A face-down balance hovering above the floor, the body resting on bent elbows tucked into the stomach — a planche-like line earned through leverage rather than raw strength. The hands plant about a hand's length apart and turned outward so the elbows fold naturally into the belly just beside the navel, and the balance comes from leaning the chest forward until the torso counterweights the straight legs over stacked wrists. The body has to stay rigid, glutes squeezed and back flat, because all the fine balancing happens in the fingers like a handstand. It is learned low to the ground through frog-stance, tucked and straddled holds before the legs draw together, and since the wrists and the elbow contact both take time to toughen, wrist warm-ups and gradual sessions matter more than extra strength work. The same shape feeds directly into the one-arm version and planche training.
Key cues
- Warm up the wrists first
- Plant the hands close together and turned out
- Tuck the elbows into the stomach by the belly button
- Lean the chest forward to counterbalance the legs
- Squeeze the glutes and hold one straight line
- Keep the head low while learning