Tag Archives | Chinese Acrobatics

Chinese Acrobat Training Video

By on May 24, 2010 in Uncategorized

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.

Hand Balancing Made EasyHandBalancingMadeEasy_on_Amazon

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

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Watching the Amazing Chinese Acrobats

By on August 1, 2008 in Uncategorized

I was down at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk yesterday. Not to go on any rides but to watch the new show they’ve been having. The Amazing Chinese Acrobats.

I’ll never turn down an opportunity to watch talented individuals to their thing.

Before it all began the announcer was saying that many of these acrobats had trained since they were four years old. That it took athletic strength, impeccable balance, and flawless timing to do these stunts.

Ultimate Guide to Handstand Pushups
Ultimate Guide to Handstand Pushups on Amazon

I fully agree with those statements. I’m going to try to head back to take some pictures and write up a few articles like I did for the Moscow Circus last year if I get the permission.

Just to give you an idea of what took place: a contortionist balancing glasses, a woman juggling a table with her feet, seven people on a single bicycle, pole climbing, hand balancing on the stacked chairs, and more.

Many of the classic Chinese acrobatic feats. Of course there were some new spins and I was impressed by their showmanship.

There were some kids nearby who exclamations made it seem like every move was an impossibility.

Don’t get me wrong, it was some amazing stuff. I couldn’t do a bunch of it and I was clapping right along with everyone else.

But here I was thinking I can do that one. I could get that with a little practice. To me nothing was impossible or magical. Just dedication and practice.

I don’t mean to come off as saying I’m on the level of these athletes. My point is that anyone can work up to some level of skill in feats similar to these.

And you don’t have to start at four years old, be five feet tall, or weigh less than 120 lbs.

If I can learn how to do a back flip just about anyone can.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. If you’re in the area, check out the show which is running through August 21st. If you’re not you can see of the best Chinese Acrobatics in the world.

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Handstand on Blocks

By on March 1, 2008 in Uncategorized

My first thought when I saw this picture was ‘Uh-Oh.’

Handstand on Blocks

The reason I was thinking this, is because if I (or most people for that matter) was in his position I’d be in for quite a fall. But I think this acrobat has it under control.

This is from The Art of Chinese Acrobatics. Here’s the comments in the book about it.

Tumbling Illustrated
Tumbling Illustrated on Amazon

‘Handstands on Movable Wooden Blocks puts the basic acrobatic skill of the handstand in a new perspective. An acrobat, balancing upside down, piles two parallel rows of wooden blocks on a bench while establishing various poses along the way. The performance in which the acrobat pushes away the piled blocks and drops himself onto the bench is particulary impressive.’

If you look at the first sentence you’ll notice it calls the handstand a basic acrobatic skill. That it is, though it might be painful to hear if you’re struglling with this ‘basic’ move. But the truth is the handstand is only the beginning, the foundation from which so much else is built.

It takes quite the skill to catch yourself in a handstand from a drop. You have to agree that this is an impressive feat especially at that height, where lack of balance means possible pain and injury.

Dropping into a handstand is a move you can practice in many other ways though, even if its just you jumping into one on the floor.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. To build that handstand foundation be sure to check out Hand Balancing Made Easy.

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Chinese Acrobats do Handstands on Chairs

By on February 14, 2008 in Uncategorized

Chinese Acrobats Handstand on Chairs

Whoa!

Tumbling Illustrated
Tumbling Illustrated on Amazon

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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