There are few things which go over better with the average audience than seeing someone dancing on his hands. Spectators invariably conclude that you must be terrific to be so good on your hands that you can not only stand, and walk, and run, but even dance on them. Yet dancing on your hands is not difficult, if you learn everything we have covered so far. In fact, you will already have done just about everything you will do when dancing.
The important thing now is to put it to music, or at least to a rhythmic beat. To start with, just turn on some dance music with a good strong beat to it, kick up into a handstand, and then try to move your hands in time with the beat.
Next, try taking little steps forwards, backwards, and sidewards, always keeping in time with the beat. Then, do some of the turns we covered above, but again do them in time with the music. By now you will actually be dancing on your hands, and even if you did little more than this it would still be enough to get a hand from any appreciative audience.
This video blends elements of dance with hand balancing and other acrobatics. You especially have to admire the flow from one move to the next.
Have you seen some great videos of handstand dances? If you do be sure to share them with me.
When it comes to handstand endurance there are probably two different things you want to shoot for.
The first is to hold a handstand against the wall for as long as you can.
Without having to balance you can just focus on building your body’s ability to sustain that position. By doing this you’re building endurance that certainly can transfer over to doing freestanding handstands.
Another aspect of this is that you’ll be able to practice more, because each move won’t be as fatiguing as before when you build up your endurance.
The second way is to work on holding a handstand for longer and longer periods of time out in the open. Here’s a rather boring video showing this in action.
Now a handstand of about a minute and twenty seconds is no world record, though it is far better then most people can manage.
I would also caution you if you’re trying to build up your skill and endurance that it is far better to stand in one place. I also came across this video of a handstand endurance competition, but these people are walking all over the place on their hands.
The handstand clap pushup is an amazing skill. In this post you’ll learn about and see a couple different ways to do it.
Although it’s called a “pushup” the truth is the easiest way to do it is to not really do a pushup. By generating a jumping action from the feet you can launch yourself into the air, clap, and then land back in the handstand.
Here is a good example of that. There is only a slight bend in the arms before launching and when landing.
Contrast that to this one. Here the jump is generated fully from the legs, but it is not caught in a handstand position or even close to it. The guy ends up in basically the bottom of the handstand pushup and must press back up.
Now here is where it truly becomes handstand pushup with claps and not just a jumping handstand with a clap. Not only does he not use the legs at all but he manages several reps in a row.
These strict handstand clap pushups are tough to do. Even the earlier version are going to be outside the realm of what most people can manage.
“What do I want to be when I grow up? The same thing I wanted when I was five, six, twenty, and forty…to be in the circus…”
In forty years of performing Johnny Yong (The Yong Brothers) became a legend as the world’s best hand-to-hand acrobat whose achievements have not been equaled to this day. Not only was he the highlight in every great circus of the world (from Ringling to Cirque Bouglione), he performed internationally in the world’s finest cabarets and theaters (The Lido, Radio City, Moulin Rouge), the most elite casinos (Circus Circus, Casino du Liban), Royal Command Performances throughout Europe, and on television throughout the world performing alongside such greats as Bob Hope, Marlene Dietrich, Lana Turner, and Meadowlark Lemon – to mention but a few
In his new book A Balanced Life Johnny Yong reveals all of the experiences that occur when your life is the circus…the stage, be it live or televised.
“We are enjoying it immensely and struck by how you weave the story of the journeys of you, and your family so cleverly, and how your story is, in part, the story of every one of us back then. The tile itself is ingenious – it accurately encompasses your dreams and your life – Congratulations on a true literary achievement – it’s sure to be a best seller!”
~Siegfried & Roy
At Age forty-six Johnny retired from performing and two weeks later joined the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department, recently just honored for his thirtieth year, and Lieutenant Johnny Yong at the age of seventy-six is far from retiring.
“A Balanced Life is the autobiography of the renowned equilibrist Johnny Yong who I clearly recall seeing in 1953 at the prestigious Bertram Mills Circus…What a remarkable, interesting life this man has led! An autobiography not to be missed.”
~Don Stacey, King Pole
In his sixties Johnny was encouraged by the Sheriff’s Department to enter the Florida Sate Law Enforcement and Fire Department Olympic Games. He immediately began winning gold medals in Power lifting, Bench Press and various track and field events.
