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Elbow stands vs Head stands
I've been trying to do an elbow or hand stand after watching the lessons here. I have yet to get my butt up and over enough to not fall back down. I see some really cool videos of some ladies using the headstand/tripod method. That was always how I did headstands when I was young, the only way I could ever do it. Now, when I picture putting all that weight on my neck, I think I would be foolish to try. The videos look great though, and I know that I can actually do that, just don't know if I should…? Anyone doing them, not doing them, recommend, caution against, etc?
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9 Replies
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No headstand should ever put weight on your neck. Aerial Amy has some good lessons for doing elbow stands. If you notice in both hers and Veena's you should be able to move your head around. Practice them against a wall first. It requires a lot more core stability than you might think.
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I understand that, have been practicing with a wall, for both elbow and hand stands. I mean, there must be a way to do it safely like break dancers who are completely on their heads, or like Lyme Lyte's video where she was using the tripod, two hands, and the head, not two elbows and the hands to make a triangular base like Veena teaches. Or is there no way to do that safely and Lyme is just awesome?
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Elbow stands are a good & safe way to work up to handstands. Using a wall serves as a great baby step & really helps. I am terrified of elbow/handstands but have been working on them here & there. One day, one day i’ll nail em. PS Alot of instructors & pole professionals caution against doing headstands too dangerous…you can get the same wow factor w/a elbow/handstand.
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I'm not scared at all of them. I just can already do a headstand, and I can't do the other two yet. I guess maybe I should ask how much is the risk in doing it this way? Straining your neck muscles, crushing your spine, breaking your neck, worse?
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I found I am waaaay better at elbow and handstands than I am at headstands. Dont like the pressure on my head/neck. And sometimes I use the pole as leverage
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d luxe, I am just like u. I can do a headstands but for the life of me can’t do an elbow stand. I don’t feel any strain in my neck either. Plus I think having your arm and hands out it helps u balance more. See mu video I just posted yesterday. I know it not correct, but at my age I am happy I can even do this…. 🙂
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A good reason to practice headstands with your arms in a V shape on the floor, rather than the tripod version where your palms are flat on the floor, is that in the V shape version you can get used to putting less and less of your weight in your neck, and more in your shoulders/forearms, working yourself up to a full forearm stand. Try doing it near the wall, pushing down through your arms, and slowly trying to lift your head off the ground.
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I have very tight shoulder and limited flexibility in them. Forearm stands are really hard for me but I can bust out a standard head stand and a handstand with no issue. When my arms are bent I have a really hard time aligning everything.
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Thats exactly how I feel about the bent arms in the elbow/forearm stand. That has also been a bit weird because, using a "walk before you run" mentality, I figure: Elbow stand, progress to handstand. The elbow stand is soooooo hard!
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