Gymnasts Cast to handstand

[Avathegymnast]

Guys I need help, for a while I have been able to do a straddle cast to handstand but I struggle with closing my legs at the top. I know that I have to do it but my body just doesn’t do it, my hips are up but I just get stuck so I I most of the time I just close them when I fall to horizontal. Does anyone have any tips or conditioning I can do to help improve this? I can already do giants on wooden bar but I really want this, coaches and gym friends always tell me just join them but it’s not that simple.When I get a good one I can connect my legs but I just want to get them better. Any advice is appreciated (video attached)

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

The reason you're having trouble closing your legs is because your weight isn't quite over the bar where it needs to be. Shoulders need to be just slightly farther forward.

This progression is the one I use, and I've always found it to work like magic:

 

[Avathegymnast]

Thank you for the video I will definitely try them tips. I’m just wondering if that’s fully the reason because some times my shoulders do go over and I just get stuck in like a straddle in the air taking forever to close my legs. But thanks so much for the tips (photo demonstrating attached) normally my shoulder are more over but this is kinda the shape I get stuck in

 

[Avathegymnast]

This is the shop I get stuck in (normally shoulders are further over) but I get stuck in it for like 2 seconds before closing my legs and normally by then I start falling so it’s really hard to get to a full handstand, do I need to do some new sort of conditioning or am I just getting the wrong timing?

 

[Gymgirl84]

It might be a little bit of shoulder-opening strength. You could practice leaning on to a wall with your feet close to your hands and then popping up to handstand fast, coordinating opening the shoulders and closing the legs.

 

[Avathegymnast]

It might be a little bit of shoulder-opening strength. You could practice leaning on to a wall with your feet close to your hands and then popping up to handstand fast, coordinating opening the shoulders and closing the legs.

Thank you I will definitely try this

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Thank you for the video I will definitely try them tips. I’m just wondering if that’s fully the reason because some times my shoulders do go over and I just get stuck in like a straddle in the air taking forever to close my legs. But thanks so much for the tips (photo demonstrating attached) normally my shoulder are more over but this is kinda the shape I get stuck in

The strength it takes to lift the legs from that position to handstand is considerably less than the strength it takes to get to that position in the first place, which makes me think it's probably not a strength issue, it's a technique issue.

It's all about leverage. If you get more weight in front of the bar, then whatever's behind the bar (in this case, your legs) will tend to rise. Think of a see-saw on a playground; when you want to lift one side, you put more weight on the other side, or put the weight further out. It's the same principle; we want your legs to go up, so we need to get your weight further forward.

One thing that jumps out at me in your picture is that your straddle position is fairly narrow. This puts your feet further behind the bar, making it harder to lift them overhead.
As you hit the point in that picture, try to make your straddle wider, rather than trying to lift the feet up. That should bring them forward over the bar more, giving you better leverage, making it easier to lift the rest of the way up to handstand.

 

[Avathegymnast]

The strength it takes to lift the legs from that position to handstand is considerably less than the strength it takes to get to that position in the first place, which makes me think it's probably not a strength issue, it's a technique issue.

It's all about leverage. If you get more weight in front of the bar, then whatever's behind the bar (in this case, your legs) will tend to rise. Think of a see-saw on a playground; when you want to lift one side, you put more weight on the other side, or put the weight further out. It's the same principle; we want your legs to go up, so we need to get your weight further forward.

One thing that jumps out at me in your picture is that your straddle position is fairly narrow. This puts your feet further behind the bar, making it harder to lift them overhead.
As you hit the point in that picture, try to make your straddle wider, rather than trying to lift the feet up. That should bring them forward over the bar more, giving you better leverage, making it easier to lift the rest of the way up to handstand.

Thank you so much, I’m going to try this. Do you think if I try to bring my toes closer to the bar rather than up and try to stretch my straddle it will help?

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Thank you so much, I’m going to try this. Do you think if I try to bring my toes closer to the bar rather than up and try to stretch my straddle it will help?

Yes. The idea is that the legs should go out and up, not back and up.

As for stuff you can do at home to help, press handstands and straddle pancakes at different width. Try to get your chest as close to the floor as you can in a narrow straddle, a wide straddle, and everything in between.

 

[Avathegymnast]

Yes. The idea is that the legs should go out and up, not back and up.

As for stuff you can do at home to help, press handstands and straddle pancakes at different width. Try to get your chest as close to the floor as you can in a narrow straddle, a wide straddle, and everything in between.

Thank you so much I’ll definitely try these