Tag Archives | Good Luck

Fine One-Hand Balancing

By admin on November 23, 2007 in Handstands, One Hand

“Jimmy Starkey of Santa Monica, California recently held a one-hand-balance for a minute and a half on top of a freight train going thirty-five miles per hour. F.O.B (Fine One-hand Balancing).”

Well recently is not the right term. This occurred somewhere back in 1950. I told you I got a hold of some old acrobatic magazine issues and this is just a little snippet from one of them.

Most people can’t hold a handstand for a minute and a half, let alone a one-hand handstand, let alone on top of a moving train.

One theme that always comes up when fellow hand balancers talk is how the sky is the limit on what you can do. This is a good example of that.

If you take the time and work on it hard enough you too can be doing feats like Jimmy. And I promise more of the great stuff from these magazines soon including great photos.

Now on to a couple of business issues.

It’s been wild over here with the release of the new Hand Balancing Mastery Course. If you have ordered one then it was shipped out today with the first batch of deliveries.

The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing

If your waiting on the fence then you might want to get off, because there is one more free t-shirt available to the next person who orders.

I realized that releasing the course right around a major holiday here in the US might not have been the best idea. Many people stay away from there computers to spend time with their families to celebrate Thanksgiving.

So if you missed all that has happened then be sure to check out the Hand Balancing Mastery Course.

There will be lots of new articles, old school pictures, and even new sections added to the site in the coming weeks.

In the mean time keep up the hand balancing. If anyone wants to duplicate Jimmy’s feat then let me know because I want to hear about. Please be careful though.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. You can get a free t-shirt as well as the greatest course in hand balancing history if you act fast by going to see the Hand Balancing Mastery Course.

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Hand Balancing Mastery Course Details

By admin on November 12, 2007 in Uncategorized

The Hand Balancing Mastery Course is made up of three books, one of which is How to do the One Hand Handstand which I talked about last time.

The first book in the course is titled Handbalancing Made Easy. This is the book that every beginner should start with. It covers a lot more than just the handstand.

Inside you’ll find many exercises, using bodyweight, dumbbells, barbells, and more to build up the strength you need for hand balancing. You’ll find many other stunts and tricks that will help you get started with your first handstand.

Once your handstand is solid you can move on to the whole bunch of variations in your hand, body, head and leg positions.

And this just scratches the surface.

The other volume is Walking and Jumping on Your Hands. And it will show you how to do just that. The beauty comes in how simple he breaks down the various steps so that you can be climbing a staircase in as little time as possible.

Plus you will also find many variations on the themes that may never have occurred to you. Did you ever think to do a long jump on your hands? How about trying to run? Or climb a ladder?

I also added a section to the course myself. In these special reports you will find out about some of the most common problems that stump people interested in hand balancing. Questions like when and how should I train, what should I focus on, how do I track my progress, and more will all be answered.

But that’s not all.

There are a number of bonuses including interviews with some experts that you‘ve got to hear. I be filling you in on those details next time.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. Also next time you’ll see how you can join the VIP list so you can get first crack at buying your copy and getting a chance at the additional fast-action bonuses.

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Handstands and Wrist Strength Part 2 and More

By admin on November 1, 2007 in Flexibility & Contortion, Handstands

Last time we talked about how you can overcome pain and poor flexibility in your wrists so that you can pursue hand balancing. A subscriber pointed out a few points which are certainly worth mentioning.

There is a way to work around this problem. Handstands can also be done on parallel bars or pushup handles and still be very effective. Rings work too but are even more of a challenge.

Though the body mechanics remain the same, how you go about balancing becomes a different matter.

For most people it will be much harder to balance because your base is smaller. Not the best way to get started on your handstands. But with some work you can balance with ease on any parallettes. And certainly if you are using a wall it is not a problem.

While this is a viable method it will not help the problem itself. You need to build the strength and flexibility and not skirt the issue.

Use this method to get some practice in the handstands if you need it but be sure to work the wrists. After all you can’t go wrong with a strong pair of hands.

Now on to a couple announcements.

