Every once in a while, it’s nice to have some expert eyes look at your handstand, especially a handstand teacher! I actually love working on my handstand on my own — grinding through the fails and the various theories that go through my head. However, it’s priceless to pick the brain of someone like @yuri_marmerstein who has been through it already and has spent years studying and teaching the practice. This is even more applicable to the #onearmhandstand which in theory may sound simple (!!) but in practice is very complex and has many details that will drive you nuts! Yuri has definitely had the most influential impact on my #handstand journey from the first time I worked with him almost 3 years ago. Since then, I’ve been trying to see him a couple of times a year to share with him my practice and get my zillions of questions answered.
Here are some of the benefits of working with a good handstand teacher:
- For one, you can only see what’s visible to you! 3 years ago, my two arm handstand was very shaky – literally! My shoulders were not stable at all – i.e. I would move up and down while trying to maintain balance. My average hold then was barely 15 seconds. I was actually shocked when Yuri made the comments about my shoulders because I just didn’t see it. Since then, every time I see someone’s handstand (including my own) my eyes hone in on the shoulders.
- In other cases, you see it but you either give it too much importance or not at all – i.e. working on your alignment before you can actually hold a handstand is a common scenario.
- A good handstand teacher will also push you to try something new based on your current level – just enough so that you challenge yourself. In general, you don’t want to work on a progression you are too comfortable with and you don’t want to work on one that is so hard that your success rate is too low. The theme of our session was to add leg movements to assisted #oahs holds and start getting some air time even it’s only for one second on the way back to center or while holding the assisted one arm. I have been so frustrated with my shifts lately that all my focus for the past few months was to make them more stable and hold them longer. So I haven’t played with these drills before thinking I was not ready but it was actually OK – click on the image above to see my experience!
- That brings me to the next subject! My focus and concentration are a lot more intense when working with a teacher. You make every attempt count as if you were only allowed one try! It’s weird.
- Sometimes you need help to feel or experience a position free standing – it can be as complicated as a Figa position or as simple as a square straddle.
- Utilizing an experienced handstand teacher is simply a good investment long term. You save time by working on the proper technique from the get go and avoid building bad habits along the way which usually take time to fix.
- Finally, you learn how to structure your practice and take care of your body so that you can sustain daily sessions and minimize injuries.
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