Video summary

How I’d Learn Handstands (If I Were Starting Over)

Main summary

Key takeaways

Wellness and Self-Improvement

Key advice for learning handstands (faster, with fewer mistakes)

Focus on the kickup (most overlooked)

  • Don’t spend only time on the wall—practice the kickup skill itself.
  • Typical starting drill:
    1. Hands on floor
    2. Kick up in a lunge
    3. Maintain balance
    4. Come down under control

Teach beginners with a split-leg entry first

Use split-leg handstands because:

  • Controlling one leg is easier than two
  • It lowers your center of mass, making balance easier

Progress by joining legs only after you can actually balance.

Use progressive kickups (don’t go full in immediately)

Practice smaller stages before committing to a full handstand:

  • Little bit higher → more height → repeat

Then:

  • Legs straight
  • Find balance
  • Bring legs together

Coaching cues mentioned:

  • Keep arms straight
  • “Push really tall”
  • Get the straight leg position quickly
  • Point toes (key detail)

Practice both overbalance and underbalance

It’s normal to:

  • Overbalance and fall
  • Underbalance and tip the other way

Practice both so your body develops equilibrium in the middle over time. Also, don’t be so timid that you never kick far enough—include full-range attempts.

Best exercises / drills mentioned (organized)

1) Kickup progression levels (3-step method)

  • Level 1: Split-leg handstand hold
  • Level 2: Split-leg → slowly transition into a full handstand
  • Level 3: Make it more efficient:
    • Split legs together (faster, more energy-conserving)

2) Split-leg handstand drill (near wall)

  • Get about 15–20 cm from the wall
  • Body tight; push tall through shoulders
  • Tap variation off the wall / toe off:
    • One leg stays straight
    • As you get confident, you can float the foot off and hold

Why this matters:

  • Targets the common beginner struggle: the final phase from split-leg to full handstand
  • Helps bridge the gap between wall skill and free kickups

3) Heel pull grip drill (to prevent overbalancing falls)

If you’re falling due to grip/finger/forearm weakness, drill this:

  • Kick up close to the wall
  • “Kick. Just grip it.”
  • Do a small set (example given: five reps)

Goal:

  • Keep the handstand “line” stable (avoid excessive arching)
  • Improve the ability to “save yourself” when balance shifts

4) Toe pull / underbalance wall drills

If you feel you’re falling back toward your feet, practice toe pulls near the wall:

  • Wall isolated drill variations (including an entry and exit)
  • You can also practice using a more “stairs/walk-up” approach if needed

5) Practice two correction strategies (don’t be one-dimensional)

When practicing toe/heel corrections, include:

  • Shoulder strategy (correcting by positioning/planting shoulders)
  • Lower back / hip strategy (correcting at the hips)

Reason given:

  • Handstands get chaotic—more movement variability makes you more “well-rounded” and stable under different conditions.

Foundation & conditioning: the “basics” that make everything else work

Don’t skip strength/endurance (chest-to-wall handstands)

Most common mistake:

  • Only doing kickups without building foundation

Recommended conditioning plan:

  • Chest-to-wall handstand holds
  • Build up endurance gradually
  • Target 30–45 to 60 second sets as a beginner goal

Cues:

  • Elbows straight
  • Push tall through shoulders
  • Tension so joints stack
  • Legs straight

Training intent:

  • If you build the strength first, kickups and balance become much more controllable
  • Otherwise you’ll be shaky when trying to combine skill + balance

Mindset / self-regulation

  • Use autoregulation when starting:
    • Don’t force max attempts early
    • Progress based on readiness
  • Breathing / “zen state” during holds:
    • Helps you tolerate more than you think

Sample routine framework (given at a high level)

  • Do a flow that includes:
    • Skill practice (kickups + balance drills)
    • Strength/endurance conditioning (chest-to-wall holds)
    • Use autoregulation early, then build volume over time

Presenters / sources

  • Tom Merrick (featured/being coached; referenced as “the bodyweight warrior”)
  • FitnessFAQs (mentioned as the teaching/source context and to check out his content)

Original video