Do I need to be strong or flexible before starting handstand training?

No. Strength and shoulder/wrist mobility are built along the way as part of the training, not required up front.

handstand amsterdambeginner → advanced — est. 2015

Handstand trainingin the heart of Amsterdam.

Looking for handstand classes in Amsterdam? Handstands are coached every day inside our movement classes in the Jordaan — from your first kick-up against the wall to freestanding lines — with Open Studio time to practise between sessions.

start this week — no experience requiredtry the introduction offer open all day, whole weeksee the weekly agenda

fig. 01 — a handstand is not a fixed position. it's continuous correction, held by the hands.

Group handstand practice at Crazy Monkey in Amsterdam

group practice on the studio floor — westerstraat 158, amsterdam

the handstand practicewhat you actually get

From first kick-up
to freestanding.

Handstands aren't a side quest here — they're part of the daily practice. You'll find handstand work coached inside our daily movement classes, room to drill it in Open Studio sessions between classes, and workshops with visiting handbalancers when they're scheduled.

Every step is coached and scaled. Total beginner? You start at the wall, learning to hold weight on your hands and come down safely. Already balancing? We refine your line, your sway, your entries — and open the door to straddles, tucks and presses.

Coached handstand practice at Crazy Monkey in the Jordaan

coaching and spotting, mid-class

step 01foundationswrists, shoulders and the wall — being upside down stops feeling alien

step 02kick-ups & bailsgetting in, and out, safely — fear shrinks when the exit is a skill

step 03freestandingfinding the line, riding the sway — your hands learn to steer

step 04advanced shapesstraddle, tuck, press — one clean line at a time

wherever you are on this ladderstart with the introduction offer

Students practising wall-supported handstands at Crazy Monkey Amsterdam

step 01–02 — the wall carries you as long as you need it

Freestanding handstand practice with coaching at Crazy Monkey Amsterdam

step 03 — freestanding, learning to find and correct the balance

fig. 02 — the wobble never disappears. you learn to detect and correct it sooner.

why it works herethe crazy monkey difference

Balance starts with information.
Learn to use it.

A handstand makes sensory information impossible to ignore. Pressure shifts through your hands, your inner ear reports a world turned over, your body reports where every joint is — and small corrections continuously reorganise the position. Balancing is learning to pick that information up and act on it, fast.

Crazy Monkey trains with movement problems that make you notice and use that information. The wider practice feeds the same capacities your handstand runs on: coordination, usable range, orientation and continuous correction. The thinking behind it lives in The Knowledge; on the floor it feels like play that works.

est. 2015handstands coached dailyworkshops yuval ayalon · sascha bachmannstudio custom floor, jordaanlevels zero to press

Handstands have been part of
this floor for years.

Handstand practice has been woven into Crazy Monkey's training for years — in the daily classes, and in dedicated workshops with experienced handbalancers including Yuval Ayalon and Sascha Bachmann, who have taught on this floor. That history shows in how we coach: wrists prepared before they're loaded, exits taught before balance is asked for, lines built patiently instead of muscled.

Today that work continues every day at Westerstraat 158 — handstand coaching inside the daily classes, Open Studio time between sessions to put in your hands-on-floor hours, and more workshops when they're scheduled.

Group exploring different handstand shapes at Crazy Monkey Amsterdam

one cue, many answers — shapes vary, the practice is shared

faqasked before the first kick-up

Handstand questions, answered honestly.

How long does it take to learn a handstand?

Honestly: it depends on your starting point and how often you practise. Wall confidence tends to come early; calm freestanding balance takes much longer and consistency matters more than talent. Anyone promising a fixed timeline is selling something. Every stage feels like progress, and we coach all of them.

Can I learn a handstand as an adult beginner?

Yes. Many people who learn handstands here started as adults, from zero. The method is built for adult bodies and adult fears — progressive, scalable, and barefoot on a floor that's kind to falling.

Do I need to be strong or flexible first?

No. You build the strength and the shoulder/wrist range on the way up — that's part of the training, not a prerequisite. If your shoulders or wrists are stiff, our mobility work is woven into the same classes.

What if I'm afraid of falling?

Good — that fear is information. Lesson one is bailing: cartwheeling out safely becomes a skill before free balancing is ever asked of you. Fear shrinks when the exit is trained, not when you're told to be brave.

How often should I practise handstands?

Little and often beats rarely and long. Hands, wrists and shoulders adapt best to frequent, short, quality exposure — a few focused minutes most days does more than one long session a week. Daily classes and Open Studio time make that rhythm easy to keep.

Can I learn a handstand after 40 or 50?

Yes. Balance and coordination stay trainable at every age — what changes is the loading curve, so we prepare wrists and shoulders more gradually and let the wall carry you as long as you need it. Consistency beats youth.

Do you teach press handstands and advanced handstand work?

Yes. Beyond freestanding holds we coach straddles, tucks, press preparation and refined lines — same method, finer corrections. Experienced handbalancers use Open Studio for volume and get coaching inside the daily classes.

Where can I practice handstands in Amsterdam?

At Crazy Monkey Practice, Westerstraat 158, in the Jordaan — handstand work inside daily movement classes and Open Studio sessions for self practice, with workshops when scheduled. Open all day, whole week; check the agenda for times.

go deeperthe practice around the handstand