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Handstand Fail

By Bac on June 25, 2012 in Handstands

This is a collection of the best handstand fail sources I could find on the web.

Before we dive in it’s important to note that hand balancing can be practiced safely but injury is possible, especially if you do stupid things. You can read this article for handstand safety tips. It’s not fun but its important to know and do.

Handstand Treadmill Fail

This is probably the most classic handstand fail video where a man attempts to stand on his hands on a speed treadmill. OUCH!

Don’t Hand Balance in the Kitchen

Wow this one was funny. When walking it’s common to overbalance. Make sure you have room to fall.

Cat interferes with Handstand Practice

If you have animals around, who hasn’t had this happen to them in this or other exercises?

Handstand Destruction

Unfortunately this can be a common issue. Not having control you end up stumbling and crash into something. Sometime it’s not problem, sometimes you break something like in this video.

Car Headstand Fail

There’s a couple hundred bucks. You can feel the guy thinking wow that was stupid after he falls.

Sad Attempts at Handstands

This guy is scared of getting vertical. He definitely needs to do easier moves first before trying a handstand.

Crutch Handstand Fail

This could have been a cool trick if he pulled it off.

Drunk Handstands

When you can barely walk on your legs you should try it on your hands.

Why you should lock out your arms

When doing a handstand in the open or against a wall you should keep your arms locked to avoid looking like this guy.

The Neckstand

I think that’s enough handstand fails for now.

If this page made you laugh please share it.

If you have seen some even better handstand fails be sure to link to them in the comments below.

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Handstand Freezes

By Bac on June 22, 2012 in Bboy, Handstands

The bboy world has a lot of crossover with the hand balancing world. It starts with as simple as the handstand freezes. This video gives you some training tips on doing just that.

Handstand Freezes

There is a decent progression shown in this couple on minutes.

1 – Do a handstand against the wall
2 – Do a one handed handstand against the wall
3 – Do handstands freezes out in the open
4 – Do one arm handstand freezes out in the open (this isn’t shown but is implied)

In bboying the handstands aren’t held for long, but are short stalls, hence the name freeze, as you move from one move to the next.

Still by training in the handstand as you’ll find on this site you could do a lot to improve you bboy skills, especially in handstand freezes.

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Bodybuilder Does Planche

By Bac on June 21, 2012 in Planche

I sometimes make fun of bodybuilders, specifically the ones that look huge yet have no real strength. The same cannot be said for this bodybuilder who does a planche.

It kind of looks fake, just because you don’t expect to see it happen. But it is real. I did a little more research to find out who this was.

Igor Losev, a Russian bodybuilder and two too time Europe Champion in the IFBB.

Here is another longer video of a full posing routine that involves the planche going up to the handstand. Yeah he stumbles but I’d like to see any and all other bodybuilders try that.

In the style of the old-time golden age bodybuilders like John Grimek, I give Igor Losev a great round of applause.

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Straddle Planche Clap Pushups

By Bac on June 20, 2012 in Planche

Wow. Here is a video of straddle planche clap pushups!

As if the planche isn’t hard enough…

And planche pushups aren’t enough to work you out…

To generate the explosive force needed to launch yourself off the floor and clap in this position.

And not one but four reps.

This makes me want to work harder. Can anyone else out there do these straddle planche clap pushups?

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Planche Form

By Bac on June 19, 2012 in Planche

Strict planche form is something that is rare and hard to come by. If you read The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing there’s great tips and ideas on what it takes to achieve it. Here are some examples of a strict planche versus a not so strict one.

Before we get into that, I want to say that a planche in ANY form is still an amazing feat. From there it requires more work to tighten up the form, which makes the move harder.

Strict Planches

Notice the straight arms, the straight back and the straight legs. These are required for a planche in the best of form and one or more will break down in the following examples.

Non Strict Planches

How to do the One Hand Handstand by Professor Orlick

Also with these the legs tend to be higher up then the torso and head and this is amplified by the arch in the back. This same effect can be seen in levers.

Once again, this isn’t to say that these other moves aren’t planches, its just to show you that if you’re planche form isn’t strict you can keep working at it.

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Is a One Arm Handstand Pushup Possible?

By Bac on June 19, 2012 in One Hand, Presses & Pushup

I got this message from Mark in response to the recent post on the one arm handstand pushup.

He makes a really good point, that if people were doing the move, it would be somewhere on video, and everyone in the hand balancing world would achieve it.

Sorry to be a cynic Logan,

But I have this sort of thing happen before, where someone who’s not familiar with hand-balancing tell me they have seen something like the one-handed handstand pushup you mentioned your friend telling you about. You might find they are doing something which is still hard, but which you have seen many times before but which could be mistaken by an amateur. I think you really need to see this sort of thing for yourself either through video footage or with your own eyes.

