In case you haven’t seen this video, check out one of the greatest athletes out there, Damien Walters.
One thing I think you can take away from this video is that much practice is done in a gymnastics center as well as outside in ‘regular’ terrain. Build up your skills in the safer environment before going outside.
I was sent a couple of articles by Rick over at GymnasticsCoaching.com
These can be found in the Science of Gymnastics Journal found here.
They actually did a study on this? Cool...
One particular article caught my eye, concerning a comparison of hand walking to regular walking.
You’re welcome to read the seven page report yourself but I’ll give you the results they found.
I’ve seen many people compare hand balancing to standing on the feet. While this can be useful in certain situations this study showed that because of the structure of the body things have to be different (no big surprise there).
Gymnasts of various, but all above average skill levels, were used in this study.
What they found was the cadence of walking on the hands was similar to the feet albeit much shorter even if you take into consideration the difference in lengths of the arms and bones.
Also hand walking requires a wider base of support then on the feet.
What they found is that the more skilled gymnasts spent more time with both hands on the ground at one time and with more consistent stride length.
These are just a few things to take into consideration the next time you go for a stroll on your hands.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
P.S. Want full details on how to walk, run, jump, skip and even tap dance on your hands? Check out How to Walk on Your Hands in the Hand Balancing Mastery Course.
This is the second in the series on progress towards the one arm handstand series.
In the Secrets of the Handstand Quick Start Video I show four lead-up stunts that work the skills necessary to do a handstand.
The one arm handstand has lead-up stunts too.
As was discussed previously in part 1, the most important lead-up stunt is to build a stable and consistent handstand that you can hold with ease. Only once you are at this point should you begin work towards that one arm version.
Just like for the regular handstand, a handstand against the wall can be used. In using it to lead-up to the one arm handstand, you’ll obviously do it on one arm.
This can help to build your strength. Plus you’ll be able to work on your position, to make sure you get exactly as you want. This is excellent as I find in my practice that as I fatigue it becomes harder to stay in the locked out position. Much easier to work on building this up without focusing on balancing, by using the wall. With a stronger position you will be able to practice longer and more.
When you do that one arm handstand against the wall you should do it in the same form as you’ll be working on the balance. If your legs are spread, do it legs spread. If you’re working on the one hander with legs together, do that against the wall. Try to minimize your lean as much as possible as you strive for the best position.
Being able to hold the one arm handstand against the wall for 45 seconds to a minute is a good goal to shoot for. This is one important step in the journey towards success.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
P.S. Want more help for the one arm handstand? Be sure to check out How to do the One Hand Handstand by Professor Orlick.
Since releasing the Secrets of the Handstand Quick Start video for free on the site last week there has been more traffic here, more people signing up and lots of emails of thanks. Thanks everyone for spreading it around.
Got this report from Dan who purchased the Secrets of the Handstand Quick Start DVD awhile back before I released it. He has been making progress. As it’s quite long I’ll make comments and answer questions as they come up.
The Frogstand - One of the lead-up stunts to the handstand.
hi – i have gotten to a minute or more on the lead-up stunts but have been only practicing the kick-up and toe-touch handstand for 5 minutes twice a week. i am making progress with it, but because i’m practicing so little, i have only done 5-10 seconds as my max handstand with toes off the wall and have only kicked up into handstand successfully once.
With easier moves like the lead-up stunts and handstand you can get by with a minimal amount of practice. Even five minutes twice a week and you’ll eventually get it. Of course, with more time spent practicing you’ll make progress faster. Also for the harder moves like the one handed handstand don’t think you can get by with this little practice.
i promise i will keep working on it and i am not discouraged at all, just lazy and a little busy. but i know i can do it. i also do two sets of ten handstand pushups (going half way down or so) to build up some strength. i’m definitely stronger than when i started.
Though I didn’t include handstand pushups in that DVD they’re obviously a great exercise for building strength. A great complement to the work you’re doing
sometimes i practice on a hard floor and sometimes on the carpet or grass. hard floor seems easier….do you have any comments about pros and cons of using a soft surface?
