is normal in the beginning, but later on you want to free up those mental resources. Being able to do the skill without thinking about it is a really important level of comfort to build. This way you can shift your awareness to the new skills you want to achieve.
-Exit strategy.
Are you able to safely bail out when things go wrong? If not, it's going to be difficult to relax and get comfortable, as you will be dealing with fear and uncertainty. A good bailout should be reflexive. This way you know you'll be safe no matter what happens, and you can be more comfortable in the skill.
The above are some theoretical ideas on what it means to be comfortable in the handstand. Next, let's go into some practical techniques you can utilize to develop those concepts:
-Long handstand holds.
There's something to be said for just holding your handstand for a long time. You can't cheat it, and it's easy to measure. This also develops your capacity so that you can steer clear of fatigue when you work on new techniques. As an example: let's say your max hold is 90 seconds, and your working technical sets are 30 seconds in duration. That means that you are not approaching fatigue in your typical set, which will allow you to focus more on the technique. While it may not be the most interesting exercise out there, you will see benefit in your comfort levels from working long handstand holds.
-Wall Walks.
This is a fantastic conditioning exercise that can also be used to build comfort in the handstand. The idea is to build strength, endurance, and overall physical capacity in the handstand ranges. This exercise involves shifting weight from hand to hand and passes through a wide variety of shoulder ROM. This drill is much harder physically than just holding a handstand, so getting good at this will make the regular handstand seem like a cakewalk.
-Vocalizing.
Breathing is a very important factor in how comfortable you are in the handstand. However, I find one of the best ways to coach breathing is by incorporating speech. Talking out loud in your handstand will force you to breathe in an efficient way. You can say what you want: count out loud, sing, rehearse your favorite monologue, list the ingredients of your dinner, etc. Try to maintain a casual conversational tone and volume. Having a conversation with a training partner is also great. Not only does this train your breath control in handstand, it shifts your conscious focus away from the skill which will help you relax more.
-Entry and exit.
Do you practice your handstand entry and exit? I believe it's worthwhile to practice this separately from handstand holds. Being smooth in your entry and exit helps simplify many variables in the skill. When you enter, the movement should be effortless and casual without any wasted energy or hesitation. When you exit, it should be intentional, soft and fluid. If you can get into your handstand consistently and exit smoothly, it will help build comfort and lessen your overall frustration.
-Structural Collapse and Reconstruction.
Alignment and structure are really important to be able to hold a handstand efficiently. An efficient handstand is a valuable step towards a comfortable handstand. One specific drill I like to include for reinforcing this is the collapse and rebuilding of the structure. Find your efficient handstand alignment, intentionally collapse the configuration, then return to your original form. The contrast between positions helps build appreciation for good alignment. This drill also teaches you to hold yourself in less-than-ideal positions, which builds strength and versatility. All of these factors will increase your comfort level.
-Visual Engagement.
Visual stimulus is another way to create a distracting task in order to make holding the handstand consume fewer mental resources. Typically, I teach students to look at the floor between the hands when doing a handstand, as this is the most conducive for learning balance. However, you can also poke your head through your arms and look out at the world. See what you can notice. Try to read something. Find ways to engage your visuals that do not relate to your handstand. Doing so should make the handstand hold less consciously demanding, and more comfortable. While this can be done freestanding, I recommend trying it in a back-to-wall handstand first.
-Movement.
A significant portion of handstand training is about stillness. However, adding in some movement is another useful technique for building comfort. Against the wall, try to find different ways to move around in your handstand. Explore various ideas and positions to see what you can come up with. This is a great chance to try some moves you might not be comfortable doing without the wall. This kind of work will build versatility, and it will make holding a static handstand more of an afterthought. This in turn will make your handstand more comfortable to hold.
So there you have it. A few ideas and practical exercises to help get you more comfortable in a handstand. This is a crucial part of learning the handstand as a skill, and I hope the ideas will be helpful.
Check out my youtube video on the subject below.