Fortunately, many years of martial arts and other athletics have given me excellent falling instincts 

Undisciplined

practice bailing out if you fall backwards

...is definitely one of the most important components. Like most things, to achieve/ace handstands, you need to fail a thousand times. If you hurt yourself/can't fail properly, you won't get there

HealthAndFitness

Handstands aren’t a trick. They’re a skill.- YouTube

ProofOfWorkFitness

> practice bailing out if you fall backwards

...is definitely one of the most important components. Like most things, to achieve/ace handstands, you need to fail a thousand times. If you hurt yourself/can't fail properly, you won't get there