Handstand mindset is something that will make or break your practice.
In fact, handstand training requires plenty of discipline and focus. And not only do you need to push your physical boundaries. But mentally as well.
Some people will complain and look for ways to make handstand training less boring.
However, if the handstand mindset isn’t there. It doesn’t matter.
For example, my buddy John (I changed his real name for his privacy) tells me all the time how badly he wants to learn the guitar. He’ll say things like “It’s always been a dream of mine to be able to play songs with my family around a fire.”
To me that sounds like a vision. All John needs to do is sit down and practice.
Just 15-minutes per day would have him there in a few months.
Does John sit down and practice?
No.
What Is The Handstand Mindset?
The handstand mindset is the practicing mindset. It is where you have a vision what you would like to achieve. But more than that. It is the willingness to act upon the requirements to get you there.
For example, John has a vision for what he would like to achieve. To play the guitar with his family around the fire.
However, until he is willing to practice the skills required, all he will be doing is eating s’mores and watching others jam.
Nothing happens until something moves.
Albert Einstein
The practicing (handstand) mindset will grow stronger when motion is in place.
How Do You Improve Your Handstand Mindset?
The worst thing is when you get all excited about being able to do cool skills such as the handstand. Only to fall on your ass time and time again. ☹️
It can be frustrating! To the point you feel like you wanna give up. But don’t let it get to you. Because if you can maintain consistency, time will favour your efforts. And it becomes much easier. Especially once you make it through the hardest part (the start).
More on that in a bit, but now let’s look at how to improve your handstand mindset.
1. Patience
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
Aristotle
Don’t forget that anything worth doing takes time.
Handstands are an underrated skill that are worth training. But they definitely do not happen overnight…
To master the skill of handstands, it takes disciplined effort.
Long-term.
As well, you will need to learn to be patient with yourself.
There will be plenty of days you don’t feel like it. Or you have a shit training.
2. Don’t Get Emotional
Why would you get emotional about handstands?
It’s ridiculous. But I see it all the time.
This is why patience is important for the handstand mindset. To block out that frustration that boils up. And not take your frustrations personally.
Remember, you are going to fall out of handstands. And there will be times your balance is off. Or you have an off day.
Don’t get worked up around your practice. Just do the work to the best of your abilities.
And instead of being critical about your practice, start to find positives. Remain an inspired work in progress. Rather than dwelling on your banana back, consider it an opportunity to improve your shoulder flexion.
Focus on objectivity and leave the emotional reactivity out of it.
3. Consistency
Here’s a no brainer. But you’ll never achieve handstand if you’re not consistent.
Consistency is key to improving at anything.
With handstands, you need to train the body frequently for physical adaptations to occur.
The body must also learn proprioception in unfamiliar space. The same mechanics that allow you to stand up and walk around on your feet without falling over, must now learn how to do the same from your hands.
The ONLY way you can learn how to handstand is to practice it consistently.
4. Actually Train For Handstands
If you wanna learn handstands, you gotta practice handstands.
Most practices usually involve a few wall drills and kicking up. Praying to find balance.
That’s not training.
Thing is, handstands have core traits that require the body to be conditioned in a unique way.
You will need to improve strength and endurance, mobility and flexibility, alignment, on top of balance.
Unfortunately, many people are NOT training with any kinda well rounded handstand training plan.
And that’s why they find themselves stuck years later without any results.
The SAID principle will always dictate how the body adapts. Make sure you put your mind towards improving your handstand through proper training.
Improvement is fuel for the handstand mindset.
5. The Obstacle Is The Way
Our actions may be impeded… but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions. Because we can accomodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
Marcus Aurelius
Ryan Holiday wrote the great book, The Obstacle Is The Way.
In it, he shares lessons from stoic wisdom on how to navigate challenges and obstacles. In summary, there will always be setbacks and problems along the way.
And as Aurelius pointed out in powerful words, the challenge ahead is always the way. And there are always ways to adapt and overcome, and find the right direction where you need to go.
Knowing we will always face these setbacks and problems allows us to approach handstands in a new light. Remembering it’s just a part of the process you signed up for.
6. Be Present
You can’t be trying to practice drills while eating cereal and running to the computer to get to those bills you forgot to pay…
When you practice handstands, be present with the practice. Don’t dick around! Go in like a zen master and put all your mind focus into doing the best you can at the drills and exercises in your workout.
Get the heck off your phone (unless you are videoing yourself for self assessment, of course). Tune in with the handstand practice. Tune out everything else.
Be present.
7. Discipline
We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.
Jim Rohn
Remember my friend John who wants to learn the guitar?
When we catch up, he’ll tell me things he would like to improve upon.
One is, as you know already, playing the guitar.
And number two is his fitness.
The hardest part between WANTing to do something and DOing the thing… is being able to discipline yourself to do it.
Discipline ain’t easy. But it’s worth the effort.
8. Take Small Steps
The problem with getting into handstand training (or starting anything new), is that our “built-in” resistance likes to step in and stop us in our tracks.
Ah reptilian brain…
It’s why we only make it a week on a new diet plan. Only to get derailed. Wind up face first in a tub of ice cream.
There is good research to suggest we can bypass our “internal homeostasis mechanism” by taking small steps in the direction we wish to improve.
Instead of immediately overhauling your lifestyle and triggering resistance, you ease yourself in.
Rather than worrying about practicing hours per day… a better step would be to practice something as simple as back to wall handstands for just 10 seconds per leg each day.
Know what will happen?
You’ll likely start to go for longer than 10 seconds…
And you’ll likely start to do more than one set…
Maybe even practice a few sets throughout the day.
Those small steps will have a compound effect over time. Especially as you start to improve and develop a stronger handstand training.
9. Set Goals
We’ve gone this far without talking goal setting??
Cray.
Ain’t it Jay?
🎶
Haha anyhoo, I’m sure you are already well aware of the SMART acronym (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timebound).
If you were to say, “I will achieve a 30-second freestanding handstand by the end of this year”…
Well by definition you have set a SMART goal for yourself.
But SMART only gives us the “end” of the ends vs means continuum.
Which we also should consider.
Ends, or goals, are what we aim to do, and means are what we use to do what we aim to do.
The Continuum of Means and Ends – Paul Tatter, Museum of Life and Science, Durham, September 10, 2013
Don’t forget that there are always activities required between where are now and where you intend to go.
Be diligent in learning and improving yourself, as well as the activities (or means) by which you reach your handstand goals.
10. You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
Finally, always remember that you don’t know what you don’t know.
There is always room to improve and learn. My methods will be different from your methods, which are different from Bob’s methods down the street.
And another thing, remember to remain humble as the confidence grows.
In fact, The Dunning Kruger effect has a funny way of creeping in.
“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge”
Charles Darwin
Keep learning, adapting, and improving yourself.
Always remain humble and unmoved.
Remember that every opportunity is a chance to expand and grow.
Handstand training, simplified
Now that you’ve discovered some ways to condition the handstand (practicing) mindset, the question is…
Will you put them to use?
Only way John can get better at guitar is to practice.
Only way you can get better at handstands is to practice.
Will you be like John? Or are you going to roll up your sleeves and do the work?
I hope you will choose the latter. It’s worth the effort.
Here’s the secret
Handstand training doesn’t need to be hard.
It should challenge you.
But it doesn’t need to be a complicated buffet of drills and exercises.
Start with the basics and go from there.
If you need some help with the basics, I have a free handstand training for you.
Now take that handstand mindset you cultivated in this article and put it towards training handstands.
Any questions, drop them in the comments below.
Good luck! 🤸♂️
Jason