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| May 1993 International Gymnast |
It's a bit archaic and old school to have gymnasts kick up against the wall or coaches and teammates spot handstand push-ups like the above cartoon; also, some coaches end up doing much more of the workload than they need to or should be doing. The burden and greater share should be placed upon the gymnast; and it probably shouldn't be done at the expense of shape and form.
I remember years ago, Al Luber at SMGC telling me about spotting handstand push-ups with the gymnast in a tucked handstand (something he picked up from Russian coaches) to alleviate the tendency for the gymnast to lower back arch and stick the chest out. The tuck position encourages hips tucked under and a rounded back (although not impossible to still arch). He also first introduced me to what many "smart" coaches are doing: Having gymnasts do handstand push ups with feet up on a block at a 90 degree L (more advanced would be a single leg in the air and other foot on the block)- hips directly over the shoulder and hands. Top of the head touches the floor (for added difficulty, stand on parallettes or push-up bars). Push back up as if trying to touch nose to the block. Gymnasts who are weak or fatiguing will tend to allow the hips to slide back behind the shoulders and hands and lose the upside down "L" shape. Watch for the chest to also go out.
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| Level 3 side station for bars rotation |
I've been having the level 3s down to hotshots hold handstands in a tuck.
Another variation is knees on top of the block, like the upside down piked "L":
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| Screen capture from Handstands...My Way |
Another good handstand video (nothing new, but nice to see others who "get it"):
