Handstands Online

Hi Natalie and everyone!

I’m working on the lower to lifted straddle, I have the Vimeo tutorial and workouts and I know I have a few weeks to go before I can do it.

My question is the pivot point:
I don’t understand what is happening at the shoulder here. Is the shoulder elevated the whole time and then you say should internally rotate as the weight transfer in the lower?

I have my latest attempt in this Instagram post (it’s the second slide):



(I do know that my legs are not engaged enough, I’m working on my pancake too)

PS Natalie, your press to handstand course is incredible. I loved every class (well maybe not the class with 20 eccentric presses ) and my press has really improved! Thank you!

Hello Tasha,

Thank you for posting your question and happy to hear you enjoyed the press course

Not too bad at all, the lower to straddle!

Your entry is really good!

Once your feet pass your armpit in the video you have to elevate the shoulders AS MUCH as possible! And pull your legs towards you.
In that same moment you need to also round the back as much as possible and keep the leaning angle the same in the arms and shoulders.

Once your feet pass the height of your armpits, the shape (the distance between arms and legs) is too open in your video. The more open this is the more strength it requires.

In the Viemo tutorial I think I talk about how you can imagine the weight of your hips behaving like a bowl of water. When you tilt it to the side, water first pours slowly until there comes the point where it all just spills at once.
Really pay attention to where the weight of your hips "spills". It will be the point where the hips want to just "drop". That is the crucial point where you want to lean, dome the back, elevate the shoulders and compress in order to prevent the weight of your hips from dropping fast.

The legs need to also compress more in that moment. Think of not only compressing them towards you but "scooping" them upwards to achieve an even better compression, otherwise the legs like to enter the straddle in a diagonal and stay in the diagonal. But we want them horizontal, so think about bringing them to horizontal way before you come to the low straddle by "scooping" them upwards.

Keep looking at the floor, neck horizontal to the floor, don't look front. It will help you to round the back.

Here is a short clip from my online coaching that sums it up:


Hope that helps
Best,
Natalie

Thanks for the reply Natalie!
This additional video is really helpful too, I will keep working on doming and scooping