How To Do A Handstand

92 Pages·2014·2.81 MB·English

by  Robin Peter Zander

How To Do A Handstand
Learn to Balance a Fearless Handstand in 20 Days or Less

By Robin Peter Zander

http://www.robinpzander.com
Copyright © 2014 by Robin Peter Zander

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording,
or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission
of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical
reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Medical & Health Disclaimer

Handstands can be dangerous. Please practice safely. I do not want anyone to get
hurt as a result of my recommendations. If you have any doubt, consult a
medical professional prior to engaging in any activities described in this book.

The information provided in this book is designed to provide helpful information
on the subjects discussed. Prior to attempting any activity discussed in this
book, consult with your physician. This book is not meant to be used, nor should
it be used, to diagnose or treat any medical condition. For diagnosis or treatment
of any medical problem, consult your own physician. The publisher and author
are not responsible for any specific health needs that may require medical
supervision and are not liable for any damages or negative consequences from
any treatment, action, application or preparation, to any person reading or
following the information in this book.
Thank You and a Gift

As a way of expressing my appreciation for your purchase, I am offering a free
gift, exclusive to my readers.

In our world today, we are bombarded with a near-infinite amount of
information. If you want to learn the cello from online videos or learn a new
language from the comfort of your living room, free resources are at your
fingertips to do so. This is an opportunity unprecedented in human history, but
also presents new challenges. The information is available but we do not have
the guidelines to use this information effectively. We are missing the tools to
adapt all of the information to our specific purposes.

That is why I wrote “The Accelerated Learner,” a series of essays, which
examines the most important tools I have discovered, in more than a decade of
studying the learning process. These are simple tools that anyone can apply,
explained through simple, personal stories of overcoming obstacles and learning
new skills in my own life.

“The Accelerated Learner” contains the answers to a number of common
questions like “How do I break down a skill” and “How do I cultivate a growth
mindset.” You can download this free document by visiting
http://www.robinpzander.com/blog/gift
Why Handstands?
The title of this book is “How To Do A Handstand”, which assumes that you are
already interested in handstands. I won’t spend much time throughout the book
discussing the question of “why handstands.” I have heard hundreds of people
say that they want to learn handstands, and then watch them not take steps
towards doing so. That is why I decided to create this book. Even so, the reasons
for learning handstands are numerous and I’ll briefly discuss my favorites.

Stand Out and Overcome Fears

Standing out in a crowd is an important ability to cultivate, whether for getting a
job, finding a partner, or making an impact on the world. Some people have
more charisma than others, but the ability to be noticed is a learnable skill.
Training handstands develops the skill of standing out. As I discuss in the
section on overcoming fear in this book, embarrassment and nervousness are
antithesis of balancing a handstand. When you learn to overcome your fears in
handstands, you will also overcome fears elsewhere in your life.

Get Comfortable on the Dance Floor

My friend Ben Weston teaches men to dance so that women approach them in
bars and clubs. I find this a hysterical career (although I almost never go out to
bars), but feeling uncomfortable dancing in a public setting is one I know very
well. As I discuss in the “Accelerated Learner,” I wasn’t always comfortable on
a dance floor. Being able to do handstands was one of the pivotal moves that
allowed me to gain confidence in my ability to dance and move effectively.
Learning handstands can be a pathway into greater physical comfort, on and off
of the dance floor. To learn more about my friend Ben, visit
http://www.mrbenweston.com

Fitness

There are two ways to adopt new behaviors: increase motivation or decrease the
barrier for entry. As a fitness trainer, I have seen that the primary way people are
“encouraged” to get more fit is through pressures and guilt. This results in gym
goers feeling guilty for not ever using their memberships; great for the gyms, not
the users. The solution is to adopt new behaviors that are much smaller and
simpler. As an example, fitness goers who adopt the goal, single, daily push-ups
are more likely to continue to expand their fitness repertoire, than the fitness-
enthusiast who sets the goal of running a marathon sometime next year. Running
a marathon is too big a leap. Learning a handstand is small goal similar to the
push-up. It is difficult enough to be challenging and small enough, given
knowledge of the steps, that learners can continue on the path of skill
acquisition. In short, handstands are a “gateway drug” for getting more fit. Learn
more about ways to decrease the barrier for entry to adopting new habits by visit
Stanford University professor BJ Fogg’s website http://www.bjfogg.com

