Tag Archives | Bob Jones

Planche Training

By admin on September 6, 2008 in Planche

The quality of the questions coming in has, for the most part improved.

Here’s a great one on planche training from Josh,

“hey ive just learnt about planche a few weeks back and have looked up many ways of progression towards a full planche, i know it is not an over night thing but what would you recommend to do for progression? i can just hold a tuck planche for about 10 seconds but im not very far off the ground”

There are a few different ways you can go about this.

I’ll give you one of the best ways to do it. I was just re-reading The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing and Bob Jones talks a good amount about it on the chapter about the Planche.

The planche is such a difficult feat to perform because of the enormous leverage against the shoulders. On top of this you have to keep your body completely straight with no support except by the arms.

How do you work up to this? By making it easier. And that means lessening the leverage.

Here’s two ways you can do that. Spread the legs as wide as you can. And bending the knees. Combine these to lower the leverage even more.

Even like this though, most people will not be able to hold a planche position. It still requires great shoulder and upper body strength.

So work it as far as you can go. Lower from a handstand as far into the planche as you can, with the bent and spread legs.

Work this over time and you’ll build the strength you need.

If you want more on the planche get the book here. Plus you’ll learn what a true planche looks like and why most people are doing it wrong.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

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Stories of Bob Jones and other Hand Balancers

By admin on May 10, 2008 in Uncategorized

Just a couple weeks ago I was contacted by a man who knew and trained with Bob Jones among many other hand balancers. His name is Stu Goldberg and he has a few stories to share.

I thought you might be interested. Plus there are many pictures too.

If you want to learn how Bob used a sewing thread to help balance, or who won the longest handstand contest there’s a new article up. Remembering the Old Hand Balancing Days

How to do the One Hand Handstand by Professor Orlick

Rest assured in the coming weeks I’ll be sharing even more with you.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. Only a few days left to get the Tumbling Course at its launch price.

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How to Kick-up into a Handstand

By admin on March 22, 2008 in Handstands

The kick-up is one of the most important skills you have to learn if you want to do a handstand, next to balancing with your hands and keeping your body tight.The question is, how consistent is your kick-up?I didn’t figure this out right away when I started, but if you can kick up the exact same each time then getting into and holding a handstand is easy.

The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing

If your kick-up is all over the place, then there’s no wonder why you have a hard time getting into a hand balance.

Of course, there are several different ways to kick-up. I cover all the basic ways for the beginner and even more advanced variation in the April issue of the newsletter.

My favorite regular kick-up I learned from Bob Jones in The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing. That one is shown here.

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usTC0oXqXtI]

There are a bunch of fine details that make a kick-up work. I am not gonna lie and say that I never miss a single one, but after concentrating on this for some time I no longer hit only one handstand out of ten like I use to.

If you’re having trouble with yours, start practicing. Better yet get the newsletter and learn all about how to get it done, the best method of practicing, and how far you can take it.

I wish it was ready to go right now, but I’m just putting the finishing touches and final edits on it before it the newsletter and DVD’s go to press.

In the mean time, I hope you enjoy these video clips.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. You can learn more about Bob Jones’ 4-step method of kicking-up into a handstand here.

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Chinese Acrobats do Handstands on Chairs

By admin on February 14, 2008 in Uncategorized

Chinese Acrobats Handstand on Chairs

Whoa!

This is just a sneak peak of what they best acrobats from China can do and one of many hand balancing tricks involving chairs shown in The Art of Chinese Acrobatics.

That’s 16 people doing handstands on top of more than a dozen chairs and some other apparatus.

My biggest question is how do you get into that? I’ve seen some crazy pyramid formations but this takes the cake. In this case it might actually be harder to get into position than hold it!

Now you may not be able to pull of this stunt, but there’s no reason you can’t use a chair to increase your handstand skills.

Try to press up into a handstand from a normal sitting position. Not a novice move but by no means a very difficult one either. It’s sure to amaze any onlookers though.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. You can see a picture of Bob Jones doing a hand balance on a chair on page 121 of The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing. Except in this case it’s a rocking chair adding even more difficulty to the balancing. As you can see the sky is the limit in what you can accomplish.

