Frequently Asked Questions

Most people have the capacity to learn a handstand, yes. Disabilities or severe limitations might prevent one from doing so, but the majority of the population is capable of learning, including people with disabilities and limitations. Everyone has to start somewhere, and it takes a different amount of time and effort to each person. But know that every person who has reached a high level of proficiency had to work very hard for it.

It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what the prerequesites are, but certain things can sure make learning easier. Relative strength and enough flexibility make an enormous difference in how easy learning a handstand will be. But there is a certain limit to how much strength and flexibility can help. Here are some tentative indicators that someone should have no trouble learning handstands:

• Can do 20 or more perfect push-ups
• Can do 10 or more pull-ups
• Can hold a hollow position for a minute or more
• Has normal leg strength and speed (to easily kick-up, tuck-up, or do cartwheels)
• Can easily lift their arms straight overhead and a little bit behind the head
• Can put their hands flat on the floor standing up with their knees locked out
• Feels comfortable with cartwheels, rolls, and basic gymnastics
• Has healthy wrists and shoulders

Of course, those able to do all the above are few and far between, and you do not need all of those abilities to start practicing handstands. But it is always a good idea to work on improving one's weak areas. The most important requirement that I did not put in the list above is...

Dedication.

Ah, that recurring question. No one can tell for sure, because it depends on a very large number of factors. First of all, how long does it take to do what exactly? What is success to you? What is it that you have to do in order to go from where you are at now, to what we define as success? How aware of your body are you? How good are you at understanding body mechanics, and more importantly, at applying it on yourself? How often will you train? For how long? What will the quality of that practice look like, overall? Will you do the work conscienciously, or will you have a difficult time focusing on the work at hand? Will you let your emotions get the best out of you when you feel frustrated, or will you stoicly keep your head down and learn whatever you are able to in the moment?

Your journey could take a couple of weeks just as well as it could also take years, and I cannot tell you because there are too many unknowns, including unknown unknowns. These details will be revealed throughout your odyssey, and the best way to start it is with patience and humility.

Yes, you can. In fact, even with a coach, most people still have to work independently to achieve the results they desire. Learning complely by oneself is very possible, and plenty of people do it. However, it does not always work for everyone, and even those who learn mostly on their own can benefit from a checkup once in a while.

Those who are the most successful at learning on their own tend to be in a situation with a combination of the following characteristics:

• They are able to practice on a regular basis
• They are willing to try things out and iron out the details over time
• They receive positive feedback before their patience runs out or doubt sets in
• Their pathway to a handstand is manageable to them
• They already understand their body well enough
• They either have a sound idea of what they need to do, or have digested good quality information about training handstands
• They aren't too fearful

The ability to learn on your own also depends on where you are at. Initially, someone might need a coach, and as they progress, they find that they can keep improving very well on their own. Conversely, someone might do well on their own, and at some point hit a hurdle and seek the help of a coach to overcome that hurdle.

My advice if you are curious about learning handstands on your own is to just try it. Find some good content to get an idea, and then dive right in! Be careful of course. Start with a small number of exercises, just to get a feel for it, and then build up over time. I highly recommend watching my video series (to be continued).

Given that it is possible to learn hand balancing by oneself, you must be wondering why in the world would anyone hire a coach. Well, there are many reasons for it. An seasoned coach can offer:

• An eye for details and a deeper understanding of technique
• Direct, well-timed, accurate feedback
• Hands on guidance of exercises and physical assistance whenever needed
• Help working through fears for those who have them, and an upgrade in safety
• Help controlling training intensity (too little, or too much?) and maintaining quality
• Last but not least, an educated opinion on what needs to be done to improve and on the best path moving forward

Depending on your level, you might only need a check up once every few months, or you might want to see a coach more frequently. For beginners, it is preferable to see a coach fairly frequently. I would recommend once a week, and a bit more if so desired and feasible.

As a beginner, a reasonable number of sessions per week to strive for would be anywhere between three and five. I would suggest starting with three, and if it feels good, do more. Intermediate and advanced practitioners should train at least four times a week, if possible. But it all depends on one's goals. Some could have goals that a relatively simple to achieve, or only want to practice out of enjoyment. If that's your case, good on you, simply adjust how much you train based on your progress. Some have very lofty goals, and will train diligently every day, for several hours. If that's your case, that is admirable, but you need to be careful to build up to it gradually, and to avoid what is called junk volume.

