The "
back uprise to free hip handstand" that Rick refers to is ALMOST the same trick as the "
cast-off-shoot-to-a-handstand" that I refer to. Some may even say that it's the same trick.
The only difference is that the "
cast-off" refers to having your arms at your hips, resting in an upright position with your upper body above the bar and your legs below the bar. Then you "
cast-off" from the bar in a backwards and upwards direction. From there, you swing down as per the PVP vid.
On the other hand, a "
back uprise" doesn't necessarily imply that you start from an upright, resting position on the bar. For example, you might start it from a kip ... or from a long backswing (as you see Dub Jones do it in the vid - keep in mind that he has special grips to help him on his backswing! Don't try to do this without those grips, or you'll unravel your fingers!

).
In either case, the "
shoot-to-a-handstand" is identical.
As far as difficulty goes, I'd recommend that you learn to do a "
shoot-to-a-handstand" first the "
cast-off" way, then the "
kip" way, then ... with the proper grips ... the "
backswing" way.
If you have uneven bars available to use, it's even easier to just learn the "
shoot" from the low bar. Just jump up a bit off the mat to give yourself the "
cast-off" or "
back uprise" effect.
Kirk