Cues: Body should be held straight and rigid Lower chest to supporting surface keeping humerus around 45 degrees from body Lock elbows and protract shoulders at top Use a surface you can perform the eccentric and concentric effectively Mistakes: Hips piking back...

Cues: Start from the bottom Align shoulders, hips and back knee in vertical and straight line Raise up 1-2" and return to floor under control Back foot should be on ball of foot and straight Front foot should be on heel with knee above ankle, or slightly behind...

Cues: Start from the bottom Align shoulders, hips and back knee in vertical and straight line Raise up 1-2" and hold Back foot should be on ball of foot and straight Front foot should be on heel with knee above ankle, or slightly behind Mistakes: Starting from top...

Cues: Keep lumbar spine in flexion Keep elbows locked Extend out based upon your skill level Work smoothly and under control Mistakes: Allowing spine to extend and sag Bending elbows Extending too far/hurting yourself Working out of control/flopping on the ground

Cues: Adopt a wide stance based upon your skill level Place hands behind head and hinge forward maintaining your natural lumbar curve Keep knees straight Move through the hips only Mistakes: Rounding (flexing) the low back Bending the knees Going so wide you hurt...

Cues: Start by aligning shoulders, hips and back knee vertically Weight should be on heel of front foot and ball of back foot Descend to 1-2" above ground maintaining vertical alignment Front knee should be above or just behind the front ankle at the bottom position...

Cues: Keep the front leg straight Everything else with the diagonal stretch Mistakes: Bending back knee excessively Twisting excessively A combination of excessive bending and twisting Reaching the wrong direction Failing to place pressure in the quad and moving...

Cues: Start with heels together and toes turned out 45 degrees Step back from the heel into your diagonal stretch position Balance is part of the diagonal stretch Press through the ball of the back foot to pressurize quad and drive the hip forward Lean back and touch...

Cues: Maintain protraction and depress of scaps throughout push-up Touch the nose to the floor Keep elbows close to body Keep hips in line between feet and head Mistakes: Allowing scaps to come together into retraction Touching the chest to the floor Flaring elbows...

Cues: Get the heel very close to the brace point Hinge with flat back Keep hips square to the stretch Mistakes: Rounding the back Twisting the hips to the side Having the heel far away from the wall so the lower leg loses tension

Cues: Start in inverted hang with desired amount of tuck Lower into front lever and hold Pull back to inverted hang in same position Lower into back lever and hold Pull back to inverted hang in same position Mistakes: Holding at an angle Bending at the elbows Lowering...

Cues: Pull and lower into skin the cat with a flat back Allow body to relax into full skin the cat Flatten back to pull out of skin the cat and lower through front lever position into passive hang Mistakes: Failing to relax fully into German Hang Bending elbows at any...

The wall assisted kick up is a drill for those already somewhat comfortable with entering a freestanding handstand. In this case the wall acts as a guide to refine the entry. Those who typically overarch at the start of their handstand will benefit by learning to be...

L-switches are a great drill for those working to develop consistency with their handstand entries. Learning the feeling of reaching with the top leg while the bottom leg stays down allows the athlete to recognize their body position in a controlled environment. Those...

The horse stance is an active mobility and endurance drill for the legs. Conscious effort should be applied to make your horse stance the best it can be, rather than simply finding the most comfortable position to pass the time.   Cues: Heel to toe four times to...

The straddle scissor with wall assistance is a precursor to performing them away from the wall. With careful execution greater endurance can be built as balance and hip mobility continues to be developed by the athlete.   Cues: Use the wall as little as possible...