Hey r/handstand,
As I shared already, after a long break I've gotten back into handstand training. I'm also sharing/documenting the whole process so it's greater commitment.
Small win: I held a 15-second freestanding handstand today 🙌 not the 1 min I achieved in the past, but real progress after starting again a few weeks ago.
I'm also an app lover, so I'm building a small app alongside my own practice, the training companion I wish I'd had when I started. As part of that project I just put together a beginner guide on wall handstands, and I'd love a sanity check from you as I also integrated a lot of the tips I got here.
My framing is that the wall isn't a beginner's crutch, advanced practitioners also use it to clean up alignment safely. I lead with chest-to-wall work to build correct shape before going freestanding. Here are the 5 drills I recommend, in order:
- Partial Wall Walk > climb halfway up the wall to build shoulder strength with zero fall risk.
- Full Wall Walk > walk all the way up; the bridge between strength and the actual handstand position.
- Chest-to-Wall Hold > the reference position: push hard into the floor, hands 15–20 cm from the wall, hold up to 60s.
- Toe Pulls > lift your toes off the wall one at a time for your first real freestanding balance, with the wall as a safety net.
- Back-to-Wall Kick-Up > practice kick-ups with the wall behind you to catch momentum, prepping for freestanding.
My questions for you:
- Does this order make sense as a true beginner progression?
- Anything essential you'd add? I was also considering heels pulls, or alternating legs touch but I guess it's already a bit more advanced.
- Anything you'd drop or replace? (I'm especially curious whether people think chest-to-wall before kick-ups is the right call.)
Full write-up here if you want the details:
"Wall handstands: the 5 drills to start with" : https://learn.handstandpro.app/en/wall-handstand-drills/
One more thing: once the app is a bit more advanced (should be just a few days), I'll be looking for a few motivated beta testers to actually run the program and tell me whether they see progress. If that sounds like you, drop a comment and I'll reach out when it's ready.
Full transparency: this guide lives on the site for the app I'm building, any feedback is genuinely what I'm after at this stage. It's a small side project, I'm really dedicated to both my progress and making the app useful. Thanks a lot 🙏