While he had already won 25 gold medals in power lifting, in 2006 – at the age of 71 – after having broken the state and national record, Johnny Yong broke the world record for power lifting and is winning awards and breaking more records to this day.
“..as taut and efficient as the muscle of its performing subject… fun to read… takes on life beyond the spotlight of a legend…narrative that is “balanced” by self-assurance, the instinct for survival…fascinating glimpses into a rich, disciplined life awaiting its next act and the applause it may bring….writing from the heart, Yong inspires the reader’s ovation.”
~Mort Gamble, White Tops
A Balanced Life is about the life of this talented and gifted performer with dozens of original photographs and newspaper clippings illustrating the phenomenal, and often dangerous, feats of The Yong Brothers.
To see a live performance: https://circopedia.org/index.php/Yong_Brothers_Video_1978 as well as numerous other internet sites with photos, videos, and reviews of The Yong Brothers.
I’ve never read a biography of a hand balancer before. Would be very interesting to do so I’m planning on picking up this book. It’s available on Amazon and you can click the image below to check it out for yourself.
The other week I posted a video on my first ever attempt in a gymnastic rings dream machine. It was fun then and I’ve used it a few more times since then. If you’re interested in building your own dream machine, it’s not too difficult. This video series will give you everything you need to know to do it yourself.
How to Make a Gymnastic Rings Dream Machine Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Review
If you build one yourself be sure to come back and here and say if it all worked for you like the videos said or if you made any changes at all be sure to comment below.
This video shows a man doing 5 ring handstand push-ups. Can you do this too? I could probably do one or two reps right now if I tried.
The ring handstand pushup takes much more strength then even full range handstand pushups against a wall. Although the straps can be used so you don’t have to balance, the strength it takes to stabilize your body dramatically increases.
There apparently is a big joke about doing a handstand on the South Pole. That if you go there and do a handstand that you are holding the world up.
If you go to the south pole and do a handstand are you holding up the earth? - Philosoraptor
Here's another one that basically says the same thing.
Finally I like to see someone that has actually done it. So here you go a real south pole handstand.
Chaz Firestone does a Handstand at the South Pole
(By the way you can tell he’s just about falling in an under balance. My guess is he’s not great at standing on his hands.)
So the answer is no you would not be holding the world up, but yet if you’re at the south pole go ahead and do a handstand anyway so you can tell people you’ve done it.
Here on a video videos that show the handstand on slackline stunt. This is not an easy one to do. I would highly recommend you learn how to stand on your hands on solid ground first and also how to easily stand on a slackline on your feet too, before you try to put the two together.
I like the excitement here at muscle beach in Santa Monica as several people perform these handstands.
Here is another way to do a handstand on the slackline from already standing on top of it.
I’ve seen some professionals even do one handed handstand on the slackline, so this stunt can be taken pretty far.
Handstand shrugs are a seldom used exercise yet they can be quite important.
Ask any professional hand balancer, or just watch them at work, and you’ll see how much their shoulders are shrugged up towards their ears. (Here is an example of Cai Yong.) This is necessary to get the locked out position that makes balancing much better.
But this isn’t necessary to do just a regular handstand. Handstands can be done even with the shoulders packed in, but this is not optimal.
Shrugged vs. Not Shrugged
Kick up into a handstand against the wall. Keep your arms locked at the elbows the entire time. Just using the muscles of your shoulder girdle and traps, shrug up, trying to make yourself taller. Stretch as far as you can go. Then lower using the same muscles and repeat.
The most important thing is that this exercise can help build the shoulder flexibility you need to get into the best handstand position possible.
Some people are interested in the Sanskrit term for the handstand in yoga. If that’s you then here is the answer.
Adho Mukha Vrksasana
Like its inverted cousins such as Forearm Balance and Headstand, a major obstacle to Handstand is a natural fear of falling. So the basic pose will be described with the heels supported against a wall. Make sure that there are no hanging pictures or other decorations on the wall directly above you.
(ah-doh moo-kah vriks-SHAHS-anna) adho mukha = face
downward (adho = downward; mukha = face)
vrksa = tree
