NOTES ON ALIGNMENT & RIGIDITY:

ALIGNMENT: the first stage of developing an understanding of the straight-line handstand. The 'fundamental 'floor-line' is both a controlled scenario in to practice and PATTERN the line and also serves as a CONDITIONING drill. When holding the line optimally with MAXIMAL tension, it should be extremely challenging - if not, you are not performing it optimally. Repetition & the physiological stress will EMBODY ("body memory", as opposed to "mind memory") this structure & pattern. This is necessary because, once you are upside down, your cognitive capacity is significantly loaded.

RIGIDITY: A 1 meter length of rope can be made straight, but balancing it on your hand in a straight line is impossible because it lacks RIGIDITY. A 1 meter wooden stick, however, is much easier to balance - it has RIGIDITY. The quality of rigidity in balance scenarios means that movement initiated from the BASE (e.g. your hand, in the stick scenario) has much greater affect on the most distal point of the object, and therefore on re-/balancing or "correcting". In the handstand, your base is your HANDS, and if your structure is straight and RIGID, correcting & re-correcting balance with the hands (your most immediate balance mechanism in a balancing handstand) is MUCH more effective.

EXECUTING THE DRILL:
Only THREE points of the body should be in contact with the floor:
1. The TOPS of your POINTED feet (squeeze feet, legs, & heels TOGETHER at all times)
2. The TOPS of your quadriceps (to achieve this, the knees must be LOCKED. This creates a visible SPACE between knees & floor, allowing you to "open" the hips - detailed later - and touch the TOP of the thighs).
3. The TOP of the chest (this ensures that you are keeping the "RIBS DOWN!" - explained later - because, if you are touching the BOTTOM of the ribs, then your back is undesirably arched). Looking UP and AHEAD facilitates better access to touch the top of the chest. So your chin may also touch.

GENERAL PRESCRIPTION:
Work anywhere between 1-3 sets of 30" holds at the beginning of your handstand practice, either in "straight-sets" with enough rest between so that quality is not compromised, or in a round with other preparatory/accessory handstand drills. The HS floor-line is valuable at EVERY stage of your handstandstand journey for recalibration of your straight-line until you are satisfied that alignment is sufficient (at this time, the 'Wall-facing' variations can take its place)

FURTHER NOTES ON SEGMENTATION, NEGOTIATION, & INTENTION:

Creating a "straight-line" in the body is a process of negotiating its SEGMENTS. In the handstand, the joints/articulations we are primarily concerned with (the ones which correspond to the "segments" we want to "straighten") are the elbows, shoulders/thoracic spine, pelvis/lumbar-spine, the hips, the knees, and the ankles. This negotiation of segments is made even more challenging because not all "intention" in each joint/articulation/segment is the same (i.e. they are not all simply "extending" or "flexing"). Here is a brief breakdown of the "intention" required in each part:

- Elbows: EXTENDED, as straight as possible. We want to create a straight-line from wrists to shoulders, balancing on your SKELETAL structure. This is more efficient (uses less muscular effort).

- Shoulders: FLEXED maximally overhead, and as "open" as possible ("open" refers to the anterior angle under the posterior armpit/between origin of triceps and lats - the opposite would be "closed" shoulders, and is strongly undesirable in the handstand). If mobility restricted, this must be managed too with accessory mobility work. It is an ongoing practice to itself an CANNOT be rushed. It simply takes time.

- Thoracic spine: EXTENDED so that the arms can be flexed maximally overhead to achieve the "open shoulder" position. Thoracic extension is intrinsically related to "open shoulder" mobility because, when the arms are in maximal overhead flexion, the scapulae "wings" (i.e. shoulder-blades) are "blocked" by the thoracic spine. If the thoracic spine lacks extension, then this also blocks overhead shoulder-range.

- Lumbar-spine/pelvis: FLEXED, with "posterior pelvic-tilt" (ie. pulling your "tail" UNDERNEATH your body). Whilst we are not looking for a flexed/curved position in this area, as most people are more prone to extension in the lumbar, the INTENTION for flexion/posterior tilt helps bring this to a more NEUTRAL/"flat" lower-back position. This is most vital in avoiding the common "banana" arching position in HS and our main cue is "RIBS DOWN!", which also requires maximally contracted abdominals.

- Hips: EXTENDED. Just as there is "closed shoulder", there is also "closed hip". We want the hips to be OPEN, and this can be difficult to negotiate with the opposing intention for lumbar flexion.

- Knees: maximal EXTENSION. Quadriceps tight, knees "LOCKED".

- Ankles: maximal plantar-FLEXION. Toes "pointed", extending AWAY from you.

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