Either that it’s something that only light bodied 5-7 year olds can do and who lose the skill as their strength to weight ratio (invariably drops) as they get older.

As far as I know there is no footage of the move you are talking about yet on youtube. Every handbalancer would know it was something major if they saw it and it would fly round to the rest of us (I imagine) before too long. The person would gain extreme recognition and respect from the community (I imagine) instantaneously.

I am not saying it’s not out there or not possible, but not yet at any rate….

There was a moment in the following video @2.24 where Caiyong did something which I thought was impossible.

That transition has to be one of the most difficult strength moves in the world. I’ve seen that move before, a one arm pressup from the one arm lever, but never with as little explosiveness and in that strict of style.

Cai Yong is an amazing hand balancer. So perhaps the true one arm handstand pushup isn’t possible (yet) but this that doesn’t mean you can’t build unbelievable strength through hand balancing and do other equally jaw-dropping moves.

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Handstand Bow and Arrow

By Bac on June 18, 2012 in Handstands

If you’re looking for a handstand bow and arrow there may be two things you’re looking for.

The first one is an amazing skill done by some acrobats where they shoot a bow and arrow at a target with their feet while in a handstand. This woman does it blindfolded too.

The second option which I only became aware of when looking for the first, is a pole dancing move known as the handstand bow and arrow. Don’t worry this is PG rated.

You can do the same skill without a pole, just using a wall instead. It could be used as a great way to improve your dynamic flexibility in the leg.

While the second skill isn’t as hard as the first, they’re both great handstand skills. Feel free to try them.

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Handstand Scorpion

By Bac on June 14, 2012 in Bridging, Flexibility & Contortion, Handstands, Yoga

The handstand scorpion is a minor contortion exercise where you go into a big back bend and bend the knees, usually touching them to the top of the head. Sometimes it’s taken even further and the feet come beneath the head.

Here’s a really good video that shows the handstand scorpion and more.

She is also doing a movement she calls the Tic Toc which is going into the bridge and back. There may be a different use of that name for a move in gymnastics.

I’ve seen the handstand fall into a bridge before and done it myself. However getting back into the handstand from that position is much harder. Give it a try yourself. It’s helpful to have a great base in bridging movements before trying any of this.

This Scorpion pose is also known as Vrschikasana in yoga, although that may refer to the version where it’s a forearm stand rather then on the hands. And an interesting little philosophy on this move.

The head, which is the seat of knowledge and power, is also the seat of pride, anger, hatred, jealousy, intolerance and malice. These emotions are more deadly than the poison which the scorpion carries in its sting. The yogi, by stamping on his head with his feet, attempts to eradicate these self-destroying emotions and passions. By kicking his head he seeks to develop humility, calmness and tolerance and thus to be free of ego. The subjugation of the ego leads to harmony and happiness. Read more here.

Work on your handstand scorpion and you’ll not only build balancing ability, but great back flexibility and it can lead up to the other movements shown here. Plus it may help you free yourself from your ego 🙂

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Handstand Backbend

By Bac on June 12, 2012 in Bridging, Flexibility & Contortion, Handstands

There are people that believe you should have no backbend in your handstand at all. That only the straight handstand is how to do a handstand.

But I don’t believe that. Just look at how many contortionists balance using excessive back bend.

When we’re talking about handstand backbend we can be talking about two things.

1) How much backbend you have in your handstand.
2) Going from a handstand into a backbend or a bridge. You might also call this a handstand to bridge.

This video shows you both.

Handstand Backbend

If you’re trying to do this, you don’t need as much back bend as this fellow has but it certainly helps. I would highly recommend improving your gymnast bridge before trying this exercise out.

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How to do a No Handed Cartwheel

By Bac on June 11, 2012 in Flexibility & Contortion, Tumbling

This video will show you how to do a no handed cartwheel which is also known as an aerial.

This is a difficult skill to get to, especially for men, who tend to have less hip flexibility. But with dedicated training I think just about everybody can do it.

The basics of this movement are to first master your cartwheel then your one handed cartwheel. When you can do these easily you can start working towards the aerial.

Be forewarned, that the more hip flexibility you have the easier it will be.

When you’re starting out you’ll need to launch off hard from both the rear leg then front leg. Running into the movement can help.

The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing

It’s also helpful to think of your point of rotation at the shoulders.

At one time I was finally able to do the no handed cartwheel after a lot of time spent trying. Unfortunately I can’t currently do it, but am working back up to the skill. You can see it’s not the most graceful aerial but I did pull it off.

If you enjoyed this article on how to do a no handed cartwheel please leave a comment below.

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