Break Down the Steps

More people don’t learn handstands because of a lack of knowledge of the
incremental steps. In learning each of the steps towards handstands, you will
receive the added benefit of experiencing incremental learning. This, in itself, is
a valuable skill. “How To Do A Handstand” will not only teach you to balance a
fearless handstand, but also how to break down any goal into the tiny, learnable
pieces.
Have More Fun

Finally, handstands are fun! Otherwise, they aren’t worth doing. Handstands can
be an empowering physical activity that anyone can learn. If you’ve never liked
fitness, let this book change your mind. I won’t shout at you to try harder or
encourage you to feel badly if you don’t perform. Rather, enthusiasm
incentivizes learning (in any domain). There is good reason that the best teachers
of all time were all extremely positive about their topic and their students. While
I wouldn’t think to put myself on the level of Richard Feynman or Sir Ken
Robinson, I can and do make learning handstands fun. Enjoy the progress and, I
promise, you will see the results.
Here is the breakdown of what we will cover:
How To Do A
Handstand............................................................................................................ 1
Thank You and a
Gift.................................................................................................................. 3
I Can’t Learn A
Handstand........................................................................................................ 7
Tools..............................................................................................................................................
How To Use This
Book............................................................................................................... 8
The 3 Parts of Learning Handstands........................................................................................ 8
Incremental
Steps................................................................................................................................................................................
8
Fear................................................................................................................................................................................................................
9
Daily
Practice..........................................................................................................................................................................................
9
The Typical
Path.......................................................................................................................
10
The Atypical
Path......................................................................................................................
12
Get Used to Being Upside Down............................................................................................... 12
Hands on the Ground............................................................................................................... 12
Feet on the Floor....................................................................................................................... 16
Hands on the Floor................................................................................................................... 16
Moving Around on All Fours.................................................................................................... 16
Kicking Up From All Fours....................................................................................................... 17
A Point About Pain................................................................................................................... 22
Kicking Up Against Walls......................................................................................................... 22
Mount........................................................................................................................................................................................................
22
Get A Little Help From Some
Friends................................................................................................................................... 22
Proper Mount
Posture...................................................................................................................................................................
23
Everyone Gets Nervous............................................................................................................ 29
Dismount.................................................................................................................................. 29
Balancing in
Handstands........................................................................................................ 30
Styles of Balance....................................................................................................................... 30
Key Factors............................................................................................................................... 36
Pelvis.........................................................................................................................................................................................................
36
Fingers......................................................................................................................................................................................................
43
Specific Adjustments............................................................................................................... 46
Arms
Straight.......................................................................................................................................................................................
46
Arms
Overhead...................................................................................................................................................................................
50
How To Use The
Core.....................................................................................................................................................................
50
About the
Feet.....................................................................................................................................................................................
52
Approaching the Wall Backwards.......................................................................................... 53
Falling..........................................................................................................................................
63
Falling Forward........................................................................................................................ 63
Falling Backward..................................................................................................................... 65
Practice Falling with a Partner................................................................................................ 68
The Pirouette Dismount.......................................................................................................... 70
Fear..............................................................................................................................................
76
First Step: Awareness.............................................................................................................. 76
Second Step: Recognition........................................................................................................ 76
How To Overcome Your Fear................................................................................................... 77
Daily
Practice............................................................................................................................
79
Week 1 - Getting Comfortable................................................................................................. 79
Week 2 - The Wall.................................................................................................................... 79
Week 3 - Balance...................................................................................................................... 80
Week 4 - Fear and Safety......................................................................................................... 80
Concluding
Remarks...............................................................................................................
82