Handstand Walking Progression:
The handstand walk is a gymnastics skill that requires a tremendous amount of shoulder strength and stability, as well as an abundance of core strength and stability. It also requires balance and coordination, since it is a unilateral movement, because you are shifting your weight from one hand to the other as you move forward. Being that the handstand walk is a skill, it takes a lot of practice to master the movement. As with any skill, there are progressions that you can follow to help you acquire the proper mechanics to be able to perform the movement/skill. Here are some progressions to help you with learning how to handstand walk:
- Midline stability holds
- Plank (with shifting and shoulder taps)
- Plank walks with slider (forward and lateral)
- Box pike (with shifting, shoulder taps, and lateral walking)
- Wall walks (with shifting, shoulder taps, and lateral walking)
- Kick-ups
- Handstand hold (on wall)
- Free standing handstand hold
- Kick up with a few steps walking on your hands
Learning to handstand walk can take a lot of practice. Finding the right progressions to get you to improve or be able to perform a handstand walk is going to be critical. Start with the basics by strengthening and stabilizing your midline. From there, start learning how to shift your weight from and to hand. Start on the ground, and then progress to a box, and then finally, to an inverted position. Once you have become comfortable balancing on your hands in an inverted position, then it just becomes about practice and repetition. No matter what, always remember the fundamentals and apply them to the actual movement. Follow the progressions and only advance once you have mastered the previous progression.
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