Hey, hello, buenos dias!
As we got very good feedback for our first handstand blog, we will continue with some input. And here is a really exciting one: the 'Airwalk'!
I made this video tutorial for you. Since it is without talking I strongly recommend to read the blogpost to understand the variation properly.
This variation is suitable for beginners. Really? Yes, because everything is possible with a spotter! It is a nice little coordinative challenge for an intermediate-advanced level.
I learned the 'Airwalk' from Caro (@caro.upsidedown on Instagram) when she was on a short visit in Berlin. It basically creates the illusion that you're walking in the air.
Disclaimer: the more you're able to point and flex your feet, the more you will be able to create the illusion. Point and flex may sound like the easiest thing to do but... it's really not.
1st step: practice on the floor
I like to focus on one leg in my head to make it easier to understand the movement. Here are the key points:
- The right foot when pulling back (that is, away from you) is flexed and the leg is straight. Here I imagine that I push something fairly heavy away from me or being on a treadmill, just upside down
- Pulling the leg towards the face, the foot points and the leg bends but...
- The bend in the leg is MINIMAL. We are not riding a bicycle. What makes it look elegant is a very small bend in the legs!!Some people struggle with direction. Both direction are fine, depends which direction you want to walk :D
And if you want to make it look extra-mega-super nice, pay attention to this:
To create the illusion that you are walking in the air you have to be careful not to work too much in front of the body (again, that looks like riding a bicycle = not so elegant). Think a straight line towards the sky and make 50% of the movement in front and 50% behind this line. Or in other words, don't bend in the hip ;)
2nd step: practice in a headstand
The idea is to practice in an inversion that is easy for you to stay in long enough, to figure the movement out.
Practicing this movement with a wall behind is not ideal. If that is the only option for you please just leave enough space that you can do the move behind you (as described above) without touching the wall. A better option would be a human spotter who spots you on the hip.
Most people have a hard time to make this move when inverted, the brain kind of just goes a bit bunkers 💥. Take a video or have a friend to help out with directions. Re-read the key points above.
3rd step: practice in handstand
Whenever your legs are moving in handstands you can imagine that your body is split in half: upper body and lower body. They act separately from each other and don't actually influence each other. So when the legs move, they don't 'disturb' the upper body.
Especially, try to find a strong deep core to keep the stability. How? Imagine you have chopsticks between the hip and the rips so that you actually 'grow' a few centimetres. Also, suck the belly button in and up towards the ribcage. With these two, you can be pretty sure, that you have your deep core (transverse muscle) engaged.
Again, take a video or have a friend to help out. Usually: bend the knees less and bring the move more vertically up instead of too close to your chest. If you watched the video properly you can see, that that is also my tendency ;)
Enjoy the exploration!
Sara
PS: not impressed with my design skills? Me neither but you'll have to put up with it for now if you want to learn handstands with me :D
