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Static strength

Frog Stand

Balance on your hands with your knees resting on your upper arms and your feet off the floor. Overcoming Gravity places it as the first step of its planche ladders, and some coaches teach it before the handstand.

The hands stay on the floor and the knees stay on the upper arms; only the legs change between the three positions, so nothing is drawn in between. The side view cannot show the width of the hands or exactly where on the arms the knees rest.
Difficulty
Beginner
editorial estimate
Steps to it
3 steps
Beginner → Intermediate
Usually done on
Floor
Start with the first stepHow it is done

Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach. 8 sources

The road at a glance

A short overview with links. Every step is explained in full under Progressions.

Helps to have first

A starting point: no other movement in the Atlas is needed first.

This skill

Frog Stand

Leads towards

No movement in the Atlas builds directly on this one yet.

01

What it is

In a frog stand you balance on the hands with the elbows bent and the knees resting on the arms. One coaching source puts the knees on the outside of the bent elbows; another puts them on the backs of the upper arms, anywhere between the armpits and the elbows. The exact spot varies.34

British Gymnastics' Rise programme lists a frog balance as a balance skill at Levels Three and Four; it gives only the name, not a description. In Overcoming Gravity's progression charts, Frog Stand and 'SA Frog Stand' are the first two steps of the planche ladders, while Elbow Lever sits on a separate chart.12

Yoga International separates the bent-arm crow (kakasana) from the straight-arm crane (bakasana) but notes that bakasana is often used for both; a coach writes that crow is called the frog stand in gymnastics and that the straight-arm version is the advanced frog stand. This page covers the bent-arm version as the main movement and lists the straight-arm one as a variation.36

The elbow lever is a different support: the elbows go under the trunk and the body is held horizontal, with the hands narrower than the hips. Here the knees rest on the arms. No source read for this page presents one as a step to the other.18

Shift your weight forward over the hands, then lift the feet one at a time.

02

How it is done

  1. Squat and place the hands

    Start in a low squat with the hands on the floor ahead of the feet. Spread the fingers and press down firmly through the knuckles, the index finger especially.67

  2. Bend the elbows and set the knees

    Bend the elbows and rest the knees on the upper arms, near the elbows. A higher knee placement is harder because the centre of gravity rises and the hips must fold more.34

  3. Shift forward

    Lean forward over the hands, keeping the chest lifted. Sources differ on the gaze: one coach looks forward as he leans, a yoga source looks toward the mat. Either way, keep the neck relaxed.37

  4. Lift one foot, then the other

    Lift one foot, then the other, pressing the floor away through the hands. Hold with both feet off the floor.67

  5. Come down on purpose

    Lower the feet to the floor under control, one foot at a time or both together, and come back to the squat. Do it while you still control the balance, not after it has gone. The one source that mentions leaving the pose only says to return to the squat; the controlled lowering is this page's own wording, and this page does not suggest practising falls.7

03

Progressions

These positions let you record the version you can hold now. They are not compulsory unlocks or a hold-time programme.

What to have first

  • No other skill is required

    Your wrists will carry your weight, so go gently and stop if they hurt. The sources say you need enough arm and shoulder strength to hold your body weight.37

  1. Step 1Beginner

    Weight shift

    Squat with the hands down and the knees on the arms, and lean forward over the hands. The toes stay on the floor.

    Technical note: Lower knees or raising the feet a little make this easier in the sources.367

  2. Step 2Beginner

    One foot lifted

    Lift one foot while the toes of the other stay on the floor. Practise both sides.

    Technical note: Sources describe lifting one foot at a time; one adds lifting each foot heel first if you cannot yet balance.67

  3. Step 3IntermediateGoal

    Frog stand

    Both feet off the floor, the knees on the upper arms and the weight on the hands.

