WAG Help with Stalder Press Handstands

[AYEMama]

My gymnast is having a very difficult time getting her press handstand. She is Level 7 and has won Regionals, always places 1st or 2nd, etc., so we don't think it's a matter of lack of training. She used to be able to do it when she was level 4, but has since lost it. She is the only one on her team that can't do them and it's affecting her confidence a bit...
Here are some things we are able to see:
- She has the strength and flexibility.
- She can do press handstand from straddle, so it's the 1st half going from sitting to getting her hips up that she has trouble with.
- Her cast straddle handstand on bars are fine.
- She has a really long torso.

We actually didn't realize that having a long torso makes this harder until we started looking through the threads here, so if there is something specific for that, we would appreciate it!
Also, if there are great videos, please share.
Thank you!

 

[LJL07]

Press handstands are not the be-all, end-all for being a great gymnast. It's nice to be able to do them, but not being able to do them doesn't mean she is doomed as a gymnast by any means!

Maybe @FlippinLilysMom can weigh in. Her daughter just got a D1 scholarship, and I remember her saying that her daughter was never great at presses. If I am remembering this right, not being great at presses really didn't seem to hold her back any. I agree that really compact kids have an easier time with this skill.

 

[ProudGymnast]

I mean, this won't be very helpful I'm just offering perspective.

I have a long torso and my sister is tall and has very long femurs, we've both really struggled with this skill.

It's one of those skills that is not very necessary and generally is easier to learn with a short, proportional body type. Tell your daughter not to worry, its just a skill that is different for everyone and may just be harder for her to learn due to her center of mass, and how much she has to pull through from the stalder sitting position.

 

[RTT2]

Why does she need this? It sounds like she's training 8- where would she be needing a press handstand?

 

[AYEMama]

Press handstands are not the be-all, end-all for being a great gymnast. It's nice to be able to do them, but not being able to do them doesn't mean she is doomed as a gymnast by any means!

Thank you. I think that will make her feel a little better.

Maybe @FlippinLilysMom can weigh in. Her daughter just got a D1 scholarship, and I remember her saying that her daughter was never great at presses. If I am remembering this right, not being great at presses really didn't seem to hold her back any. I agree that really compact kids have an easier time with this skill.

Wow that's actually a relief to hear. It doesn't seem to be holding her back from skills on events. It's just when they're doing their warm-up and conditioning, she feels a bit defeated. Thank you for this!

 

[AYEMama]

I mean, this won't be very helpful I'm just offering perspective.

I have a long torso and my sister is tall and has very long femurs, we've both really struggled with this skill.

It's one of those skills that is not very necessary and generally is easier to learn with a short, proportional body type. Tell your daughter not to worry, its just a skill that is different for everyone and may just be harder for her to learn due to her center of mass, and how much she has to pull through from the stalder sitting position.

She will appreciate hearing from someone firsthand. It's like everyone at her gym has a shorter torso . It's a good point to point out that everyone's body's are different and so different skills will be more difficult for some.

 

[AYEMama]

Why does she need this? It sounds like she's training 8- where would she be needing a press handstand?

She doesn't need it. It's something they do during warmup and during conditioning/strength. I went to go watch and she really does seem defeated when everyone else is able to do them so easily and she is struggling. I just wanted to see if anyone here had any pointers to share.

 

[RTT2]

She doesn't need it. It's something they do during warmup and during conditioning/strength. I went to go watch and she really does seem defeated when everyone else is able to do them so easily and she is struggling. I just wanted to see if anyone here had any pointers to share.

Understood- it's not fun when they are struggling with a skill in warm up or conditioning that other kids in the group can do. I don't think it's a skill that makes any difference in long term progression in the sport, though.

 

[AYEMama]

Understood- it's not fun when they are struggling with a skill in warm up or conditioning that other kids in the group can do. I don't think it's a skill that makes any difference in long term progression in the sport, though.

Thank you. It's hard for her since warm up and conditioning is everyday. We actually didn't know it wasn't a skill that was absolutely needed to keep progressing successfully because they emphasize it so much. It will be a relief for her to hear that she can still keep progressing, especially if this is literally the one "basic" skill (in the eyes of her gym) she is struggling with.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Some kids with a long torso and short arms simply can’t do a press from clear straddle on the floor. It’s not a huge deal, it’s not necessary for Any level in any routine.

 

[AYEMama]

Some kids with a long torso and short arms simply can’t do a press from clear straddle on the floor. It’s not a huge deal, it’s not necessary for Any level in any routine.

That seems to be the case! Glad we asked here. She's relieved to read everyone's messages.

 

[AYEMama]

Thank you for everyone's replies. It seems like a huge weight has lifted from her shoulders after reading all the replies. She won't stress about it and will focus on actual skills needed for events, but still wants to work on it, so if there are any tips/advice/videos you can share, we would appreciate it!

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

It's not necessary, but the strength and understanding involved are very beneficial to many aspects of gymnastics - hence why it is included in your daughters warm up. Chances are, growth has lead to the difficulty with it - but that same growth has probably benefitted her in other ways. Given that she could do it once upon a time, I would say she has be able to capitalize on the benefits of having a press - even if she can no longer do it.

 

[AYEMama]

UPDATE! It's only been less than 3 weeks since she "gave up" on press handstands. She decided to do a bunch of drills she found on a youtube video. She's been doing those drills consistently every single day at home, but not trying to do press handstands. This week, on Monday, she decided to try doing press handstands during warmups with everyone, and she said she did them! On Tuesday, she did them again... and yesterday and today. She can't believe it. I can't either! I wish she found these drills sooner, instead of just trying to do press handstands over and over and over without any progress.

She wants to thank everyone here for lifting the pressure. She said if it wasn't for you all, she would've just kept trying to do them instead of finding and focusing on drills. Thank you!!