Editing Handstand (section)

==Types of activities that use handstands==
[[File:CapoeiraHandstand1 ST 05.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Capoeira]] handstand with bent legs]]

Handstands are performed in many athletic activities, including [[acro dance]], [[cheerleading]], [[circus]], [[yoga]], [[capoeira]], [[calisthenics]], [[swimming]] and [[gymnastics]]. Some variation of a handstand is performed on every gymnastic apparatus, and many tumbling skills pass through a handstand position during their execution. [[Breakdance]]rs incorporate handstands in [[freeze (breakdance move)|freeze]]s and [[kick (breakdance move)|kick]]s. 

Handstands are known by various other names. In modern [[yoga as exercise]], the handstand is called '''Adho Mukha Vrksasana'''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://yogavastu.com/p/adho-mukha-vrksasana/ | publisher=Yoga Vastu |title=Adho Mukha Vrksasana | date=October 2020}}</ref> 
In [[capoeira]] it is named [[List_of_capoeira_techniques#Bananeira|bananeira]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Gerard |title=Capoeira 100: An Illustrated Guide to the Essential Movements and Techniques |date=4 September 2012 |publisher=North Atlantic Books |isbn=978-1-58394-638-1 |page=90 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PrTxDWqfcfgC&pg=PA90 |language=en}}</ref>

===Yoga===
[[File:Mr-yoga-eagle-handstand-pose.jpg|thumb|upright| [[Adho Mukha Vrikshasana]] with legs in [[Garudasana]] (Eagle pose)]]

In modern [[yoga as exercise]], the handstand is among the inverted poses; it is known as Adho Mukha Vrksasana,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Budilovsky |first1=Joan |last2=Adamson |first2=Eve |title=The complete idiot's guide to yoga |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b5pE8-Oyly0C |edition=2 |year=2000 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-02-863970-3 |page=179}}</ref> Downward-facing Tree Pose. In traditional [[hatha yoga]] in the 18th and 19th centuries, the ''Vyayāmadipike'', which calls it the "second ''gardam''", and the ''[[Śrītattvanidhi]]'' use the handstand in a sequence involving touching the nose to the ground; the ''[[Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati]]'' calls this Syenasana, meaning hawk pose.<ref name="Birch Singleton 2019">{{cite journal |last1=Birch |first1=Jason |author1-link=Jason Birch |last2=Singleton |first2=Mark |author2-link=Mark Singleton (yoga scholar) |title=The Yoga of the Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati: Hathayoga on the Cusp of Modernity |journal=Journal of Yoga Studies |date=2019 |volume=2 |pages=3–70 |doi=10.34000/JoYS.2019.V2 |url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/32089/1/Jason%20Birch%20and%20Mark%20Singleton%20Hathabhyasapaddhati%20Journal%20of%20Yoga%20Studies%20Dec%202019.pdf <!--authorised eprint at authors' site-->|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Swimming===
 
[[Swimming (sport)|Swimmers]] often perform [[underwater]] handstands as a stunt, with their heads, arms, and bodies underwater and their legs and feet extended above the surface, often having games or contests with the winner being the person who can remain in an underwater handstand the longest.
 
Armstand dives—a category found in competitive [[Diving (sport)#Dive groups|platform diving]]—are dives that begin with a handstand.  

===Gymnastics===

There are two basic handstand styles in modern [[gymnastics]]: ''curved-back'' and ''straight-back''.<ref>
{{cite web
 | title = ''Different Styles of Handstands''
 | url = http://www.lostartofhandbalancing.com/articles/different-styles-of-handstands
 | access-date = 2010-09-29 }}
</ref> Straight-back style is employed when the aesthetics of straight body lines are desired and feasible. In many cases (e.g., when a handstand is being performed in conjunction with a gymnastic apparatus), however, the curved-back style is preferred as it offers superior control of the legs and torso over balance. In all cases, balance is maintained by shifting body weight towards the fingers or the heel of the hand.

All basic gymnastic handstands have these characteristics:
*''Straight arms'' with hands placed on the ground approximately shoulder-width apart.
*''Straight legs'', held together.
*''Pointed toes'' so as to continue the lines of the legs.

In addition, straight-back handstands have these characteristics:
*''Tucked head'' (face pointed forward) as if standing upright.
*''Straight spine'', with hips pushed forward. If performed while lying flat, this would cause the small of the back to contact ground.