The survey is now closed. Thank to all of you for participating. It will take some effort to pour over all the results but I can tell you they will result in some new and exciting changes to the site.

Secondly, I will be holding a contest soon. The details will be in my next email but for now just know that you will have a chance to win a full copy of the Hand Balancing Mastery Course coming soon. In fact, there may be more than one up for grabs.

The particulars on this new product will be announced in the next weeks as well and you won’t want to miss out. So until then…

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

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Handstands, Wrist Strength and Pain

By admin on October 25, 2007 in Flexibility & Contortion

Another question from a reader. And this isn’t the first time I have seen this problem pop up. Read on and find out what to do about it.

hello Logan,

well i have a question for you,

after a handstand practice i get wrist pain over the back of my wrist and sometimes on the sides the pain shows up while stress the wrist on pushups/ handstand position and sometimes on Ulnar Deviation and Radial Deviation

what can i do about it, maybe there are exercises that can strengthen my wrists and tendon ??

thanks 🙂
haggai D.B.

Let me first start of saying I am not a doctor. That may be obvious but I cannot diagnose what the problem is exactly, especially over the internet.

Hand Balancing takes a large degree of hand, wrist, and finger strength and flexibility. Not everyone has the flexibility to keep their hand back 90 degrees which is necessary to do a handstand.

I should say, not everyone starts of with this flexibility. But it can be gained through persistent effort.

Back in High School I suffered an injury to my right wrist. I would get shocked with pain any time I hit someone with my hands and had to get a special cast device made to help me out. Unfortunately it did affect my playing.

When I first started with handstands about a year after, I could not jump right into a handstand. In fact I still usually don’t. I take the time to stretch my wrists through flexion and extension. This primes them for any handstand work.

Even now my right wrist is less flexible than my right, but it has gotten better by leaps and bounds since then.

If holding a handstand causes to much pain then you will need to start at a manageable level and build from there. Pain is a sign you are pushing past your limits.

Do pushups or the pushup position cause you the same pain?

Wherever you need to start, go from there. It may take time but you will build the strength and flexibility to survive all hand balancing without the slightest discomfort.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. The results of the survey are still pouring in. If you haven’t taken the time yet to fill it out and get your f.ree report, do so now. I can tell you that the site will be changing for the better and soon because of your response.

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Gene Jackson Walking on His Hands down the Railroads

By admin on October 17, 2007 in Walking & Jumping

Another amazing hand balancing stunt straight out of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Gene Jackson from New York walking across a single rail of railroad track. You can see more of Gene Jackson’s stunts in The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing on pages 122 and 124

Gene Jackon Walking on his Hands

The next time you are by some tracks give it a shot. You will find it is quite a bit more difficult than walking across a flat ground.

The main reason for this is that you will have a narrower base than you usually have when walking. Instead of just falling forward or back, which happens in normal handstands, your body now can fall to the sides as well.

Even if you don’t walk the railways on your hands, by incorporating some kind of narrow base handstand work into your training you will increase your balancing skills even more.

It is also a great way to build up toward a one arm handstand.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. I am putting together a free gift for you if you are willing to help me out. You’ll hear about it real soon.

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Robert Jones Celebrates His 50th Birthday

By admin on October 10, 2007 in One Hand

When I was visiting my brother down near Los Angeles last weekend I noticed one of the books he had on his bookshelf. The name Ripley’s Believe it or Not was displayed on the spine.

Knowing that Bob Jones had been featured by Ripley‘s nine different times, I decided to see if one of his feats made the cut in this book.

I flipped to the index and found his name. He was on page 87. I turned expecting to see his most famous stunt the thumb stand on top of Indian clubs which you can see for yourself here.

I was surprised and elated to see a feat I had neither seen nor read about before.

How to do the One Hand Handstand by Professor Orlick

For his 50th birthday Bob Jones cut his birthday cake while holding a one handed handstand.

Not only is it hard to hold a one hand handstand, but to do it for probably at least a minute while cutting a cake is something else.

It also listed one of his other feats (but had no picture), which was holding a handstand with 200 lbs. tied around his waist! How you even get into the handstand with that kind of weight is beyond me.

