You gotta take the good with the bad when it comes to compulsory routines. I'm not a big fan of the split handstand as a compulsory element when all I look at is it's face value. It's just one skill out of many the kids can do, and at first glance the split handstand is the beginning and the end of the journey.........
Then again, when I think through the skill, there are some benefits beyond just learning a handstand. First is the fact that kids are learning how much energy, as with all skills, to put into any gymnastics skill to make it work, and how to compensate with subtle shape changes when they start a skill with too much/too little energy.
My second thought is to appreciate the skill for the amount of time the kids spend on their hands while their legs are in a stride/split position, which challenges them to stay square and aligned going each direction. So I like that it forces them to learn proper alignment, and to stay square, as there's a lot of that missing for many kids when they begin series training.
There's a few more, but I'm thinking this short list of benefits is why the "Oracle" chose to have the handstand presented with a split.
Me? I love handstands done in with correct posture, because that posture can be used for a brief instant on so many skills. I guess the legs together crowd will just have to join me in finding a different compulsory element to stress proper posture in all spatial orientations.
