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A handstand is the act of supporting the body in a stable, inverted vertical position by balancing on the hands. In a basic handstand, the body is held straight with arms and legs fully extended, with hands spaced approximately shoulder-width apart and the legs together. There are many variations of handstands, all of which require the performer to possess adequate
balance
Balance or balancing may refer to:
Common meanings
* Balance (ability) in biomechanics
* Balance (accounting)
* Balance or weighing scale
* Balance as in equality or equilibrium
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgarian ...
and upper body strength.
Kinematics
Handstands use the wrist flexor muscles as well as the
anterior deltoid
The deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the human shoulder. It is also known as the 'common shoulder muscle', particularly in other animals such as the domestic cat. Anatomically, the deltoid muscle appears to be made up o ...
,
pectoralis major
The pectoralis major () is a thick, fan-shaped or triangular convergent muscle, situated at the chest of the human body. It makes up the bulk of the chest muscles and lies under the breast. Beneath the pectoralis major is the pectoralis minor, a ...
,
latissimus dorsi
The latissimus dorsi () is a large, flat muscle on the back that stretches to the sides, behind the arm, and is partly covered by the trapezius on the back near the midline. The word latissimus dorsi (plural: ''latissimi dorsorum'') comes from L ...
,
biceps brachii
The biceps or biceps brachii ( la, musculus biceps brachii, "two-headed muscle of the arm") is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both heads of the muscle arise on the scapula and join t ...
, and
trapezius
The trapezius is a large paired trapezoid-shaped surface muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae of the spine and laterally to the spine of the scapula. It moves the scapula and supports the ...
descendens. It is considered demanding in terms of both the muscle and joint requirement.
According to a 2017 study most handbalancers use wrist movement to maintain balance in a handstand.
Another study found that handbalancers who were also expert gymnasts had better coordination than those at an intermediate level of gymnastics. More advanced practitioners also altered their center of pressure less to change the center of mass when making corrections to handstand position.
Handstand moves involving an especially high amount of strength include the
press handstand
Press may refer to:
Media
* Print media or news media, commonly called "the press"
* Printing press, commonly called "the press"
* Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers
* Press TV, an Iranian television network
People
* Press (surname), a fami ...
and
handstand push-up
The handstand push-up (press-up) - also called the vertical push-up (press-up) or the inverted push-up (press-up) also called "commandos"- is a type of push-up exercise where the body is positioned in a handstand. For a true handstand, the exercis ...
.
Types of activities that use handstands
![CapoeiraHandstand1 ST 05](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/CapoeiraHandstand1_ST_05.jpg)
Handstands are performed in many athletic activities, including
acro dance
Acro dance is a style of dance that combines classical dance technique with precision acrobatic elements. It is defined by its athletic character, its unique choreography, which seamlessly blends dance and acrobatics, and its use of acrobatics i ...
,
cheerleading
Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...
,
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...
,
yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
,
calisthenics
Calisthenics (American English) or callisthenics (British English) ( /ˌkælɪsˈθɛnɪks/) is a form of strength training consisting of a variety of movements that exercise large muscle groups (gross motor movements), such as standing, graspi ...
, and
gymnastics
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...
. Some variation of a handstand is performed on every gymnastic apparatus, and many tumbling skills pass through a handstand position during their execution.
Breakdance
Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...
rs incorporate handstands in
freezes and
kick
A kick is a physical Strike (attack), strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee (strike), ...
s. Armstand dives—a category found in competitive
platform diving
A diving platform or diving tower is a type of structure used for competitive diving. It consists of a vertical rigid "tower" with one or more horizontal platforms extending out over a deep pool of water. In platform diving, the diver jumps from ...
—are dives that begin with a handstand.
Swimmers
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
often perform
underwater handstands as a stunt, with their heads, arms, and bodies underwater and their legs and feet extended above the surface, often having games or contests with the winner being the person who can remain in an underwater handstand the longest.
Handstands are known by various other names. In modern
yoga as exercise
Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...
, the handstand is called Adho Mukha Vrksasana.
In
capoeira
Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century ...
it is named
bananeira.
Yoga
![Mr-yoga-eagle-handstand-pose](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Mr-yoga-eagle-handstand-pose.jpg)
In modern
yoga as exercise
Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...
, the handstand is among the inverted poses; it is known as Adho Mukha Vrksasana, Downward-facing Tree Pose. In traditional
hatha yoga
Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭha ...
in the 18th and 19th centuries, the ''Vyayāmadipike'', which calls it the "second ''gardam''", and the ''
Śrītattvanidhi
The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instructions for, and ill ...
'' use the handstand in a sequence involving touching the nose to the ground; the ''
Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati
The ''Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati'' ("Manual on the practice of Haṭha yoga") is a manual of Haṭha yoga written in Sanskrit in the 18th century, attributed to Kapāla Kuraṇṭaka; it is the only known work before modern yoga to describe elaborate ...
'' calls this Syenasana, meaning hawk pose.
Gymnastics
There are two basic handstand styles in modern
gymnastics
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...
: ''curved-back'' and ''straight-back''.
[
] Straight-back style is employed when the aesthetics of straight body lines are desired and feasible. In many cases (e.g., when a handstand is being performed in conjunction with a gymnastic apparatus), however, the curved-back style is preferred as it offers superior control of the legs and torso over balance. In all cases, balance is maintained by shifting body weight towards the fingers or the heel of the hand.
All basic gymnastic handstands have these characteristics:
*''Straight arms'' with hands placed on the ground approximately shoulder-width apart.
*''Straight legs'', held together.
*''Pointed toes'' so as to continue the lines of the legs.
In addition, straight-back handstands have these characteristics:
*''Tucked head'' (face pointed forward) as if standing upright.
*''Straight spine'', with hips pushed forward. If performed while lying flat, this would cause the small of the back to contact ground.
See also
*
Hand balancing
*
Hand walking
Hand walking is an unusual form of human locomotion in which a person travels in a vertically inverted orientation with all body weight resting on the hands.
It can be executed with legs fully extended or with variations such as stag, straddle or ...
*
Head stand
The headstand, or sometimes head stand, is a pose that is an inversion posture of standing head down. The technique is used in different settings such as yoga, breakdancing, acrobatics and beginner gymnastics.
Health risks
If the headstand is not ...
*
List of asanas
An asana is a body posture, used in both medieval hatha yoga and modern yoga. The term is derived from the Sanskrit word for 'seat'. While many of the oldest mentioned asanas are indeed seated postures for meditation, asanas may be standing, sea ...
References
Further reading
*
{{Hatha yoga
Static elements (gymnastics)
Human positions
Inverted asanas
Acro dance moves
Medieval Hatha Yoga asanas