Finding

Balance
In the
Handstand
A Beginners Guide

Author: Farid Herrera

www.faridherrera.com

Farid Herrera
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1 Finding Balance In the Handstand

Finding balance in the Handstand

*Full Starter Program is at the end* I recommend you read through the E-book so
you don’t miss important cues.

Contrary to popular belief, when first starting out in your handstand journey, you don’t
need to have the “perfect line” that every professional Hand balancer keeps elusively chasing
and talking about for their whole careers.

“The more
In this particular case, learning the core of the skill first – the balance, and then ironing out the
options and leeway
details later will prove to be much more efficient, less frustrating, and yield more results.
we give ourselves
in terms of body
Why is this important? Well, balance can sometimes be unpredictable, as we might all have
shapes that work
felt at some point in our lives. Some days you’ll wake up, and for whatever the reason, you will
for us when finding
feel slightly clumsier, and less sharp than other days. So solely focusing on refining the
balance, the more
balance of the handstand early on, will allow other minor changes to be applied down the
likely we are to
line, without too much difficulty.
actually find it.”
The more options and leeway we give ourselves in terms of body shapes that work for us
when finding balance, the more likely we are to actually find it. Once our body has felt it, and
becomes used to the act of balancing itself upside down, it will be much easier for it to
reorganise itself to account for different shapes and minor tweaks later on.

There is however one other aspect of the free standing handstand that should be addressed
relatively early on. But the scope of this E-Book can’t quite hope to tackle it with maximum
efficacy, so I will not be addressing this here. That aspect is, how to fall out of a free standing
handstand correctly, and safely. This ability, if not already possessed will require some careful
guidance on overcoming fear, as well as specific instruction and spotting, preferably
demonstrated and cued by someone in person.

With all that said, nothing is stopping us from starting our hand balancing journey, right here,
right now. The best part is, you can take this practice and skill with you, wherever you go, all
you need is the floor.

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2 Finding Balance In the Handstand

Preparation:

So, preparation for Handstands will require an adequate warm up, and some conditioning to
avoid injuries as well as maximise the control of your balance. Here are some of simple tools
for the job down below, laid out in a program format ready for you to start, with explanations
and videos to match.

Shoulder Mobility:

Firstly, shoulder mobility and overhead arm extension will play an important role in your
efficiency during a handstand. This is because more you can extend your arms up over your
head without compromising the position of your ribs and spine, the better “stacked” you are
going to be when you are upside down.

1st picture is lacking overhead extension.

2nd picture is the compensation caused by it.

3rd picture is adequate overhead extension and what we want to eventually achieve.

Form Tip: The perfect overhead extension is not indispensable in order to find balance,
however it is something to aim for during the process, and will help later with efficiency.

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Some useful exercises to increase range of motion in the shoulders are:

 Hanging from a bar trying to keep the ribs down (Everyday, total of 4 minutes per
day in small chunks, throughout the day)
 Lying on an exercise ball or foam roller with arms overhead. Focus on the shoulder
and thoracic area and consciously trying to pull the arms back. This should be an
active exercise, not passive (Figure 4)

Here are two examples – Do these in order:

S1 - Prone overhead shoulder extensions, 3x10 second pulls:

https://youtu.be/11N9sLjoXzw

S2 - Overhead weight shoulder extensions (actively pulling the weight down):

https://youtu.be/wqj3gWSvOys

Repeat S1 & S2 3 times

I recommend doing some variation of these everyday as part of your general preparation for
handstands, and you can add them in before a session. There are also lower body factors that
will affect your handstand. But they are secondary for us and pertain to achieving more
advanced shapes and feats, so we will not be addressing those in this E-book. Good shoulder
mobility, wrist extension and strength will be more than enough to get you started.

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4 Finding Balance In the Handstand

Wrist Extension:

The wrists are also two very important joints to prepare before embarking on your handstand
journey. We need to make sure we have adequate wrist extension before we start loading our
whole body weight over them.

