Handstand on Quad Skates

Hello everyone! I'm Aurora, and today I want to share with you a complete tutorial on how to learn the handstand . In this post, you'll find all the steps, from how to practice it without skates, the progression with them, to the most common mistakes you should avoid. Ready to master this trick? Let's go!

Step 1: Handstand without Skates

Before you start putting on skates, it's essential that you can perform a handstand against a wall and support your weight with your arms alone. Here are some tips:

• Starting Position: Start standing and lower your arms while bending your knees.
• Alignment: Make sure your shoulder is aligned with your wrist so that when you kick your feet, your hips rise correctly.
• Motion:
  1. Bend your knees as you lower your arms.
  2. Push your hips out, lift one leg, and push with the other.

Practice this move without completing the handstand to fine-tune your timing of when to bend your knees, lower your arms, and kick. Remember that this pump is very similar to the one we use on ramps to gain momentum in the transition. As you descend, try to keep your hips high and your legs as close to your hands as possible for a controlled and safe descent.

Step 2: Handstand with Skates

Once you've mastered the off-skate technique, it's time to take it to the next level:

• Benefit of Skates: The extra weight of skates can help you maintain balance.
• Using Brakes: Use your brakes to gain momentum and avoid skidding.
• Additional Support: If you feel unsafe, ask someone to hold your legs while you throw them.

Step 3: Handplant

The handplant is a progression where you get used to lifting your feet and gradually raising your hips without fully stretching your legs:

• Technique: Just like in the first step, start by bending your knees and making sure your shoulders are aligned to raise your hips.
• Hand Position: Personally, I prefer to keep my thumb in and my fingers out for a better grip, but you can experiment with or without wrist straps depending on what feels most comfortable to you.
• Pumping: Once you feel confident, introduce a little more pumping to raise your hips higher before attempting to straighten your legs.

Step 4: Stretch your legs

Once you're comfortable with the handplant, it's time to try stretching your legs:

• Alignment: It is crucial that your hips remain elevated to achieve proper body alignment.
• Movement: Repeat the process of the first step, but this time stretch your legs upwards as if someone were pulling them.
• Tips:
  • Stretch your arms as if you were trying to push the floor, keeping your ears away from your shoulders.
  • Experiment with finger position: some people prefer to spread their fingers completely to readjust their balance, while others may choose to keep them together.

Don't be afraid to increase your speed and pump. Although it can be scary, especially when you feel like you might fall backward, the key is to throw with full hip power. Over time, you'll learn to control the movement without overdoing it.

Step 5: The Descent

It's not only important to learn how to get into a handstand, but also how to get out safely:

1. Bend your knees.
2. Bring your knees to your chest.
3. Keep your feet close to your hands to enter directly into the transition.

If you feel like you're losing control while descending, you may be landing on the brakes instead of the wheels. Practice this move until you feel confident.

Step 6: Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Low Pump: Not generating enough momentum will make it difficult to raise your hips.
• Bend Your Arms: It is vital to fully extend your arms to prevent your elbows from bending, which can cause slumping or arching of the back.
• Too Much Speed: Too fast a pace can make your movements uncontrolled and cause you to fly off the ramp.
• Brake-Up: Although it sometimes feels like you're braking up, this is usually a result of the pumping motion. Getting used to doing it this way on smaller ramps can make it more difficult to control on taller ramps.

Conclusion

I hope these tips help you achieve your first handstand, or perfect it if you already have some experience. Practice and patience are key to mastering this trick. Don't hesitate to leave us a comment if you have any questions or need more details on any step.

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Aurora Esteva - Roll'a Trick