What is a pike ?
Pikes are one of the three alignment families in handstands.
The members of the pike family have the following, distinctive trait in common: the pelvis is overhead.
An overshot pelvis is what makes a pike a pike.
And of course, within the family, we will find many different members, with different degrees of relatedness, some easier-going than most, some better looking than others.
Open shoulders
The position of your pelvis upside is mainly the product of your shoulder flexion.
To a lesser extent, it will also be influence by the degree of spine extension and Anterior Pelvic Tilt (APT).
Your recipe for a pike therefore becomes:
Pike = open shoulders (80%) + spike extension + APT
There is always one guy…
If the definition of piking is to have the pelvis overshot, then, to be super thourough, yes: you’ll find people able to bring their pelvis overshot without having the shoulders fully open.
By looking at the equation above, you should know why: they have a greater degree of flexibility in their back, allowing that to compensate for shoulders that are either not fully open or not willing to fully open. After all, the more open, the scarier at first.
If that’s you, embrace it for Step 1 and Step 2 of the Blue Belt. We will make your pikes more shoulder-driven once you’re comfortable in them.
By looking at the equation above, you should know why: they have a greater degree of flexibility in their back, allowing that to compensate for shoulders that are either not fully open or not willing to fully open. After all, the more open, the scarier at first.
If that’s you, embrace it for Step 1 and Step 2 of the Blue Belt. We will make your pikes more shoulder-driven once you’re comfortable in them.
Undershot legs
Because of the Counterweight principle we studied in achieving your first shapes freestanding, we know that the legs will have to answer this new overshot pelvis placement.
In a piked shape, your shoulder angle is “fully” flexed, allowing the pelvis to be nicely stacked over the shoulders. (We can reinforce that by adding an anterior pelvic tilt and / or arching at the lower back).
In turn, the legs, either bent or straight, are positioned before the vertical axis, to counterbalance the pelvis.
If you think of a scale, you wouldn’t be far off: the butt is on one side, the pelvis on the other.
Importantly, the legs will lower more and more as the pelvis shoots farther and farther out.
Each pike shape has a continuum of variations, from shallow (pelvis isn’t really overshot and legs aren’t very low) to deep (legs closer to or below horizontal, pelvis very overshot). We will revisit this in step 3, when it’s time to improve your line or spice things up.
Your mission for now is to find a comfortable position where the pelvis can rest lightly against the wall.
From there, you will lower your legs just enough as to find a viable shape.
This is the piked shape you will work on.
Not deeper, nor more shallow.
⚠️ Shoulder collapsing
Shoulders will start collapsing forward when there is simply too much weight either undershot or overshot.
In other words,
if you tip the scale either one way, or the other, because both legs AND the pelvis start travelling forward or backward, the base of your scale won’t be able to hold that pressure.
Some people will be very aware and wary of the point of collapse. We will need to carefully explore it as to know what our limits are and build up strength.