Here are some pictures of different wrist extensions:

1st Picture shows severely lacking ability to extend the wrist

2nd Picture shows adequate range in the wrist

Some useful exercises to increase range of motion in the wrists are :

 Wrist extensions on the floor, in all directions.

 Use the forearm extensor muscles to consciously pull your hand back as close to the
position in the second picture, repeat this various times and mix it with holds.
 Refer to the warm up on the following page, it contains some useful drills for wrist
range of motion.

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5 Finding Balance In the Handstand

Warm up:
Get used to this warm up, treat it as a routine or pre session ritual. Take your time with it,
enjoy it and add to it if necessary.

Wrists:

 Wrist rotations and finger movements in all directions 30 seconds

 Wrist extensions using the floor in all directions 7 seconds each
 Wrist push ups x8, keep fingers in contact with the floor, lift only the palm.
 Back of the hand on the floor, wrist flexion all directions 7 seconds each
 Back of the hand push ups to fists x8

Shoulders:

 Straight arm rotations different directions 45 seconds each arm

 Scapula press ups 8x
 Piked static press hold, 10 seconds

Short wrist warm up video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjrReHOKHNA

Let’s Begin - The Kick Up:

So the first order of business for the handstand, is to Kick Up. This is an important part of the
process, as it’s going to be one of the main ways we will enter into our handstand. And
therefore will need practice and attention.
“Balance point
being that
When kicking up, most people think about heel drive. Whilst there does need to be some moment of
amount of heel drive to kick up, the ultimate goal here is simply to jump your hips up and suspension
stack them over your shoulders and wrists. Ideally you want to imagine a straight line running where hips are
up through those 3 joints as seen on picture 3 (p.2). Think Jenga. You must have a good above
understanding of this. Too much heel drive will make us go over. Controlled heel drive, shoulders and
coupled with thinking about jumping our hips up, will stack us correctly, so aim to go up. everything
slows down”
Last but not least, as you kick up, try to feel how close or far you get from the “Balance point”.
Balance point being that moment of suspension where hips are above shoulders and
everything slows down. Here we go…

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6 Finding Balance In the Handstand

Kick ups, near wall, but trying not to make contact with it:

A1 – Kick up to handstands, landing back on the same leg, 5x on each leg.

https://youtu.be/HvJVkDEsIc4

“In order to
A2 – Kick ups to handstand, swap legs 10x: https://youtu.be/zgPT2HWwI4Y
start balancing
your handstand,
Repeat A1 & A2 twice, 30 seconds rest between each full run. We are aiming for control here.
Try not to take micro steps or move the hands whilst kicking up. You must come back up after you will have to

each kick up. understand the

role that the
fingers play and
how they will
Over Shooting:
affect your

Once you get used to kicking up against the wall, you’ll have to learn to get rid of it so you overall
can kick up in the middle of a room. This next exercise is going to help with this. You’ll need equilibrium.”
to familiarise yourself with a cartwheel in order to really embody this technique.

Handstand Overshoot:

H1 - https://youtu.be/Wn-_ygoipCw

Repeat this as many times as you need. “The

Overshoot is
Here you’re essentially turning your handstand into a cartwheel. A good rule of thumb is to
one of the most
account for what leg you prefer to have in front during your handstand kick up. It will usually
important
be the opposite arm that will take a step forward during your overshoot. This will ensure that
you are coming out using the correct cartwheel language. Note, this is not a necessity, I have aspects of

students that mix and match the front leg with the arm that moves. taking your
handstand to
The overshoot is one of the most important aspects of taking your handstand to the next the next level
level and away from the wall. So you have to make sure you respect this process and that you and away from
really connect with the pattern and how it works.
the wall.”
Respect this
Give it some time.
process.

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7 Finding Balance In the Handstand

The Balance:

So after kicking up, the most important part is balance. In order to start balancing your
handstand, you will have to understand the role that the fingers play and how they will affect
your overall equilibrium. They will essentially act as your new toes, whilst you are inverted.