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Changing up your Handstand Pushups

By admin on January 31, 2008 in Uncategorized

In sticking with the pressing theme started earlier this week I want to cover a little bit more in this tip.

Many people get into hand balancing as a result of doing handstand pushups against a wall. This was the case for me and I know its the same for many others.

I learned that holding a handstand then doing pushups is one of the ultimate bodyweight exercises for your upper body. But when I started I couldn’t do a single rep.

Still the idea of one day being able to rep out handstand pushups AWAY from a wall always inspired me and I have made my way toward that goal.

Being able to do freestanding handstand pushups is a feat very few can replicate. Many people do not have the strength. Even fewer have the balance.

One thing I noticed that tends to throw people off is their hand and arm position.

If you were to kick up against a wall to do pushups what position would you take? Is this the same position you’d take away from the wall?

Play around with the width and angle of you hands and arms and you will find you can change the difficulty of handstand pushups considerably.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. There is no way I would have made this much progress without the help of these two men – Professor Paulinetti and Bob Jones.

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Finger Handstand

By admin on January 10, 2008 in Handstands

Two Finger Handstand by Shaolin Monk

Fingertip training is one of the less common forms of hand balancing today. In fact you hardly see it at all.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t practice it.

First some words of caution. The fingers are small and fragile. If you move into this realm too fast, you may end up breaking them, snapping tendons or any number of bad things so be careful.

Starting with a fingertip handstand is probably too much for most people. Even this most basic move must be worked up to. And fingertip pushups are the best way to do that.

Even without practicing finger balancing you hand and finger strength will improve. Just from the practice of balancing on your hands you can’t help but gain some strength in your digits.

But for true fingertip stunts you need to do them in one form or another.

If you are ready for the fingertip handstand then I suggest using a wall on your first go. Holding your bodyweight on your fingers is one thing. Balancing is another.

Not only do you have a smaller base of support but you must add pressure in order to stay balanced. This makes your fingers support your weight and then some.

Once you can hold the fingertip stand it’s a matter of progressing until you reach your goal.

That goal may be the Thumb Stand made famous by Bob Jones. Doing it on top of Indian clubs is up to you.Or maybe you want to hold an index finger stand.

In Shaolin: Wheel of Life one of the stunts performed is a handstand held on the two index fingers. He has his feet supported but it’s still one of the most impressive feats possible.

If you don’t have a copy of this video yet get one now. It’s one of the most motivational, inspirational, and awe-inspiring videos in existence.

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A Night at the Circus

By admin on December 4, 2007 in Uncategorized

Circus Chimera had come to town. And I was not going to miss it. Last night, a group of friends and myself went to get in on the fun.

Sure its not Cirque de Soleil, but still, these guys and gals were good.

I knew that among the dancing, clowns, jugglers, acrobats, tap dancers from Argentina, and everything else there was bound to be some hand balancing.

The contortionists did not disappoint.

First up was a guy who started in the splits then moved into positions they probably don’t even have names for.

He crouched down on one arm and lifted up into a one-arm half planche. Now this skill is not very difficult (unlike a normal one-arm planche). Since your body rests on your elbow it does not take a huge amount of strength, just bodily control and balance. What impressed me was how this guy made it look. Perfect and steady as a rock, he got a big round of applause from the crowd.

After he squeezed into a small box as his finale, a Chinese girl came on stage. She went into the super limber back routine. A few kick-overs and turning about in inhuman ways later, she placed her hands on the ground.

She went into a hand balance with here legs spread wide. I can imagine, that doing the splits in air makes it easier to balance, since it lowers your center of gravity.

Bob Jones talks about the degree of bend in your back. Well this girl had her rear hovering just over her head as she balanced. You can find similar pictures in the last chapter of the book. Overall the show was well worth my time. It got me to thinking. What I have described was pretty much the full extent of hand balancing within this show.

If you could put together a nice little routine like the ones outlined in The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing, with your very best skill being a one-arm handstand, you could rightfully run off and join the circus.

I realize that may not be on your list of goals in life.

However, with a decent amount of practice you could be amazing people with your skills just like these performers anywhere you choose.

I suggest to all of you anytime you have an opportunity to see this kind of show you go. It will be sure to entertain and inspire as well.

