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Part 1: Executing a Full Planche
1.Stretch first. This will help your body feel limber and warmed up. And make it easier to planche. Proper stretching is a vital part of avoiding preventable injury. A planche is an advanced technique, so you'll need your body in its best order before you attempt it.
Touch your toes. Keep your legs as straight as possible.
Circle your wrists and hips.
Stretch your arms by crossing one arm over your chest and holding the elbow with the opposite hand; repeat on the other side.
2. Get in position. Crouch between either push-up bars or parallel bars with your hands grasping the bars on either side. If you don't wish to perform the planche on bars, squat down on the floor with your hands planted on either side of you. Make sure your hands are planted a comfortable distance apart, so you'll be able to support your body adequately.
3. Plant your hands directly below your navel. Placement of your hands during a full planche is extremely important to its success. Before you lift yourself up, make sure your hands are planted facing forward, roughly parallel to where your belly button will be when you lift yourself up.
Experiment with different hand grips before you find one that works best for you.
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4. Lean forward with your hands planted. With your hands facing forward, put them on the ground (or bars) and lean forward, placing more weight on your. Keep your arms completely straight as you lean forward.
It's good to continue picturing yourself in a push-up position. As you lean forward, however, you should be putting far more pressure on your hands than you would in a push-up.
Leaning forward is a great way to train towards a planche, as it will get you used to the increasing pressure on your hands and wrists.
5. Push your body up with your hands. Lunge your lower body into the air with your hands and lie horizontally. All of your body's weight should be focused on your hands. Keep your body straight throughout. Because this technique takes so much upper-body strength, it's unlikely that you'll be able to pull one off without training in increments first.
A good way to imagine a planche is as if you were doing a push-up, where your feet aren't touching the ground.
Tighten your abs. Tightening your body will help ensure your body's trunk is firm throughout the planche. Because proper balance is so important during the planche, you need to keep your body straight. Tightening your abdominal muscles will help keep your body rigid.
7. Hold and return slowly. Most professional gymnasts see 30 seconds as a good goal to hold the position for. When you complete the full planche, return yourself slowly to a resting "push-up" position.
It is fine if you cannot hold it for the full 30 seconds at first. Simply getting yourself into position is difficult enough. It is helpful to train yourself in increasing increments. For example, once you achieve the position, try to hold for 5 seconds. Once you're able to do that comfortably, aim for 10, and so on.
The first part is complete, I’ll tell you a sequel tomorrow on how to increase skills.
Artemus Vazhui