Why Handstands Are Important in Cheer, Tumbling, and Gymnastics

It’s not just a cool trick—it’s the foundation for everything.

When athletes first learn to kick up into a handstand, it feels like a huge milestone. And it is. But what many don’t realize is that handstands aren’t just a fun skill to show off—they’re a core building block for so many future skills across cheer, tumbling, and gymnastics.

Let’s talk about why handstands are one of the most important things an athlete can master early—and why we keep coming back to them at every level.

Core Strength and Full-Body Control

Holding a handstand isn’t just about strong arms—it’s about a strong, connected body. From fingers to toes, every muscle works together to create stability and balance.

A strong handstand helps athletes build:

• Core strength (essential for tight body shapes and safe landings)

• Shoulder stability (huge for basing, stunting, AND bars)

• Wrist endurance (for tumbling, vault, and beam hand placements)

• Glute and back strength (needed for leaps, jumps, and body control.

This full-body control is crucial whether you're pressing to handstand on beam, snapping down out of a roundoff, or catching a flyer in a basket toss.

Balance, Alignment, and Body Awareness

Mastering a handstand teaches athletes how to feel their body and make adjustments without overcorrecting—a skill called proprioception.

In gymnastics, handstand control is critical for:

• Shaping and holding positions on bars (every cast and giant pass through a handstand!)

• Starting and connecting skills on beam (handstand to step-down connections, anyone?)

• Executing strong floor tumbling lines with tight form

• Pushing off the hands properly in vault pre-flights

  
  

In cheer and tumbling, it improves roundoffs, back handsprings, aerials, and basing posture. A clean handstand equals better body awareness across every event.

The Foundation for Bigger, Harder Skills

Here’s a coaching truth: a shaky handstand will catch up to you later.

Athletes who master their handstands build the strength and awareness needed for:

• Back handsprings, walkovers, and tucks (floor and cheer)

• Pirouettes, presses, and giants (bars)

• Handstand presses and dismounts (beam)

• Vault entries and block power

  
  

You can tell immediately in higher-level skills who put the time into their basics—and who skipped over them.

Building Confidence (One Kick-Up at a Time)

There’s something empowering about holding your own body weight upside down. It's not just strength—it’s trusting yourself under pressure.

Athletes who develop strong handstands gain:

• Confidence to attack harder tumbling passes

• Courage to try new stunts or skills

• Mental resilience after wobbles, falls, or near-misses

• Pride in their progress through the little victories

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Whether it’s finally sticking that handstand on beam or holding a freestanding handstand for 10 seconds—those moments build athletes from the inside out.

How We Train Handstands (And Why You Should Practice Them at Home)

Strong handstands don't magically happen—they're built intentionally over time. In the gym and at home, we work on:

• Wall Handstand Hold

  • Face a wall, walk your feet up, and hold a tight handstand shape.

  • Focus on keeping your belly button pulled in and your body in a straight line.

• Shoulder Taps

  • From a wall handstand, gently lift one hand at a time and tap your shoulder.

  • This builds serious shoulder strength and balance!

• Lunge to Handstand Kick-Up

  • Start in a lunge, swing arms up, kick into a handstand with control.

  • Practice holding, even if it's just for a second.

• Hollow Body Holds

  • Lay on your back, arms by your ears, feet a few inches off the ground.

  • Tighten your core like you’re about to lift into a handstand!

• Handstand Walks (If Ready!)

  • Once you can hold a handstand against a wall, practice taking tiny steps forward to start moving on your hands!

**Tip: Always practice on soft surfaces (grass, cheer mat, carpet) and have a spotter if needed!

In gymnastics, we constantly revisit handstands on bars, beam, floor, and vault.In cheer and tumbling, we build handstand drills into warm-ups, conditioning, and shaping work.

Even 5 minutes a day adds up in a huge way across a season!

Final Thoughts

In cheer, tumbling, and gymnastics, handstands are everything. They teach strength. They teach balance. They teach confidence. And they build the control needed to succeed on every event, in every pass, and through every new challenge.

So when coaches say, "Let's do handstand drills," it’s not busywork. It’s building the foundation for flips, flights, sticks, hits—and a stronger, smarter athlete overall.

Handstands aren’t just the beginning. They’re the secret sauce behind the best athletes out there.