Think of standing up straight and leaning slightly forward, whilst trying your best to avoid
taking any steps in front of you. You should feel your feet engaging and your toes pushing
into the ground in order to stop you from stepping forward. Try this now if you want to feel it.

This becomes the exact role of the fingers whilst you are upside down. You will need to
master this feeling in order to stop yourself from going over in your handstand. Below is a list
of drills designed to ingrain this into your body.

Kick ups against the wall, finger engagement to come down:

B1 – Kick up against the wall, and using only the fingers, try to make yourself come down from
the wall x10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVD2_dMqPy8

Form tip: for this particular drill, I suggest having both legs straight up and together, with
the heels touching the wall. Secondly, try to walk your hands quite close to the wall so there
isn’t too much of an arch in the back.

Make sure you are not compensating and using another part of the body to come back
down. So no folding at the hip, no pushing the wall with the heels. The impetus for your
decent from the handstand must strictly come from the finger stimulus. Otherwise, no
progress will be made with regards to their crucial role in balancing.

Kick ups against the wall, chasing balance point:

C1 – Kick up and lean against the wall. Using only the fingers, try to disconnect from the wall

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8 Finding Balance In the Handstand

and find the balance point, without coming down from the handstand. Chase the balance
point 3 times once you go up and then come down.

Repeat C1, x3 45 seconds rest between each full run.

Video: https://youtu.be/pIk2gFIyB4g

“You are
Form Tip: for this particular drill, I suggest to adopt whatever position you find and feel the
more likely to
most comfortable for you when doing a handstand. Reason being, that you are more likely to
find your balance point when you are in the most natural position for your own body at that find your

particular moment. This will free up mental attention to the priority of synchronizing the role balance point
of the fingers with keeping you balanced. when you are
in the most
Perfecting different and specific shapes is a more advanced part of the handstand practice, natural
not covered in this E-book. position for
your own
A position that is typically quite helpful at the beginning is the half front split handstand. As
body”
shown in the video. Try it out and see how it feels, but ultimately, stick to what your body
naturally wants to do whilst upside down. The key essential here is having your hips directly
above shoulders, which should be directly above your hands. Legs can do whatever they feel
most comfortable.

Please note, that all of the concepts and exercises discussed in this E-Book are not fast food
and will take some time to master. When it comes to balance, as with many other things,
there are no quick fixes. Just hard work.

So with a good amount of time under our belt practicing the concepts above, we are now
reaching the final part of the beginners guide to finding balance in the handstand. What to
do when falling back down towards your naval.

This is perhaps the most intuitive part of the process of staying in balance, upside down. It will
require you to bend your elbows slightly, and create a small arch in the back as you feel
yourself wanting to step back down. It may sound astronomical, but the chances of naturally
developing this habit will be great once you have spent enough time upside down.

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Putting it all together:

As this next part suggests, it’s time to put it all together. This will require us to implement
everything we have just read about, into one final drill:

E1 – kick up against the wall, any shape and find the balance point making sure to engage the
fingers before you make contact with the wall. Bend the elbows slightly whenever necessary “As you your
to avoid coming back down. hips rise, try to
pre-empt and
Repeat E1 as many times as needed. Try not to touch the wall during any part of this drill, but feel yourself
have it close by for safety. enter the
moment of
Video: https://youtu.be/v2whOoFqe2s
suspension
which we have
been talking
Form Tip: kick up into your handstand. Emphasis being on “up”. As you your hips rise, try to about.”
pre-empt and feel yourself enter the moment of “suspension” which we have been talking
about. As this is happening, it is likely that you will need to engage the fingers to slow down
your forwards momentum. If you did not put enough power into the kick up initially, you will
simply come back down, in which case you will just have start the kick up again.

Once you feel you are reaching the “stacked” position and a little bit of suspension, you will
continue using your fingers to keep yourself in balance point.

If you feel yourself coming back down towards your naval, bend your elbows ever so slightly
to try and prevent the decent.

