Handstand ProAlignment · At the wall
Chest-to-wall toe pull
You walk up facing the wall and you leave it, one foot after the other. One toe comes off first. The other foot stays on, presses less and less against the wall, then moves away in turn, and it's that leg that takes you through the balance point. There, you hold.
In toe pulls, both feet leave the wall together. In chest-to-wall toe taps, they come back to touch it one after the other. Here, you don't come back: the whole drill is about shifting the work, little by little, from the wall to your hands and shoulders.
It's an excellent drill for becoming aware of the balance point, the exact place where the wall stops being any use.
- Family
- Alignment
- Equipment
- A wall
- Type
- Hold
Train this exercise in the app
How to do it
- Walk up until your chest faces the wall. Only your toes touch it.
- Stack your hips over your shoulders and push tall through your shoulders.
- Gently lift one toe off, without jerking.
- Press less and less with the other foot, until it only brushes the wall.
- Let that leg move away from the wall: it tips you into balance. Hold the position and look for stillness.
To go further, once you're comfortable, try closing your eyes, without putting yourself at risk. Really feel the sensation of balance in your body as you pass through the point where everything is lined up, when your center of gravity sits over your shoulders and hands.
The two mistakes to avoid
Coming off all at once. A foot that leaves abruptly or pushes against the wall sends your hips too far, and you no longer have time to correct. Do it gently, without forcing, precisely so you keep room to adjust the position. What counts is reducing, little by little, the pressure you put on the wall, not leaving it fast.
Arching your back. As the leg moves away, your pelvis tends to follow and your back arches. Think hollow body, ribs in, and keep pushing through your shoulders for the whole transition.
A coach in your ear
Upside down, you can't read a screen. In the app, a voice guides you through the exercise and tells you what to fix right when you need it. For example, when a toe leaves the wall:
“Keep pushing tall through your shoulders”
Train this exerciseRelated exercises
Toe pullsFacing the wall, you lift your toes off by pressing into your fingers: your first real balance.
Chest-to-wall toe tapsFacing the wall, you tap one toe, then the other, and balance in between.
Chest-to-wall holdChest facing the wall, only the toes touching: the position where you learn the right line.All exercises: the catalog