How to Headspin

Co-authored by Yolanda Thomas

Last Updated: October 21, 2021

A headspin is a breakdancing move where a person spins on the floor in a headstand position. This breakdancing move is fun to watch and a great trick for breakdancers to perform. Learning to do a headspin takes developing lots of balance and understanding the moves to practice before attempting the headspin. By training your body to be able to balance on your head and control your core muscles, you can achieve this cool trick.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Preparing to Do a Headspin

1
Warm up your muscles. To do a headspin, you will use your legs, arms, and core muscles to balance and spin your body around. You need to warm up these muscles to get the blood flowing into your muscles and to prevent injury. Warm up for 10 to 20 minutes to get your body ready to do a headspin.^{[1]
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- Jog in place or do lunges to warm up your leg muscles.
- Do jumping jacks to warm up your arms and legs.
- Perform some yoga poses for balance like tree pose to warm up your core muscles.
2
Find a smooth, flat surface to do a headspin on. To perform a headspin, you need a flat floor so that you can balance easier. When you’re a beginner, it helps to practice a headspin on a floor that is smooth like a dance studio’s floor or hardwood floors.
- Don’t try to do a headspin on carpet, asphalt, or concrete.
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3
Wear something on your head. A great way to help you achieve a headspin is to wear something on your head to create resistance. Try wearing a beanie hat, bandana, cap, or even a skateboard helmet when you’re learning to do a headspin.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Learning to Do a Headstand

1
Bring the crown of your head to the floor. Starting on your hands and knees, bow your head and bring the crown of your head down to the floor. Rest the crown of your head on the floor and put the palms of your hands flat on the floor with your fingers pointing away from your face. Move your palms away from your face to create some space between you head and your hands.
- This creates a tripod shape between your head and two hands.
- Your forearms should be perpendicular to the ground.
- You should be making a 3-point triangle with your head at the top.^{[2]
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  Expert Source
  
  Yolanda Thomas
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  Expert Interview. 15 November 2019.}
2
Bring your knees to your elbows. Lift your knees off the floor and gently walk your feet up towards your hands. One at a time, lift your leg to place your knee on top of your tricep or elbow. Make sure your head, neck, and back stay in line as you do this.
- Balance in this position as you take a few deep breaths. If you feel yourself falling to one direction, gently bring your leg down and get your balance again before putting it back on top of your elbow.
3
Engage your core muscles and lift your legs off of your elbows. Before moving your legs up, you need to engage your abdominal muscles to keep your balance. Activate your abdominals and then slowly lift your legs up and off of your elbows, still keeping your knees bent.
- Balance in this position for a few deep breaths before moving on.
4
Straighten your legs to achieve a headstand. Keeping your abdominals activated, gently straighten your legs into a full headstand. Do this slowly to ensure you hold your balance the entire time. If you feel yourself falling, bring your legs back down and start over.
- Hold the headstand for 3-5 deep breaths and then gently return your feet back to the ground.
- When you come down from a headstand, slowly come into a sitting position, having your head be the last to come up. Your head will have a lot of blood in it, so don't bring it up too fast or you might become lightheaded.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Moving Your Legs in a Headstand

1
Move your legs out and in. While in a headstand, move your legs so they are split apart in a “V” shape. Engage your core muscles to keep your balance while moving your legs. Once in the “V”position, move your legs back together in a headstand. Do this several times to get comfortable balancing while your legs are moving.
2
Cross your legs. While in your headstand, bring your legs down into a crossed position and then back up. Try doing this with your right leg crossed over your left and then repeat it crossing your left leg over your right. Make sure your spine stays completely in line with your head when you do this.
3
Spin your legs. Staying in your headstand, bring your legs into the “V” position and then rotate them around so that your right leg is pointing forward and your left leg is pointing backwards Then, rotate them back around to bring them back to a headstand position. Repeat this process with your left leg moving to the front.
- Your legs should draw a large circle when doing this move.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Rotating Your Body

1
Spin your legs clockwise and then counterclockwise without spinning your body around. Slowly spin your legs while in a headstand first clockwise and then counter clockwise without stopping the motion at all. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged to help you balance as you continuously move your legs around.
2
Spin your legs clockwise and then lift your hands to spin around. After spinning just your legs around, continue the motion to spin your legs clockwise, but this time, whip them around and lift your hands off the floor so that your upper body spins around in the direction your legs are moving.^{[3]
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3
Catch yourself by placing your hands back down on the floor. When you’ve spun around an entire rotation, put your hands back down on the floor to catch yourself and stop the motion. Use your abdominal muscles to keep your balance.
- Your legs will still move, so try to get them back in the slow spinning motion you started with as you gain your balance.
4
Use your hands to speed up the spin. When you get comfortable doing one rotation, you can use your hands to gently tap and push the floor to speed up your spin. Spinning faster will allow you to complete multiple rotations before stopping.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I handle this kind of pain on my head?

Community Answer

Don't just do it on the floor first; have a pillow. Then make sure you have people to help you with it.
Question

How simple is spinning on my head?

Community Answer

Head spins are a relatively easy move to get started in after learning the basic freezes like the head stand. It will take some work and time to hone down though. The most important part is that you wear some head protection to prevent balding and that you are careful and protect your neck.
Question

How many days will take to learn a complete head spin?

Community Answer

For each person it will take a longer or shorter amount of time, If you are a quick learner you will pick this up quickly, but the quick way is not always the best way. It is best to take it slow and do it right.

Warnings

Only do headspins on flat, smooth floors to avoid injuring your head or neck.

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If you feel pain when performing a headspin, stop immediately and take some time off of practicing. You may need to get checked out by a medical professional before going back to learning how to do a headspin.

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The head, neck and spine are sensitive areas that can get easily injured. Make sure you are in good physical condition before attempting this breakdancing move. You need good back and abdominal muscle development and control to safely perform this move.

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Performing headspins can cause a bald spot on the head. To minimize the risk of this, spread out your practices, wear a head covering, and shower after practicing to detangle your hair.

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