MariusMaître d’équilibre
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Free guide · Handstand roadmap

The handstand roadmap

Four stages, one path that never really ends. See where you stand, what to work on next, and how to train for it.

The roadmap helps you understand the path ahead and see the steps toward your goals. For each stage, it lists the key concepts to work on and puts your practice in order, step by step.

A path with four stages, Starter, Intermediate, Advanced and Beyond, that keeps going 01Starter 02Intermediate 03Advanced 04Beyond
What the roadmap does

A map, not a shortcut.

  • 01Explains the steps toward handstand proficiency.
  • 02Lists the elements that make your handstand grow.
  • 03Puts objectives and basic exercises in the right order.
  • 04Defines an effective way to train.
  • 05Keeps room for fun as well as technique.
Stage 01 · Handstand Starter

From luck to control.

At first, enthusiasm carries you. You practice without a real method, progress is slower than you hoped, and your successes come from luck rather than control.

You work on

  • Bailing out safely, so a fall never turns into a big one
  • Cartwheel shapes and wall preparations
  • Endurance, to feel at ease upside down
  • Kicking up into the sweet spot
  • Training both with and without the wall

What changes

  • Most hand balancers go through a fear phase and get stuck against the wall. Knowing how to come down is what builds confidence.
  • A teacher helps you structure your training and lets you feel what the right position really is.
  • You start to know where your focus should be.
Read more about this stage

Working with and without the wall keeps you from depending on it, so you can stand on your hands anywhere.

Combining kick-ups with wall work trains both the way into the handstand and the balance itself.

Stage 02 · Handstand Intermediate

From holding to mastering.

You can stand on your hands and start exploring different shapes on two arms. You begin to feel the difference between achieving a position and mastering it, in your movement and in the clarity of your balance.

You work on

  • The main shapes on two arms, and their variations
  • Locking your line of weight inside your hands: the key to success, and the measure of your level
  • Changing surfaces: from the floor to blocks
  • The speed and quality of your movement, and asymmetric shapes
  • Breaking movements down and spotting what exercises have in common

What changes

  • Your training balances three things: basics, new skills and a fair amount of fun.
  • With a clear structure, you become fully focused on the task in front of you.
  • Part of your practice becomes creative.

This stage takes around a year.

Read more about this stage

By the end, you are at ease because your balance is efficient and most positions feel comfortable. Your vocabulary is large enough to stand freely, and to explore on your own: new movements, new entries, new shapes.

Your goals here prepare the next stage. They become the basics for the one-arm handstand and the foundation for your press.

Stage 03 · Handstand Advanced

One arm, one thing at a time.

Your vocabulary on two hands is now large, with plenty of movement to play with. It becomes the foundation for new goals: you set off on the long road toward the one-arm handstand and the different ways to press up.

You work on

  • One-arm conditioning, every day
  • Drills, inside a structured routine
  • Different platforms: the floor is the hardest, blocks and canes are easier
  • Precise placement, for a handstand that takes minimal effort
  • The basics, still your main tool

What changes

  • The path is long and often frustrating. Your determination matters.
  • You learn to trust the process and to use effective methods.
  • The link between mind and body gets finer. Anything done in haste fails: you do one thing at a time.
Read more about this stage

Building the foundation of the one-arm handstand is a long process that pays off much later. That is the price of the goal.

Success comes gradually. Your first holds won’t be very stable, and injuries can happen. Over time, the drills teach you a precise position, and correct placement becomes an obsession, because it is what makes a handstand efficient.

Stage 04 · Handstand Beyond

Your handstand becomes your own.

One day, your one-arm handstands and your presses become the foundation of complete freedom on your hands.

You explore

  • Figas and bent shapes
  • Different kinds of flags
  • Changing shapes on one arm
  • Transitions on one arm

What changes

  • Your confidence and your level are good enough to go on stage.
  • Creativity no longer lives only between handstands. The quality of your handstand becomes your own.
  • Practice is part of your daily life: a source of joy, and a good way to spend time with yourself.

You keep setting goals, with a rich routine and a deep understanding of the art. The path goes on.

Train with me

Wherever you are on the path.

Starter

Workshops

Two hours to learn the basics safely, with exercises, technique and confidence. Across Switzerland.

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Intermediate

Handstand Kick Starter

A 28-day online program to build a strong, technical and consistent handstand. 4 modules, 24 video lessons, lifetime access. CHF 149.

All stages

Private lessons

Training built around your goals, with exercises chosen for your level.

Private lessons →