If anyone can duplicate these feats let me know.

Good Luck and Good Handbalancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. There was more than one hand balancer featured in this book. If you own a copy of The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing his name will be familiar to you. You’ll have to wait until next time to see and read about it.

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Handstand Hold for Time

By admin on October 3, 2007 in Handstands

Here is a great way to finish off your workouts whether you are doing just hand balancing or anything else by doing a handstand hold.

Its really simple, too.

Just kick up into a handstand against the wall and hold it there for as long as you can. Try to stretch your toes upward and maintain good posture the whole time.

If you want you can even do a couple sets.

This is great because it will build your endurance in your arms, shoulders, back, everywhere.

As you steadily increase the amount of time you can hold a handstand you will find you get less fatigued when you practice your hand balancing.

It will test your mental toughness too. You can always stay up one more second if you really wanted to. A great way to finish off your training is to leave it all behind.

Good Luck and Good Handbalancing,

Logan Christopher

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Bridge Gymnastics

By admin on October 3, 2007 in Bridging, Flexibility & Contortion

Check out this video of some wrestler’s bridge gymnastics.

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD56_U–TI0]

Here is another video I took while I was at my gymnastics class. Let me start by saying don’t try this at home. It took a lot of effort to work up to this level. I didn’t jump into this on a whim.

It is actually several different feats strung together. Falling into a bridge, kicking over, kicking back, then standing up. Not the most graceful one I have ever pulled off. Still need some work especially on the Standing Up part.

Of course this can be done by with a gymnastic or hand bridge. I can do the gymnastic bridge version a little easier. And this one does not take so long to work up to, as far as neck strength is concerned.

The Wrestler's Bridge

Great for strength and flexibility all up and down the spine and more.

Either way it is a good trick to throw into you hand balancing routine or practice.

Good Luck and Good Bridging,
Logan Christopher

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Professor Paulinetti in India

By admin on September 26, 2007 in Uncategorized

The following is excerpted from the True Art and Science of Hand Balancing about Professor Paulinetti.

“Early in November, 1920, the word was passed about in the city of Calcutta, India, that an event of interest would happen at noon of a certain day atop the dome of the Empire Theatre Building.

Their curiosity aroused, and spurred on by the fact that they would see something free of charge, the natives thronged about the square where stood the popular playhouse.

Promptly at midday a figure appeared as if from nowhere, arising from behind the ball atop the dome of the building.

Seemingly he grasped the smooth sides of the sphere, leaned forward and placed his head on the top of it, and slowly pressed up into a perfect balance on the head, the hands being held on the hips, and the legs spread apart and inclined forward.

There, clad in blue tights that made him visible for considerable distance, the performer remained at least thirty seconds–to the watchers below it seemed an hour–then, just as slowly as he arose to balance, he lowered his body and disappeared from view behind the dome by way of the same ladder by which he had ascended, while on the packed streets below the crowd roared its approval.

They had met Paulinetti, and they liked him.”

Professor Paulinetti Head Balancing

Amazing what a simple looking (but not so simple in execution) trick can do to the minds of others, isn’t it?

But this was a run-of-the-mill activity for the Professor, not even close to one of his more difficult performances.

If you are interested in hearing more stories about Prof. Paulinetti let me know.

Of course if you want to read them yourself and see pictures of the stunts then you know where to go: The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing

Hearing, reading about, or seeing the best can always give you some extra motivation.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

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Current Attempt at a Backflip

By admin on September 19, 2007 in Tumbling

Just thought I would put up a short video for fun.

Anyway, this is a backflip I did last night at my gymnastics class. I am doing it on level ground and getting to my feet so it is not too bad. But it still has a couple spots for improvement. And of course consistency is a big key.

Being able to do backflips has been a goal of mine since I was a young kid. Seeing as previously I couldn’t even go backwards on a trampoline, it has been a long journey.

I’d tell you how you could get there but you really need proper instructions and equipment to get started. So I must say do not try this at home.

Good Luck and Good Tumbling,
Logan Christopher

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