Handstand press magic drill
Even though I don’t believe in magic drills, there’s 1 move that unlocked my press, by accident
But first;
A press isn’t caused by magic, and there’s a much higher probability that you not being able to press is caused by a lack of capacity rather than a lack of understanding.
So if you’re not able to ;
hold a 30 sec handstand consistently
do a straddle jump
control a negative press, which requires an OK pancake
have a decent tuck handstand
Then I’m quite sure my magic drill wont help you. If however, like me when I was learning presses, you can do most of these things with ok form; this is how I learned to press on accident
I was wearing socks whilst doing plank on a seriously smooth floor when I decided to slide my feet towards my hands and away from my hands, all whilst staying on top of my toes. Then, on 1 rep I slid forward with a bit more force than I anticipated and my feet came off the floor. To make sure I wouldn’t faceplant, my body decided that the straddle jump pathway I’d been practicing was the safest way out. And there was my first, slightly cheated press. Straight after I kept trying it slower and slower until I realized I could do the exact same without sliding before, and my press was born.
I like this drill because it accurately mimics the pathway of a press whilst reducing the strength requirements. What makes it more similar to the press than the straddle jump is that you can't really jump, because you’re staying on the top of the feet. Therefore you have to be more strict with your compression.
It also teaches you the sensation of falling forwards, or at least moving your center of mass in front of your hands is very similar to how it feels when you’re just learning to lift your legs.
Try it out, and see if it helps! Even though I could’ve probably learned the press in a better way, this was the move that unlocked my understanding of what it is that allows your legs to magically lift off the floor.
