Tag Archives | Different Ways

Have you been watching the Olympics?

Walking and Jumping On Your HandsWalking and Jumping On Your Hands on Amazon

The Winter Olympics are here. Are you watching?

While I must say that I am a bigger fan of the Summer Olympics I very much enjoy these events as well.

There may not be many handstands but there sure are some crazy aerial acrobatics of many different kinds. Whether going of a jump on skies, snowboarding or even figure skating you have some advanced flips and spins.

Of course all the events are great in their different ways. You can watch some of the greatest athletes from around the world compete for one of the highest awards in the world.

Even if it’s a sport you know nothing about you can easily get into it. After all it’s the Olympics.

Good Luck and Good Olympics,
Logan Christopher

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Scissors Handstand

After most people, myself included, have some success with the handstand they want to move on to a variety of stunts, most of which are much harder.

My advice, nowadays, is to stick with the handstand itself for a bit longer.

Yes, you can always just work on adding more time in a hold while improving your balance. But to spice it up a little bit try changing up your position.

There are a huge amount of different ways you can do this with different areas of your body. For today let’s focus on the legs.

Again, any possible way you can move your legs can be done in the handstand but let’s narrow it down to just one. The Scissors Handstand.

Scissors Handstand by Bob Jones
From The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing:

“Do a hand stand in nice form, then separate the legs, one backward and the other forward. Start the legs backward and forward in scissor fashion. Go slowly at first, and increase the speed, and come to a sudden stop with the feet and legs in nice form. While in the motion, the legs should be kept straight, with the toes pointed. This trick is very effective and is not hard to learn. Variations of the above are, scissors while walking on the hands, also scissors with the head forward through the arms.”

Check out the hand balancing book for many other moves just like this one.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

Walking and Jumping On Your HandsWalking and Jumping On Your Hands on Amazon
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Planche Training

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

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

Hand Balancing Made EasyHandBalancingMadeEasy_on_Amazon

“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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Routine for Abs

Here is a routine for abs especially for people who want to be strong for acrobatics and hand balancing.

A couple of you went ahead and purchased Gymnastic Abs and that may be one of your smartest moves. But I figured you might be one of those people sitting on the fence about it. Let me tell you about my current routine I have put together using this course. Some of these moves you have undoubtedly heard of, but others may be new to you.

The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing
The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing on Amazon

Leg Raises. Usually 3 or 4 sets of these either hanging or on the parallel bars. It’s a matter of increasing reps and then increasing height until you get your legs all the way up.

The other exercises are done in a circuit fashion. V-Ups, Russian Ballet Thrusts, Side Plank Raises, and Compressions.

One of the biggest things I picked up from Ed’s course is these compressions. Of course there are different ways to do it but it’s an isometric contraction that will work everything. Not only does it strengthen your abs but it builds your ability to compress them, hence the name. This one alone is worth the price because it will make straight arm handstand presses easier. Unfortunately this move has alluded me for a long time, but not too much longer. I then finish of with hollow body rocks and arch rocks. These act as great finishers especially done ‘til you can’t do anymore.

Whether you get the Gymnastic Abs program or not just make sure you train those abs hard and with your whole body.

Good Luck and Good Ab Training,
Logan Christopher

P.S. If you’ve got any questions about the course I’d be happy to answer them for you. Shoot your question to me here.

Leg Raises

Leg Raises

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