Handstand ProHow to do a handstand for beginners
Most beginner tutorials start with a kick-up against the wall. We don't. On your first day you walk your feet up the wall, facing it, and you learn how to get down before you ever kick. The first week feels slower. After that it's faster, because the position you rehearse is the right one from the first second, and because a kick-up you're scared of always comes out too soft.
Here is where the first weeks lead:
The fair objection: kicking up with your back to the wall gets you upside down sooner, and it looks more like a "real" handstand. True. But with your back to the wall the body settles into an arch, and every minute spent there trains the wrong line. Facing the wall, the arch is close to impossible. Back-to-wall comes back later, for one precise job, in our wall drills guide.
The drills below are the ones in the Handstand Pro app, filmed for it: short silent loops, one movement each. They follow the order of the app's skill tree, and each stage ends with the test the app uses to open the next one.
Two checks before you start
Hold a plank for 30 seconds. Then stand with your back against a wall and raise your arms overhead: can your thumbs touch the wall without your lower back peeling off?
Failing one of them doesn't bar you from anything. That is exactly what stage 1 is for. The wall test is explained in detail in wrist and shoulder mobility.
Stage 1: wrists, then the body line
Every session opens with the wrists, including the ten-minute ones. Circles first, then rotations and flexions.
Then the hollow body hold, which is the handstand shape lying on your back. If your lower back lifts off the floor here, it will arch upside down too.
Standard to move on: a 30-second plank and a 30-second hollow hold, lower back flat the whole time.
Stage 2: weight on the hands, and a first way down
The wall plank is the first time your shoulders take your weight overhead. Feet on the wall at hip height, hands on the floor, body tight.
Before going any higher, you learn to come down. The wall tuck bail is the gentle version: from a tucked position at the wall, one hand moves away, then a foot, then the other, and you're back on the floor without ever falling.
Why so early? In group classes we have watched people come down hard, landing heavily on their toes and ankles, because nobody had shown them the way down. The descent is a technique. Fear of falling mostly comes from not having one.
Standard to move on: a controlled wall tuck bail, no thud.
Stage 3: up the wall, and the hold
Wall walks are how you get into the chest-to-wall position without kicking. Start in a plank with your feet on the wall, walk your feet up and your hands in. Halfway is enough at first.
Once you reach the top, it's the hold from the video at the top of this page. Push the floor away, squeeze your glutes, keep your hands 15 to 20 cm from the wall. Getting them closer too early is the classic mistake.
Standard to move on: 30 seconds of chest-to-wall hold. That's the app's gate to the next stage. A comfortable minute is the longer-term goal, and the wall drills guide explains why it matters.
Stage 4: the cartwheel bail
This is the exit you'll use for every freestanding attempt. When the handstand goes past vertical, one hand steps to the side, the hips turn, and you land on your feet as in a cartwheel.
Practise it first from the chest-to-wall position, then 30 cm from the wall. Until it's automatic, a protective reflex will keep your kick-ups too soft and you won't understand why you keep dropping back. More on this in how to bail out of a handstand.
Standard to move on: a cartwheel bail 30 cm from the wall, quiet and controlled.
After that: the first seconds without the wall
Toe pulls are the bridge to freestanding balance. Facing the wall, only your toes touching, you pull them off with your fingers and hold whatever balance you find. It's your first real balance, 15 cm from a safety net.
How long it takes to get here depends mostly on how regularly you train. Ranges by profile are in how long it takes to learn a handstand.
What a first session looks like
For someone starting at stage 1, about 15 minutes:
- Wrist circles, rotations and flexions: 3 minutes
- Plank: 2 × 30 seconds, or as long as you can hold it clean
- Hollow body hold: 3 × 20 seconds
- Wall plank: 3 × 15 seconds
- Wall tuck bail: 3 slow attempts, only if the wall plank felt solid
Three to five sessions a week, 10 to 20 minutes each, with at least one rest day. Ten minutes is already a real session. Why short and frequent beats long and occasional: how often to train.
Where the app takes over
The method above fits on one page. Applying it week after week is the hard part: knowing which stage you're at, which drill to do today, and whether you've actually reached the standard. That's what Handstand Pro does.
When you open the app, five questions place you in the skill tree:
- You've never kicked up against a wall, or only a few times, and being upside down scares you a lot, or the plank and your wrists aren't solid yet: you start at stage 1, Wrist Prep.
- Same experience, but you can hold the 30-second plank and your wrists are fine: you go straight to First Inversion, wall walks and the chest-to-wall hold.
- You already kick up against a wall regularly: you start at Tipping Point, with toe pulls.
Each stage holds several sessions that rotate the drills, and ends with the test from this page. Pass it and the next stage opens. The timer counts your holds and keeps your best times, so "30 seconds" is a measurement and not an impression.
FAQ
Can I learn a handstand at home?
Yes. All you need is a smooth wall with no protruding baseboard and about 2 meters of clear floor. Train barefoot, your toes grip the wall better.
I'm scared of being upside down. Where do I start?
At stage 2, with the wall tuck bail, and without going higher than feels okay. If you tell the app you're very scared, it starts you at the very bottom of the tree regardless of your other answers.
Should I film myself?
Yes, from the side, from stage 3 on. What you feel upside down is almost never what the camera shows, and the gap is usually an arch you can't feel.
Back to the complete guide: How to learn a handstand