Junk volume consists of exercises or attempts that are superfluous, and bring no added benefits. In fact, junk volume can be detrimental to one's progress, because every attempt, every set you do, costs you a little bit of energy and can be taxing on your body. Doing junk volume therefore impacts your recovery and increases your chances of injury. How do you spot junk volume? Constantly ask yourself these few questions:

• What am I trying to achieve with my next set?
  • If you cannot answer that question, then you probably don't need to do that set.
• Am I in a mental and physical state in which I might do better on this set?
  • If you are physically too fried or mentally too unfocused to expect a good attempt at an exercise, then perhaps you need to move onto something else or rest.
  • In hand balancing, it is normal to try things that you cannot quite do yet. You need to set a certain standard in your attempts, and come within a certain margin of what you are trying to accomplish. If you fall very short of it, you either did too many attempts, or what you are trying is too difficult.
• How did the previous set feel like?
  • Did anything hurt? (I am not talking about muscles burning, here.) If yes, stop.
  • Did any of my joints feel hard to keep under control or are my joints getting pretty sore? If yes, stop.
  • Am I starting to understand better what I'm doing? If not, then you need to limit your daily attempts to a manageable quantity, because it will likely take many sessions for the right sensation and understanding to develop.

The golden rule is this: never do so much that you couldn't do it again (and better) by the time you have your next session. This, of course, takes experience (and this is another way in which a coach can come in handy).

Yes, they are. But I scale them to my students' level, so while they are difficult, my goal is to teach people as much as they can take, no more, no less. Expect it to be physically tiring, and expect that occasionally, you will be confused and will need to ask me questions. I often assess how my students are doing by asking them questions.

Come in dressed to move comfortably and fresh. Bring a water bottle and some snacks if needed. Also, bring socks. They are useful to be able to slide your feet either on a wall or on the floor during certain exercises.

Come in early to warm-up, and possibly to fill forms/wavers if taking an official class. Ideally, I want my students to warm-up on their own before class starts, so that we have as much time as possible to work directly on handstands. If you don't know how to warm-up, I would suggest trying this follow along general warm-up video I made many years ago. You don't have to do the whole thing, but I would suggest trying it for a little while. If a new session begins and there are a lot of new students, I will run a collective warm-up, just for that first class, and recommend the new students come in early and use my video as a reference.

Yes, you'll get better much faster if you do your homework. I won't punish you if you don't do it, but odds are, I will be able to tell if you never work on your handstands by yourself, and your progress will be hindered. So for your own progress' sake, do your homework.

No, of course not. There are a number of coaches who teach handstands in Vancouver, and they come with a variety of skills, levels, quality, size and shape. I encourage you to find a coach that is a good match for you in terms of skills and personality. If I train you and realize that my skillset, style or personality isn't best suited to your needs, I'll gladly refer you to one of my fellow teachers who might be a better fit. For example, if what you really want to learn is contortion handstands, I would suggest you try training with a contortion coach and help you find one (although, you can also learn handstands from me, and contortion from another coach).

It depends on whether I know that thing well enough or not, and on whether or not I have access to the proper tools to teach it well. I can help with gymnastics strength, and given the right environment, with fundamental acrobatics. Feel free to ask, and I will let you know if that is a possibility or not, and if it is not, I will suggest other people who might be able to help if I know any.

Most people miss a class once in a while. My classes are available on a drop-in basis, so they offer a certain amount of flexibility. Also, most people attend only one class per week. You do not have to attend every class I give in a week. Simply pick one on a day and time that work for you. If you are uncertain about being able to attend a class or have questions regarding attendence, let me know or ask me about it.

Yes, of course. You are very welcomed to join more than one class per week if you want to. Just make sure to be rested enough to make the most out of it.

Yes, you can. Provided the established goals are the same, different teachers shouldn't impede each other's work, and offer slightly different perspectives and methods which should give you more opportunities to understand handstands better. On the occasion, it is possible that you could get conflicting information, in which case the best thing to do is to ask teachers for clarification. Most of the time, teachers have good reasons to do things the way they do, but don't take their word for it. Question them. If they are confident in their craft, they will happily share their reasoning with you, to your benefit.