Balance

I remember the first time I tried doing handstand was when I just got into ACES. I saw a few seniors playing around and I thought hey like quite fun then I started following them. They also did not told me why they are doing it, they did not say anything about handstand being the basics and is very crucial or anything like that at all. Either they were just playing around, or they wanted me to find out myself. (In the past, knowledge is very limited and real live examples were not there, you have to turn each stone to find out and try for yourself.)

My handstand was ok when I started out, can hold for a few seconds, but I never took it seriously. I only started to take it seriously after 2 years, after I gain more knowledge and got more exposure. I started to train more and more handstands. I remembered by end of 2006, my handstand was quite ok, able to hold for more than 10 secs. It was before I started serious training for cupie.

Ever since I started training hard for (right)cupie, I stopped doing handstand for that few months. It was all the way till near the end of 2007, after I am quite comfortable with doing Right cupie, then I started back my handstand training regime. To my horror, I was not able to hold my handstand anymore, not even for 2 secs. I was very puzzled and I did not understand how could it be so. I seek advice and asked alot of people, even ex gymnas cannot give me a answer to my dilemma. I did some research and readings but still was not able to come up with an explanation.

The only thing I know is that I need to solve this problem, and that I have the determination to do so. I kept trying, even if I were to just fall each time. After a while, I started to suspect that it was because my left hand was too weak, the inbalance was so much that my body was leaning to one side, hence my handstand kept falling. No one can confirm this with me, therefore I had to try myself, only I know my body the best. I started to train arnold presses with only my left arm, increasing the weight gradually till it matches that I can do with my right. At the same time I also carried on my handstand training.

True enough, in one months time, my handstand improve alot, surpassing my previous standards(I now can handstand for over 30secs). My theory about the left being much weaker was correct. Now I know the reason, while training for Right cupie, my right master arm grew much stronger than my left, so much so that there was a huge inbalance. It is definetly a bad thing, especially in cheerleading and when you want to progress to more than just being only a "right side guy".

Sharing my experiences from my point of view, so that anyone out who reads this can benefit and learn from them, and do not have to take the huge detour to learning, because I know how tough it can be.



This is not the first time I emphasize, remember to train your weaker arms at the same time as you train your master arm. Do not delay the difference by too much, or else you will have to take the long way around. Start before its too late.