Handstand Balance Tips from an Ex-Artistic Gymnast

Do you find yourself constantly kicking up to handstand hoping for the best, but never actually getting to HOLD that balance? You’ve landed in the right place…

Hi, I’m Jazz - ex-artistic gymnast turned acro coach who teaches handstands for a living - and I’m here to give you some secret handstand hold tips! If you’re reading this blog then I’m assuming you can kick up to a handstand shape pretty easily (if you’re not quite there yet then please visit my Instagram page @jazzhandstands for some beginner tips to get you started) and are looking to get handstand balance tips to hold for a little longer. So let’s get started! Here are some of my favourite handstand tips for balance. 

TIP 1

Grip the floor! There is a common myth in handstand training that your hands must be pressing flat on the floor - but actually you really want to grip the floor with your fingers! This can be done by pressing your finger tips into the floor.

Practise: gripping the floor in front support, downward dog & handstand (back facing the wall)

TIP 2  

Next, on my list of handstand hold tips! Keep your hands directly underneath your shoulders! A common mistake when entering into your handstand is to place your hands too wide, in the hope that the wider shape keeps your handstand up longer - in actual fact, placing your hands on the floor directly under your shoulders will help to maintain alignment, keep your handstand straighter and therefore help you to hold longer.

Practise: hands underneath shoulders in front support, downward dog & handstand (stomach facing the wall), hold for 20-30 seconds each shape to build muscle memory.

TIP 3

Stack everything!

Imagine yourself as a tower of Lego - if in that tower the pieces aren’t stacked directly above each other, there is a strong chance that the longer it is up and the taller it is, it will fall down.

In your handstand, think about stacking each part of your body above each other; shoulders stacked above your hands, hips stacked above your shoulders, heels stacked above your hips.

Practise: ‘stacking’ against the wall in different handstand shapes: tuck, pike, L and straight while opening your shoulder angle and closing your ribcage.

TIP 4

My next handstand tip is to visualise keeping your weight on top of the line in between your hands The best way to do this is by laying a skipping rope or piece of elastic down in between your hands and aim to keep your body above that line - as soon as your body weight moves too far forwards or backwards over that line, your handstand will start falling!

Practise: this line while using a wall, before trying it away from a wall

TIP 5

My final handstand tip is to keep your arms ‘active’! Your arms shouldn’t be locked straight during your handstands - if you locked your leg straight when balancing on one leg, you would fall straight over (try it!).The same applies on your hands! Keep your elbows softer (but not bent) and active to help you maintain that handstand balance point for longer.

                      Practise: active arms whilst in a handstand against a wall and eventually, away from a wall.

So there you have it, my top 5 handstand hold tips to help you achieve a held handstand! Give it a go and let me know how you find it. Happy handstanding! For more tips, follow on @jazzhandstands.

We don't just offer dancewear here, we also have a huge range for budding gymnasts! Find gymnastics leotards, including long sleeve gymnastics leotards and gymnastics shorts. 

Thanks to Jazz for a fabulous blog on handstand balance tips!

See you soon,

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