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🚀 The 4-week Accelerator - October 25
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2. Alignment->Balance: No balance without first axis
2. Alignment->Balance: No balance without first axis
2. Alignment->Balance: No balance without first axis

2. Alignment->Balance: No balance without first axis

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As we discussed from the very first review for some of you, there is no handstand, even if you do everything right, without the foundation that your first axis is *
In other words, you could be perfectly opening your shoulders, stacking your pelvis, pointing your toes in the most beautiful, optimal line… And still fall miserably because the foundation that the shoulder - hand stack (aka the first axis, or first stack) is has disappeared.
This first axis feels different. When your shoulders are over the hands, your hands feel more grounded, flatter, maybe your first knuckles are closer to the floor and your feel more weight on them and/or on your finger tips.
The common mistake is to align the shoulders in a straight, perpendicular-to-the-floor line. This, at best, brings you at the edge of what you can control, but in 90% of the cases it will simply not be good enough, and you won’t hold anything.
This is why we will say that the first axis lives past vertical.
notion image
In green in the above picture, the possible first axes I could hold. In orange, what is on the verge of falling. In red, what can not be held in a straight handstand.
🔬 in the future, as you watch your footage, try to see if the loss of the first axis is responsible for:
  • your missed kick-ups B2W
  • your failed kick-ups freestanding, but also
  • the times you fall back down to the floor after balancing B2W.
This why you will actually see in most handstands that the shoulder to hand line usually leans a bit forward.
notion image
notion image
Knowing this allows you to see right through the handstands which aren’t handstands:
notion image
And to start questioning any drill that overlooks that without further explanation.
notion image
Please note that in the picture above, the demonstrator could absolutely be talking about a shoulder opener, or a regression for a handstand in which the first stack will be implemented later on. I am not picking on anyone, simply showing an example of a wall drill where so many things are right (shoulder angle, ribs in, pelvis tilt), but will only lead to a handstand if you add the foundation: the first stack.
 
PS: yes there is an exception to this rule called Hollowbacking, but this is an advanced family of movements you only want to tackle once you achieve your Freestanding Freedom Standard.