A hard surface is superior in that you can transfer the force in your wrists and hands to balance best. A soft surface has give making this harder. If you want a real challenge attempt to hand balance in the sand. On the flip side a complete newbie may want to try handstand’s in the grass first, in case they fall.
also my wrists tend to hurt after less than a minute of being in a handstand….they get better after a few minutes, but i do tend to quit because i am afraid of injuring my wrists. i do stretch them for about 10 seconds in two directions before i start practicing. do you have a suggestion of how much discomfort you should practice through and when you should quit for a while? (i’m 36 yrs old and healthy.)
There is a difference in pain of stretching and pain from an injury. Hopefully you won’t come close to the second. Stretching first is important. As you warm them up and get use to the position they should become more flexible. At this point you can keep going. If they start to feel sore, like you’ve done too much, then you should call it a day.
i like the dvd. i like the ideas of lead-ups and toe-touch and kick-up suggestions – i wouldn’t have thought to do any of those on my own, i don’t think. i don’t have any suggestions for improvement in the video other than to say something about keeping your mind quiet when you are up there. as a novice, my thoughts tend to race when i get upside down. “am i doing it right…my arms are getting tired, i’m gonna fall” etc. of course these thoughts hurt your performance. so concentrating on breathing or the body position or something is helpful to prevent your mind from working against you. thanks and hope to hear from you.
Dan
Thanks for the report Dan. I agree with you about the mind. Instead of thinking of all the component parts, which can be tough in the beginning, merely focus on what you’re trying to achieve, staying in the handstand.
Now I’d love to hear your thoughts on the video. Are you seeing success with the lead-up stunts? Hit a road block anywhere? Comment below.
And of course, if you haven’t seen this video yet all you have to do is sign up on the side.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
My current goal in hand balancing is to do the one arm handstand. Its been a goal for a long time.
On that note I’m going to start a new series of articles that detail my progress toward it. This series will be off and on as I try new exercises, have breakthrough’s and make progress. There will be no known end point and no regular schedule to these, but they‘ll come when they come.
Before I get to that though we need to start with the preliminaries.
Where should you be at in your hand balancing practice before you begin in the one arm handstand?
Bob Jones in a One Arm Handstand
Bob Jones from The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing says:
“He who cannot walk can hardly run, and it is equally true that one who cannot do a correct two hands balance can hardly hope to master the balance on one hand. And by this term I do not mean mere ability to stand on the two hands; I mean the ability to stand in good position and to remain there by balancing correctly. So, before making a pass as the one-hander, check back on your two hands position.
“The position on two hands must be with arms straight and perpendicular when viewed from the side. Use all your back bend-whether much or little does not make too much difference, but use all of it until you learn the balance; then you can stiffen up if desired. Go over Chapter 7 and check your position to make certain you balance correctly in the proper position; weight on the ball of the hand, balance by wrist action (imagine that you are balancing on one hand on a silver dollar placed underneath the first two knuckles), and not by wiggling or shimmying the legs from knees, hips, or small of back. If you feel satisfied, let us proceed.”
And from Professor Orlick in How to do the One Hand Handstand:
“YOU MUST FIRST MASTER THE TWO-HAND HANDSTAND. That’s right! You cannot possibly do a good One-Hand Handstand until you can do a perfect Two-Hand Handstand.
“This does not mean that you must be able to perform all of the hundreds of tricks in my basic course “Handbalancing Made Easy”. It simply means that you must be able to press into a perfect Two-Hand Handstand and hold it with absolute control. It means that your elbows must be straight and locked, that your shoulders must be stretched out and locked, that your back must be only slightly arched, your knees perfectly straight and your toes pointed.
“When your shoulders are fully stretched out, you shoulder muscles (deltoids) should actually be pressing against your ears. Furthermore, there should be a straight bone-to-bone alignment at your elbow and shoulder joints so that no strength is needed to support your bodyweight. When you get into this fully locked-out position, with every part of your body stiffened out into a straight line from your hands to the very tip of your toes, then you will be able to hold the Perfect Two-Hand Handstand with practically no effort whatsoever. In fact, all that it will require to keep you up there is the slightest bit of pressure against the floor with your fingertips.
“The fully locked-out position in the two-hand handstand, is the half-way mark to the One-Hand Handstand. This is the position you must assume every time you want to go into the One-Hand Handstand. In fact, this is so close to the One-Hand Handstand that you can’t get much closer to it without actually doing it.
