Kufu工夫
Skill trees Plans Free tools Download
Kufu / Skill trees / Handstand
Skill tree · Balance & Handstands

Handstand progression

A handstand is balancing on your hands with your body stacked in one straight, vertical line. Kufu's handstand tree has 12 nodes, from Wall plank holds (60 sec, nose to wall) to Pirouette (360°) (Full turn, clean exit). Each node opens only when you pass its challenge.

From the tree that ships in Kufu 2.0 · Last updated 2026-10-13

  1. Step 1

    Wall plank holds

    Challenge to open itHold 60 sec60 sec, nose to wall
    Drills to practise (2)
    • Wall handstand hold 4 × 30–45 secNose to wall, fingers spread. Push the floor away, squeeze glutes, ribs in.
    • Wrist circles & stretches 1 minLoad the wrists before they load you. Circles, then palm and finger stretches.
  2. Step 2

    Chest-to-wall handstand

    Challenge to open itHold 60 sec60 sec, hands 1 fist from wall
    Drills to practise (2)
    • Wall handstand hold (chest-to-wall) 4 × 30–60 secHands one fist-width from the wall. Stack shoulders over wrists, hollow body.
    • Shoulder dislocates 2 × 10Band or broomstick, wide grip. Opens the overhead position.
  3. Step 3

    Heel pulls

    Challenge to open it10 clean reps each side10 controlled reps each leg
    Drills to practise (2)
    • Wall handstand hold (chest-to-wall) 3 × 45–60 secThe base for everything below. Hands one fist from the wall.
    • Heel pulls 3 × 5 each legIn a wall handstand, gently pull one heel off the wall. Control the shift, return slowly.
  4. Step 4

    Toe pulls

    Challenge to open it10 clean reps each side10 controlled reps each leg
    Drills to practise (2)
    • Toe pulls 3 × 5 each legPull the toes off the wall and balance briefly on your hands. Harder than heel pulls — brace.
    • Wall handstand weight shifts 3 × 8 each sidePush one hand hard into the floor to unweight the other. Feel where the balance lives.
  5. Step 5

    Kick-up to wall

    Challenge to open it8 of 10 attempts8/10 consistent entries
    Drills to practise (2)
    • Kick-up practice 10 attemptsStep-kick: lunge forward, hands down, kick the back leg up. Bail by turning out.
    • Wall handstand finger lifts 3 × 5 each sideShift the weight, then lift only the fingers of the light hand. Palm heel stays down.
  6. Step 6

    Freestanding 10 sec

    Challenge to open itHold 10 sec × 3 setsConsistent 10 sec holds
    Drills to practise (2)
    • Freestanding attempts 5 minKick up, find balance, bail early and often. Volume of entries is the point.
    • Wall handstand shoulder taps 3 × 5 each sideLegs together. Shift fully, tap the opposite shoulder, return. Push through the support hand.
  7. Step 7

    Freestanding 30 sec

    Challenge to open itHold 30 sec × 2 setsConsistent 30 sec holds
    Drills to practise (2)
    • Freestanding handstand 5 × 30 sec attemptsPress through the fingertips to stop over-balancing. Breathe.
    • Kick-up practice 5 attemptsQuality over quantity now. Find the balance point on the way up, not after.
  8. Step 8

    Freestanding 60 sec

    Challenge to open itHold 60 secSolid foundation, clean line
    Drills to practise (1)
    • Freestanding handstand 3 × 60 secRelaxed hold, micro-adjustments through the fingers. Clean vertical line.
  9. Step 9

    Handstand walking

    Challenge to open it10 clean reps10+ steps controlled
    Drills to practise (1)
    • Handstand walking 5 minSlight lean forward to start moving. Small steps, look between the hands.
  10. Step 10

    Shape changes

    Challenge to open itJudge it yourselfStraddle, tuck, pike in HS

    Opens after Freestanding 60 sec

    Drills to practise (2)
    • Freestanding handstand 3 × 60 secHold the line first; shapes come out of a stable base.
    • Handstand shoulder taps 3 × 5 each sideShift the weight fully before lifting. The same control every shape needs.
  11. Step 11

    Pirouette (180°)

    Challenge to open itJudge it yourselfHalf turn, controlled

    Opens after Freestanding 60 sec

    Drills to practise (1)
    • Pirouette drills 5 minReach across, turn the shoulders, let the hand follow. Half turn, then stop and hold.
  12. Step 12

    Pirouette (360°)

    Challenge to open itJudge it yourselfFull turn, clean exit
    Drills to practise (1)
    • Pirouette drills 5 minTwo halves joined. Keep pushing through the shoulders the whole way round.

How the tree works

A node opens only when you pass its challenge: a timed hold, a number of clean reps, or landings out of attempts. Quality you can only judge by eye, such as a straight line or a clean exit, is self-assessed. Practice volume, gym numbers and the coach's opinion never open a node.

After Freestanding 60 sec the tree splits: Handstand walking, Shape changes, Pirouette (180°) open together, so you can work on them in any order.

Practising a node in Kufu logs a real workout: a short warm-up, the node's drills and a cooldown, on the iPhone or the Apple Watch.

What it builds

Shoulder strength, wrist resilience and balance. It is also the position the press to handstand presses into.

Skills and weights

Kufu is a hybrid app: the handstand tree sits beside your barbell and dumbbell work rather than replacing it. Skill work goes first in a session, while you're fresh. The Skills & Lifts plan runs two bodyweight skill days and two gym days a week.

Not sure where you are? The free handstand level test walks this tree with yes-or-no questions and hands back your next step.

Other trees

Pulling & LeversFront lever9 nodesPulling & LeversBack lever8 nodesCore & CompressionL-sit8 nodesPulling & LeversMuscle-up9 nodesBalance & HandstandsPress to handstand7 nodesDynamic & TumblingCartwheel to aerial8 nodes