Until next time,
Logan Christopher

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What a broom can teach you about hand balancing

By admin on December 4, 2007 in Handstands

Everyone has done this at one time or another. A broom is a common item but any long straight object will do just fine.

Put one end on your open palm with the other end straight up in the air and keep it there by balancing.

This is not very difficult and let me tell you why. The broom is straight and solid. Your efforts at balancing it from the bottom translate straight up to the top so it is quite easy to keep it in the air.

Of course, this is related to hand balancing. However, there are some big differences.

Your body is not just one straight long object. You have mobile joints at your elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. And then there’s your spine which has many moving pieces.

This is not an anatomy lesson. My point is that your efforts of balancing on your hands may not directly translate to keeping your feet in the air.

Your target must be keeping your body from wrists to toes unmoving so that you can balance.

Keeping your body tight is the key to holding a quality handstand. Any leak means getting out of proper position and a much tougher time getting back in.

So stay tight, but don’t forget to breathe.

In the beginning all this is not as easy as it appears, especially when you are in the unfamiliar upside down position. But keep practicing.

When you can keep your body rigid then handstands are a piece of cake.

Sincerely,
Logan Christopher

P.S. For in depth instuctions on how to get into position and hold it check out Professor Paulinetti and Bob Jones’ Book

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The Secret to Hand Balancing is…

By admin on December 4, 2007 in Handstands

Some people say that there are no secrets left in the world. If you ask me, that is pure B.S. If you don’t know something then that something is a secret to you. If there were no secrets in hand balancing then no one would be buying The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing.

If you want to get good at anything, learn from the experts. Professor Paulinetti and Bob Jones would certainly fit under that definition.

Actually there are many secrets to hand balancing. Today, I want to cover just one of these so here it is.

It is called ‘hand balancing’ for a reason. I have watched many people kick up into a handstand only to be on the ground moments latter. One of the major points they lack is the sensitivity in the hands that is required.

Don’t miss a word of this, you must balance by the action of your hands. No flailing of your legs or weaving your body back and forth. Its all in the hands.

Take a moment right now to step away from your computer and kick-up into a handstand. Get a feel for the control in your hands.

This kind of control is why great hand balancers have not only strong and muscled arms, but forearms to match.

When you take this little key and master it, staying in a handstand becomes a simple task. Just imagine that…

This is just one piece of advice that can help you in a big way. To learn many more secrets from true masters of this art get your copy of The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing

Sincerely,
Logan Christopher

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John Grimek Hand-to-Hand Balance

By admin on November 29, 2007 in Uncategorized

John Grimek Hand-to-Hand Balance

Here is John Grimek holding Glenn Marlin in a low hand-to-hand balance. This shot made the cover of the short lived magazine Acro-Chat. Unfortunately this magazine, covering all things acrobatic with writers such as Ray Van Cleef and Bob Jones, caved in due to financial problems.

This comes from an article inside talking about the picture.

“A pleasant renewal was our chance meeting in Chicago with our old friend John Grimek. Grimek the most famous physical specimen of our time is also a very capable acrobat, easily doing handstands, backbends and splits, as well as having a natural ability as an understander. In his youth Grimek spent a great deal of his time practicing acrobatics at Chicago’s North Beach.”

Bodybuilders like Grimek, were much different from the ones of today.

Here is a bit from an interview done with the late Reg Park talking about how Grimek’s posing routine won the 1948 Mr. Universe Contest for him.

“John Grimek won the 1948 Mr. Universe, but in my book, Steve Reeves should have beaten him. When it came down to sheer physical beauty – which was what I thought the Mr. Universe contest was about – Reeves was way ahead of Grimek. John started off with acrobatics and presses from the floor into handstands, that and his muscle control, well, the roof almost caved in from applause he received. But there you are, that is what mass hysteria can do at a muscle contest.”

I’d like to see any of the bodybuilders of today do any of those skills in their contest besides just pose. It would be impressive if one could even hold a handstand, but that’s not likely to happen. Watching bodybuilding contests might become a favorite pastime of mine if they all performed like Grimek did.

A good dose of acrobatics, hand balancing, and weightlifting and you too can build up a physique with the strength to back it up like John Grimek.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. There will be more coming as far as articles and pictures from Acro-Chat magazine.

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