“YOU should practice the perfect Two-Hand Handstand until you have absolute control of it before going on to the One-Hand Handstand. You can figure that you have reached this point when you can hold a fully locked-out two-hand handstand consistently for about 45 seconds. Most good handbalancers can hold it twice this long so you should keep on practicing until at least one minute is well within your capability.”
While there is disagreement about the back-bend the rest of the details are similar. Before beginning the one arm handstand you need to be able to hold a handstand with ease in good position.
If you can’t do this, your efforts towards the one arm handstand are going to result in nothing but frustration.
This is getting me excited to work on my position more right now.
Next time we’ll look at some other important lead-up stunts before beginning in earnest with the one armer itself.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
I’m doing something radical…and you benefit.
You know the Secrets of the Handstand Quick Start DVD which regularly sells on the site for $29.95.
Yep, I’m now literally giving that away with no catch, unless you call getting more tips and updates via my email newsletter a catch.
All you have to do to get it is sign up right there on the side.
Free Handstand Video
But I want more people to get started with handstands. I know my system is the best way to get someone into a stable freestanding handstand, short of one on one coaching.
And my hope is that once you can do the handstand with ease you’ll move onto the more difficult stunts and perhaps buy my other books and courses to learn those.
Plus I want you to share this with everyone you know. Tell your friends. Post on facebook, twitter, on your own blog. All I ask is that you link to the signup page – https://lostartofhandbalancing.com/free-handstand-video/ – rather than directly to the video so they can sign up as well.
Also this is my way of saying thanks to you.
Enjoy!
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
This is a long but interesting training video from a few years back. It details a Chinese acrobatics school as they prepare for the biggest acrobatics competition in China.
You may not like what you see. How hard they push the students. But to be the very best sacrifices have to be made.
Also be sure to watch the coaching they give in the moves. You may learn something. (Also beware that there is almost a minute of advertising before the video actually starts.)
Thanks to John for sending this in to me.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
Thanks for all the comments on the previous post on the different ways people come to hand balancing.
Different ideas and issues were raised so I’d like to delve further into the subject for today.
Gymnastics – First off George corrected me about hand balancing in gymnastics. I’ll reprint what he said below.
In other parts of the world hand balancing is becoming part of another gymnastic sport-discipline once called Sport Aerobics, now often termed as Aerobic Gymnastics. Though their hand balance skills are simple Crocks… I predict that this will grow much much larger. This sport is huge in many european countries.
I stand corrected. It seems my gymnastic experience only goes as far as what I see in the major events in the Olympics. But in the future I’ll be diving deeper into these other disciplines.
Capoeira in Action
Several people come to my site in efforts to improve their handstands for more strength and endurance in order to increase their Capoeira skills.
Parkour – Freerunners or Traceurs (the term for those that practice Parkour) obviously cover a wide variety of acrobatic and movement skills. I’ve heard in described as Parkour being moving as efficiently as possible through a path or course. While Freerunning adds the elements of skill and tricks to the mix. In this case handstands would make more sense for freerunning as walking across a field on your hands is quite inefficient compared to running across.
Of course, it’s all about mastering the human body and movement. Hand balancing is the same. So it’s no wonder that those who are proficient and experts in Parkour are usually proficient or experts in hand balancing. The two go together hand in hand and that’s why I offer the Parkour Tutorial DVD on this site.
Crossfit – This would certainly fit into the bodyweight trainees category. While I don’t agree with everything they do, Crossfit should be applauded for bringing all the best movements, with weights and without, to people. This includes handstand and handstand pushups.
Just a few more ways people may get started and interested in handstands and hand balancing. Any way you come at it is good. And all ways are equally valid. Not to mention if you find yourself in one group you can learn by going outside the boundaries and learn from the others.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
Different groups of people practice hand balancing for different reasons.
Handstand in Yoga
When doing hand balancing in yoga, as in all yoga the goal, is to hold the pose, usually for longer periods of time. (I know this is a simplification.) To balance and go inside, as yoga is more than a physical practice.
Break Dancing – Breakdancing incorporates a number of hand balancing movements. Again these come in all different names. In break dancing moves are rarely held for a long time instead movements are strung together and made to flow.
Often in these balances break dancers will contort their body in order to hold the balance. This gives their balances a different look then the other disciplines. Make no doubt about it, great break dancers have great skill and strength.