Once again, you should do this in any shape that you like, I will suggest the half front split
handstand because it will give you some reassurance having the back leg close to the wall,
and also, both your legs will serve as extra levers for balance alongside your fingers. Try it out.

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Conditioning:
Conditioning should be done as a standalone part of your handstand practice. I wouldn’t
recommend doing it before a technical session, as it could affect your Central Nervous
System and make everything more difficult after. It should either be done after a session, or as
a standalone part of your training.

Handstand conditioning when starting out is very straight forward, as one of the main goals is
simply to have enough endurance to hold ourselves up in the handstand whilst we find
balance. Good overhead extension of the arms and adequate wrist extension are also
important benchmarks to aim for. As always, we are trying to avoid any potential injuries, so
this conditioning session will cover those factors.

Shoulder Health:

I recommend the famous “YTWL”shoulder circuit for this section. It’s simple, and widely
recommended among the top Strength & Conditioning Coaches. There are more than
enough video’s on YouTube showing how to perform this circuit. Have a look and memorise
it.

I would supplement this circuit with some Band Assisted Internal Rotator Cuff Pulls x10 on
each arm, in different directions which you can check out here:

https://youtu.be/SEkLEKDvbhE

Endurance:

 Wrist and shoulder warm up from the beginning of the program

 Kick ups to handstand any variation 3x 10 kick ups
 Handstand holds against the wall for time. 3x 15 seconds, with 15 seconds rest. (Adjust
according to your endurance).
 Total of 2 minutes of hang time in as little sets as possible, aim for 4 sets. Don’t rest
for longer than 15 seconds when you come down.

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Full Starter Program:

So here is a condensed version of the exercises from the E-Book, organised in a chronological
program for you to work on when you want to do a Handstand Practice Session.

Wrist warm up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjrReHOKHNA

Kick ups, near wall, but trying not to make contact with it yet:

A1 – Kick up to handstands, landing back on the same leg, 5x on each leg:

https://youtu.be/HvJVkDEsIc4

A2 – 10x Kick ups to handstand, swap legs: https://youtu.be/zgPT2HWwI4Y

Repeat A1 & A2 twice, rest as much as you need between each full run. We are aiming for
control here. Try not to take micro steps or move the hands whilst kicking up. You must come
back fully upright after each kick up.

Kick ups against the wall, finger engagement to come down:

B1 – Kick up against the wall, and using only the fingers, try to make yourself come down from
the wall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVD2_dMqPy8

Repeat B1, x10

Kick ups against the wall, then chase balance point:

C1 – Kick up and lean against the wall. Using only the fingers, try to disconnect from the wall
and find the balance point, without coming down from the handstand:
https://youtu.be/pIk2gFIyB4g

Repeat C1, x3 45 seconds rest between each full run.

Kick ups with the wall close behind you – No touch:

D1 – Practice kicking up close to the wall, but using your fingers to stop you before making
contact with it: https://youtu.be/v2whOoFqe2s

Shoulder Health: https://youtu.be/SEkLEKDvbhE

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Final Notes
You are now armed with the knowledge on how to begin your handstand journey and how to
find balance upside down. You should have an overall better idea of how all of the parts and
concepts work together to achieve the handstand. There is of course a lot more to this skill
than the scope of this E-book is designed to cover, so seek continuous guidance and practice.
“Learn Smart.

Thank you for reading, I hope you have enjoyed it and found the content useful. Work Smart.

Feel welcome to post any updates and progress as a result of this book on Instagram or your Do Better.”
preferred social media platform, and tag me. Social Media details below.

I will periodically check it and give feedback when possible.

If you have any further questions or inquiries, feel free to contact me anytime:

www.faridherrera.com

Instagram: @farid_herrera

YouTube: www.youtube.com/faridherrera

E-mail: farid_herrera@live.com

Enjoy the journey,

Farid Herrera

This Beginner’s Guide to Balancing the Handstand was brought to you by Farid Herrera. Learn Smart. Work Smart. Do
Better.

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