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Handstand: How long will it take to learn?

Author : CheerForce Singapore

Date:16-12-2020

How long it would actually take to learn how to do a handstand? Let’s hear it from the expert! Our local circus artists Beverly is here to share her experience and knowledge on learning handstand with all of us.

Back in 2017, Beverly started exploring handstand after being inspired by an Australian acrobat when she was at Australia where she was sponsored to attend circus training courses taught by professionals and got the opportunity to train with acrobats all over the world.

How will a typical training session be like?

Beverly clocks in freestanding handstands, straddle presses and contortion handstands in the first hour before she start venturing into higher level skills that she’s working towards. Her level of dedication to handstand training is intense as she shared that in the beginning of her handstand journey, she was doing handstands every day, every minute in between classes, during lunch, dinner breaks and even after school!

How many hours do you practice every week/day and what are some of the challenges face while learning hand balancing?

Beverly handstand training is usually about 2 hours and 3 – 4 days a week. “But everyday I still do a couple of handstands just for fun!” remarked Beverly. Beverly shared that she had injured her wrist once in a freak accident, and since then her wrists became more susceptible to overuse injury. “I have to be very careful and gentle with my training, but this has also taught me to train more responsibly…like warm up first.” says Beverly.

What is the one most important factor when it comes to hand balancing?

“Patience, resilience and discipline are very very very important. Rushed and frantic handstands seldom ever work unless you’re incredibly strong. You can expect to have some days where you have zero success and want to give up, and you’ll need to do handstands every single day even if that means you’ll be staring at the floor for 2 hours.” says Beverly.

What advice would Beverly give to beginners who are starting on their hand balancing journey?

If you are just starting on your handstand journey, here are some advice that Beverly would like to share to help you with your initial phase of your journey.

OVERCOMING FEAR – You can kick up to a handstand against the wall but can’t do it freestanding is because of fear. After learning how to twist out of your handstand, you’ll realise it’s no longer dangerous to go upside down, training will feel much less terrifying, and you’ll dare to kick up to your handstand.

STAYING FOCUS – Handstands won’t feel like you kick up to centre and then float there. Once you find your centre, that centre will keep shifting around so it’s a constant focus on balance, constant pushing and pulling and constant gripping and releasing. 

GETTING UNLOCKED – you’ll have no idea what it feels like to be in balance upside down. In other words, you don’t know which point/feeling it is that you’re looking for so it’ll feel like a pointless search. But once you unlocked it and you know what it’s supposed to feel like, the journey towards finding that spot will be a lot easier.

Are you interested to learn more about handstand and other movements like the front walkover from Beverly? Check out our classes page to see what are the upcoming classes that she will be conducting at CheerForce Singapore’s cheerleading studio!

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Collaborations For CheerFit x imPAct Fitness Platform

Author : CheerForce Singapore

Date:31-08-2020

The CheerFit x imPAct Fitness Platform was created in July 2020 post Circuit Breaker to promote cheerleading and fitness among the Singapore community. The sessions usually includes a HIIT cardio workout, a body weight strength workout and a calisthenics handstand workout. However, this coming September and October we are making some changes to make way for a series of collaborations with our special guests.

Starting from September, you will get the opportunity to learn from our guests from different disciplines and get some tips and tricks from them on how to get better at your craft. For the first round of our collaborations, we have invited local acrobat Beverly Wan from Circus of Altrades, advanced level competitive pole dancer Margarita and professional sports massage therapist Pavithra on to share with you their knowledge that they have in their own area of expertise.

First up, we have Beverly Wan, one of the leading artists of the Circus of Altrades. She has been sponsored to attend circus training courses in Australia, where she was taught by professionals and trained with acrobats all over the world. Her handstand classes will be on 7 September and 19 October 8:30pm-9:30pm on CheerFit x imPAct online zoom platform.

Next up, we have Margarita, an advanced level competitive pole dancer who had the pleasure of performing at the Singapore Night Festival 2019 and she holds the title of The Brass Barree’s Freestyle Battle Queen (Halloween 2018). Her 4 flexibility stretching classes will be held back to back on 21 & 28 September and 5 & 12 October on CheerFit x imPAct online zoom platform.

Lastly, we have Pavithra, a certified professional sports massage therapist that has helped improve athlete’s recovery process alongside aiding training, improving performance and preparing the athlete prior to competition through her works with elite athletes. Her sports massage classes will be on 14 September and 26 October on CheerFit x imPAct online zoom platform.

With so many exciting classes for you to attend on our platform, mark the dates down in your calendar so that you will not forget. You can also follow CheerFit for more live updates. Registration for each week’s CheerFit x imPAct session will open on the Tuesday and close at 3pm on Saturday the week before. You can register for the next coming session through the link here.

If you would like to collaborate with us on our CheerFit x imPAct platform, do drop us an email and we will be in touch with you!

Cheers!