Skills like hand balancing, hand spins, tumbling, flexibility tricks are serious tricks that can only be achieved through continuous training and practice. Hand spins and flexibility tricks are good way to keep your body in shape even when doing a solo act. While advanced hand balancing and flexibility skills are nicer when done in pair or with a group.
Dan had been practicing some of these skills for the past 2 years, at least. Do you think you can do better in a shorter training time?
The following is a guest article from Jarell Lindsey.
10 warriors, trained expertly and in unison, can overcome hundreds. Adversity in such war is your employer; the more hours you face it, the greater it pays you in strength, willpower, and endurance. In training, your body is at war with weakness, immobility, and comfort; your ten fingers are some of the best warriors you can use to change the tide of your lifelong fitness battle.
To expertly train those ten warriors, however, requires safe fingertip training. Your fingers abound with tendons and ligament, some of the most difficult connective tissue to heal when injured. Don’t walk into your training either; a steady jog will do.
Daily gripper training got my crush grip to a decent level, but my fingertip strength for hand balancing was lacking. Here’s how my steady “jog” progressed: I decided to alternate pushups on my knees using my fingertips, the nail-side of my fingertips (man, that was tougher than I thought), and my wrists for 3D hand strength. Lifting one knee to increase the difficulty with each exercise helped until I could do each in a full pushup position.
I am now in progressions of elevating my feet on a chair for all the above exercises, even getting to fingertip holds in a handstand position. I couple these with an isometric fingertip exercise I do twice weekly with intensity, and my progress has been consistent and quite phenomenal, for my humble standards. I’ve been able to do things I’d only imagined or seen in comics, such as pushups for reps on my thumbs.
I don’t doubt that you’ve already noted the absence of set or rep numbers for the above progressions. That is critical to the point I’m about to make: you make your own sets and reps with this training. The focus of mobility training should be variation, so rather than trying to reach 100 fingertip pushups, elevate your feet to add variation whenever you feel like your finger strength can handle it. Your own strength will develop in an incredible way, with a limited chance of injury and a consistent path to progress. Progression is key; with that plus a focus on variation, your 10 warriors will be (wait for it) in good hands.
“Strength is more than just muscle”
Find more from Jarell Lindsey at https://www.
The pike pushup is an indispensable drill for working your way up to freestanding handstand pushups. Not only does it help you build enough shoulder strength for HSPU’s, but it also improves your balance during the descend.
The major points here are to learn how to pull your shoulders towards the ears in the start position and activate your lats on the way down while pulling elbows towards each other.
Check out Hand Balancing For The Bodyweight Athlete by Global Bodyweight Training if you’d like step-by-step instructions for mastering various hand balancing styles.
Performing back roll to a handstand is a pretty cool exercise by itself, but it’s also very beneficial for those looking to improve their back handsprings. Make sure to learn how to perform a handstand first and master basic rolls before you attempt this move.
Have fun!
Below are two very detailed videos on how to make hand balancing stands. Having any kind of hand balancing canes makes it easier to balance and allows you to perform with more confidence and precision.
Even though the canes made in these videos are not ideal, you get pretty much all information you need to make any kind you want.
Feel free to skip to 1:50 mark in the first video.
Some people just enjoy making everything they can with their own hands and this goes for hand balancing canes as well. However, for vast majority of people it would be too tedious, risky and even expensive (materials + time) to create them on their own. Why not get a pair of hand balancing stands here and have it shipped right to your doorstep?
Here is a great video on elbow extension in relation to hand balancing by Yuri Marmerstein. If you can’t lock out your elbow while in a handstand, this video will give you everything you need to fix this somewhat rare issue. This may not be a big problem in the beginning of your hand balancing training, but once you progress and try to achieve something like the one hand handstand, it might prove to be a bigger issue than you thought initially.