Circus Performers – The circus has a wide range of skills and many of the incorporate hand balancing at one time or another. Contortionists, acrobats, even jugglers go into various hand balances. Then of course, there are the equilibrists, the best of the best. The hand balancing they do is the best in the world and awe inspiring to watch.
In order to get to this level you will need professional coaching, and many hours over years of practice.
Bodyweight Trainees – This is how I came to hand balancing. Working out in various ways I came to use my own bodyweight as my primary means of resistance. This led to doing handstands and eventually handstand pushups against the wall. One day I thought it would be fun to do it all without the wall and that led to my first attempts at doing a freestanding handstand. Hand balancing goes well with any variety of strength training.
Gymnasts – Probably the most well known and even biggest group of hand balancers. Their balances are done with a perfectly straight body to score good with the judges (and many think if you do it any other way you are doing it wrong and/or going to hurt yourself).
In a lot of gymnastics the skills move into and out of the handstand but specific hand balancing skills aren’t practiced all that often. In order to do a one arm handstand a gymnast will have to work outside of the normal gymnastic skills. But you can’t deny the best gymnasts are some of the strongest and most skilled people out there.
Everyday People – Then there is just your average person who wants to do a handstand. Maybe these other categories inspired them to want to do so. Maybe the idea came from somewhere else. You don’t have to fit into one of these groups to get good although just working on the basic movements is often enough for many people. Being able to hold a handstand with ease is the end goal. But some choose to keep pursuing what they can do in hand balancing.
No one group of people is better than any other. They can all learn from one another. They can all pursue what they want in their own way. Here at Lost Art Of Hand Balancing I hope to offer something to everyone regardless of their goals.
For your average person looking to get started the Secrets of the Handstand DVD would be the best place to start.
Someone looking to expand their repertoire would want to check out The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing or the Hand Balancing Mastery Course to discover tons of new and advanced skills.
An expert or professional may have skills beyond these materials but maybe they could use a pair of hand balancing stands.
And this doesn’t even begin to cover the acrobatic arts outside of handbalancing that are closely related.
If you’ve read this far why don’t you comment below and tell me what brought you to hand balancing in the first place?
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
Just the other day I received this amazing story from a professional hand balancer by the name of Jonathan Ferland-Valois.
I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the story but that doesn’t make it any less of a good story. And I do hope its true.
Hi! I heard a story you might find very interesting. I work in a circus, I’m an acrobat that trains in hand balancing, aerial straps, and strength stuff (per example, I’m working hard on my one arm handstand push-up). I already talked with you like one year ago, when I was still in Montréal (I told you I was an ex-gymnast). Today, I was training with other performers for a show we’ll have soon, and one of them told me that cool story:
One of his friends, a good hand balancer, went in China, where he wanted to train with a master of hand balancing. That master was in his 60’s. The student showed him his one arm handstand, which was already very good and solid. The master went in handstand right beside him, then he used one of his hands to slap him, telling him to do better. The student tried to correct his position, and then the master stayed in one-arm handstand, and started pushing him with his free hand, saying: “You’re not enough stable.” The student felt back in a regular handstand, but the master kept pushing him with his free hand, telling him he wasn’t stable, until the student just fell on his back. All the time, the master stayed in one arm handstand, pushing and slapping the student.
When the student (the performer’s friend) came back, he had crazy good hand balancing. And his numero was absolutely incredible. There was a 8 foot high stand, with handbalancing canes on it. To go on the stand, there was pegs, climbing with about a 45 degrees angle. Do you know how the guys was going on the stand? Not climbing the pegs on his hands, it would have been too easy. He was doing it in Thomas flares! And another crazy trick he had in his routine was a one arm back handspring, stopping in one arm handstand. That’s nuts, isn’t?
So, I asked my friend to find a video of that. Cause I really, really want to see. If I ever get the video, I’ll ask their permission to send it to you. Cause you already know very good western hand balancer. But maybe there’s a couple of very crazy hand balancers from far east that you’d like to know about! Anyway, now I want to go train in China, ha ha! And I’ll probably do it not this summer, but at the end of the next summer.
Good training, for pulling that firetruck!
Thanks for sending that in and I hope you get a hold of that video.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
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