Headstand is one of the first balances you can learn in Calisthenics. It's not a prerequisite to do headstand before handstand BUT it can largely invest in your progress. You will overcome the fear of being upsidedown, build core strength and awareness to balance easier and you can connect it with other skills to create a flow (e.g. frog pose to headstand), incorporate progressions involving headstand a part of the building block to more advanced skills (e.g. Handstand push-up).
Headstand
Basic balance skill that builds confidence upsidedown and core control. Allows to progress to more advanced skills like handstand, tigerbend and build intermediate Calisthenics flow.
Mobility Towards Skills, 1:28.67-1:38.67
Here are 2 variations to work on: 1. Tripod headstand (video on top) with palms and head positioned as a triangle and elbows bent to 90 degrees on top of the wrists. Less stable position to start with but more accessible with limited shoulder mobility and connects to other Calisthenics skills. I would recommend to build this variation. 2. Forearm headstand (the following video) with palms wrapped around the head and elbows creating a triangle with the head. Harder to access if you have limited shoulder mobility but creates comfortable stable foundation.
Mobility Towards Skills, 1:10.97-1:20.97
How to do Tripod headstand
- Starting position - palms and head creating an equilateral triangle, head crown on the floor, long neck and depressed shoulders.
- The movement - start walking your feet closer to the head (can keep your knees soft) to stack your hips on top of the head. Pull one knee to your chest and lift the foot from the floor while second foot pushing from the toes to keep hips stacked. Keep pulling the hips over the head until you feel that second foot lifts-off from the floor as well. Get into tuck position first then slowly extend your knees up while squeezing your glutes and getting into posterior tilt to maintain a strong core engagement.
- The finish - slowly lower your knees down into tuck position. Extend your knees and put your feet down to the floor.
Progressions
Start your practice with: Practice in front of the wall - two palms away from the wall. As you walk feet closer to the head bend knees and put the knees on the elbows to use it as a step to stack your hips on top easier without much core strength.
Over time aim to lift legs yourself without a step, progress to straight leg press to headstand. As soon as you feel confident in front of the wall and never touching it - move to freestanding without the wall.
Incorporate different shapes like diamond, straddle, baby straddle, stag etc.
Common mistakes
- Head position. Make yourself video from the side and check if you overextend (compress) your neck. Make sure you get into a nice straight line of the neck with slight arch. Push your shoulders into depression to extend the neck longer.
- Randomly jumping. Jumping into handstand doesn't build the strength, control and creates a risk of injury. It's better to take time and invest in longterm strength building.
- Counterbalance principles. To maintain the balance when you move your legs up remember to imagine midline and keep moving hips, feet and knees towards midline slowly. E.g. you move your hips towards midline but not your knees and feet - you go down as most of your weight was towards your hands. If you keep your hips over but move your legs towards midline - you fall over.
- Understanding the weight distribution to balance. Unlike handstand and tigerbend, your weight in headstand should be always slightly towards your face (not towards your back) to maintain the belence.
- Skipping conditioning. To progress to full skill and clean technique don't forget core conditioning: planks, hollow body hold, pike compression lifts, jefferson curls.
Goal
Press from straight legs up to straight line, change the shapes: diamond, straddle and back to straight. After that slowly lower your legs down to the floor.