Some people simply have a psychological barrier which prevents them from fully extending their elbows in a handstand. On the other hand, some literally cannot straighten their arms fully, whether due to tension in biceps or some other physical factor. Yuri Marmerstein shows two different workouts you can do at your home to work on this issue gradually in order to fix it permanently.
Also make sure to check out The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing by Professor Paulinetti and Robert Jones, which is a great resource for anyone who’s into hand balancing.
In this video Yuri Marmerstein presented a great way to further increase the strength and balance for a handstand.
It may not look like it, but Yuri is actually trying to get out of balance on purpose. As he tests the limits by leaning forward and backward, Yuri is developing and isolating different reactions to stay in a balanced position. He says that after you manage to isolate those reactions and develop reflexes, you are ready to try and take your balance out of the center as much as you can without falling down, but bringing yourself back to the handstand position instead.
The goal of this workout is to gain better control over every movement in the handstand and strengthen your core. I first came across this drill in The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing by Professor Paulinetti and Bob Jones. Its great for the control necessary to do advanced stunts, or just stand in a handstand for a long time (because you need these skills to save the balance.)
An interesting video by Dave Durante where he explains his take on a proper handstand form.
Dave begins the handstand with slightly bent arms and knees bent at 90 degrees, which should represent the worst handstand form.
Instead, the feet should be together with arms and knees locked out, which really is a classic curved handstand. It’s worth mentioning that Dave consider this form to be less stable than a straight handstand, which is debatable and depends on other factors. To go from the curved to the straight handstand, press your toes up, open up the shoulders and find your “sweet spot” for balancing.
Going from the first handstand position, to the curved handstand and finally to the straight handstand does require a lot of practice, so it’s definitely not for beginners.
If you are looking for a way to perform your first handstand as fast as possible, check this out.
Skipping the basics is one of the biggest and most fundamental flaws when training to do a handstand, whether it is solo or with a trainer. Handstand drills for beginners are a very necessary part of training to be able to do a perfect handstand. Many gymnastic coaches seem to skip the fundamental basics of training drills. They seem to invoke the theory that, in order for their gymnast to be able to do a full handstand, they have to make them try out right for one, over and over until it’s right. Sadly, these coaches are doing their pupils a great disservice. The value of learning the basics, step by step, is something that is far too often underestimated.
Handstand drills for beginners help break down the handstand into the basic steps involved, making it easier to get the whole thing executed in full later. This is starting from the lunge into the handstand, building up into posture and muscle tension during the handstand and ending out with a flawless return to standing upright with triumph. By practicing each step individually using drills that break down the different parts of a handstand into simpler movements, you help strengthen the muscles a gymnast needs in fully accomplishing a handstand.
With the right practice and patience, you can go from basic lunge drills into a full and glorious handstand, with your arms fully extended, straight strong shoulders, a solid core, and extended legs with proper body and muscle tension throughout. Trying for the full handstand right off the bat can not only be more difficult, but it can lead to frustration or even injury without ever properly achieving a full handstand. Before you jump right into it, get yourself warmed up with some basic handstand drills for beginners. It’s smarter, safer and leads to more flawless handstands.
Doing a handstand kickover is fun and at the same time a smart choice of exercise. However, it is not that easy to do as it may cause injuries especially if you do not know the basic steps. In this sense, it is necessary to know how to obtain a graceful and steady handstand.
Basic Steps of Handstand Kickover:
Aside from the basic steps mentioned, you should also ensure proper balance of the body. Otherwise, it may lead to injury once you make a mistake in throwing your hands and kicking your legs. Likewise, while approaching the ground, always keep your arms straight. Keeping your arms and elbows bended can injure you.
Performing this handstand is not a piece of cake so you need someone to assist you if it’s your first time. If you are a beginner on doing handstands, this is not recommended for you. You should be able to do a handstand for two seconds, and a standing back bend before you can practice doing handstand kickover moves.
If you want to learn a lot more on bridging movements like this be sure to check out the Advanced Bridging Course.
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