    Technical note: Full describes the position, not a hold time. The sources give only loose targets, and this page sets none.34

04

Community

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Tips from the community

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05

Common mistakes

  • Leaning too far forward or too far back

    Leaning too far forward tips you onto your face and leaning back drops you onto your feet. Shift your weight gradually and lower the feet while you still control the balance. One source describes going too far forward on purpose; this page does not recommend that.3

  • Entering passively

    Wait for the balance to hold itself and you will fall. Engage the trunk and react to the balance instead.3

  • Weak control at the wrists

    Use the hands to steer: pressing weight into the heels of the hands moves the body forward, and gripping the floor with the fingers moves it back.36

06

Variations and related skills

  • Straight-arm frog stand

    A coaching blog describes an advanced version with fully straight arms and the knees on the inside of the extended elbows. Overcoming Gravity lists it as 'SA Frog Stand', which the chart's legend defines as straight-arm, the second step of the planche ladders. Yoga calls it crane.146

  • Hands wider than the shoulders

    Grip

    Hands wider than shoulder width make it easier to support your body weight, according to one coaching blog; bringing the arms closer, straightening them, or both makes it harder.5

  • Ball of one foot on a block

    Equipment

    Rest the ball of one foot on a block to make the lift easier.67

  • Soft padding in front of you

    Equipment

    Two yoga pages suggest a bolster, stack of blankets or pillow in front of you if you hesitate to shift forward. Padding does not make a fall onto the face, neck or wrists safe, and this page does not suggest practising falls.67

  • In Overcoming Gravity the frog stand and the straight-arm frog stand come before the tuck planche. Two coaching blogs treat the straight-arm version (and, in one, narrower, straighter arms) as groundwork for tuck planche work.135

Related skillsElbow Lever

On Calisthenics Balkan

07

Sources

What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.

The small numbers in the text point to the entries below

  1. Overcoming Gravity 2nd Edition: progression charts (public spreadsheet)Public Google Sheet 'Overcoming Gravity 2nd Edition Exercise Charts' reproducing the progressions of Steven Low's Overcoming Gravity (2nd ed.); compiler not named; chart cells only, no technique text; checked 17 Oct 2026. Frog Stand and 'SA Frog Stand' (the legend defines SA as Straight-Arm) are the first two filled steps of the planche ladders; Elbow Lever is on a separate chart; Frog Stand is not on the handstand ladders (research S-0093)
  2. Rise Gymnastics Programme: routinesBritish Gymnastics member portal document (Rise Gymnastics Programme and Award Scheme) · no author or date shown; text read 17 Oct 2026. Lists 'frog balance' as a balance skill at Levels Three and Four and, at Level Three only, on a bench; it gives only the name, no description or technique
  3. Learning and Mastering the Crow PoseAntranik Kizirian · antranik.org (coaching blog, credentials not stated in the article) · 26 Feb 2014; read 17 Oct 2026; the best single technique source found, still one coach's view
  4. Advanced Frogstand for Planche ProgressionLost Art of Hand Balancing blog (posted by 'admin'; featured instructor Mike Fitch, Global Bodyweight Training) · 2 Sep 2014; read 17 Oct 2026; coaching blog with promotion
  5. Frogstand Tips VideoLost Art of Hand Balancing blog (posted by 'admin') · 17 Feb 2011; page text read 17 Oct 2026, the video itself is not transcribed (research S-0112)
  6. Crow Pose and Crane PoseYoga International · article, no author named · 21 Jun 2016; read 17 Oct 2026; a yoga source, not gymnastics
  7. How To Do Crow Pose (Bakasana)Brett Larkin Yoga · blog, author Marquis Matson · 25 Jun 2020, updated 23 Jun 2022; read 17 Oct 2026; a yoga brand page that rates the pose Advanced; used for props and its list of contraindications
  8. How To Do The Elbow LeverNick Harris-Fry with trainer James Griffiths · Coach (Future plc) · 21 Jul 2020; read 17 Oct 2026; consumer magazine, used only to show how the elbow lever's support differs

A note on safety. The main risk this page can name is tipping forward over the hands onto your face or wrists. This page does not recommend practising falls: shift your weight gradually and lower the feet under control while you can still do so. Two yoga pages suggest padding in front of you if you hesitate; it does not make a fall risk-free. Your wrists carry your weight, so press the whole hand into the floor and stop if the wrists hurt. One yoga page lists wrist or carpal tunnel problems, shoulder or neck injury, pregnancy and high blood pressure as contraindications; if any applies, get individual advice before trying it. This is a technique guide, not rehabilitation advice, and the figure is simplified. The page has not been reviewed by a qualified coach.

Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach.

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