Tag Archives | jim bathurst

Handstand on Rings

By admin on September 28, 2012 in Handstands, Rings

The handstand on the ground is fairly tough but easily doable with a little practice. The handstand on rings is much, much tougher.

Here we have Jim Bathurst on the rings working on his handstands.

What makes ring handstands harder to do? You can’t use your wrists at all in order to balance like you can on the floor or parallel bars. Instead all the balance must be done from the shoulders and by bending the arms as you can see Jim do quite a bit.

The truth is ideally you don’t want to bend your arms just like in a normal handstand, but when you’re first starting out it may happen. Try to avoid it though as it can set in bad habits.

The easy way to do a handstand on the rings is to wrap your legs around the straps. This is comparable to doing a handstand against the wall. Of course the freestanding ring handstand and that against the straps is like a freestanding handstand versus one against the wall, just the rings both are a jump in difficulty.

Still if you work on handstands on the rings your balance will grow that much stronger.

Some other lead up stunts to it would include shoulder stands on the rings and many other skills.

To buy gymnastic rings for training go here.

For a great course on strength training on the rings go here.

Comments { 0 }

One Arm Handstand Twisting

By admin on September 14, 2012 in One Hand

This great question came in from Dan regarding twisting out of position in the one arm handstand. As this is something I myself have experienced I figured its a common problem among one hand handstand training.

Thank you for the handstand program that you sent to me recently. I was hoping you might be able to give me a little more information about the one handed handstand. I am able to hold myself up using one hand and one finger but once a take the hand away my body begins to twists. Do you have any suggestions on how to stop this twisting? I have been working on it for a while now and the twisting does not seem to dissipate. I know that all of the instructions provided say to turn the hand you are standing on to a 45 degree angle but the twisting seems to get worse when I do this. Any info you can pass along would be appreciated.

Jim Bathurst of Beast Skills has been training the one hand handstand a lot lately, and going through much the same things. I’ve taken some small snippets from recent articles that focus specifically on the turning out of position in the one hand handstand.

I was told that the balance should still be more focused on front and back. Do not twist or move sideways too much, as that’s for the more advanced handbalancers. I have always twisted slightly as I shifted over to my supporting hand. I also twist out of my one arm handstand often, so perhaps this is to blame?

***

While some can hold this arched one arm handstand…many more people will have problems and twist out of the one arm handstand (myself included). Not to mention that aesthetically speaking, it’s not as pleasant as a straighter body position.

***

This deficiency in shoulder mobility was a main cause of why I twisted out of my one arm handstands all the time. Getting yourself into a straight line is much more efficient in the one armer, and you don’t have to fight yourself.

***

When shifting onto the supporting arm, notice that I focus on dropping the outside leg. There is no counter-shift back to the left (which twists the body).

Read more here.

It seems to be believed that attaining a perfectly straight handstand goes a long way towards preventing this twisting. Of course, you must be able to maintain the optimal shoulder position. But back in the day many hand balancers did achieve the one arm handstand with a curved handstand too, so it is possible.

I highly suggest you read Jim’s articles for more details. Most people rush to attain a one arm handstand, and even more than balance, this skill will build your patience.

To stop twisting you must not do anything that makes your body need to twist out of the position. This is more easily said then done, but with training taking it real slow you can feel the difference.

Need more on this amazing move? Then check out How to do the One Hand Handstand.

Comments { 0 }

One Arm Handstand Training

By Bac on May 16, 2012 in One Hand

When it comes to the one handed handstand you don’t often see much middle ground. Most people can’t do it at all. The true masters make it look easy. But there is an area between where one arm handstand training takes place. Where a person can just hold it and you can see how difficult it is.

This video from Jim Bathurst shows that area of being able to hold a one armer but by no means having a simple time with it. There is a rare glimpse into that training.

One Arm Handstand Training

A few things to point out here if you’re working towards this skill.

A straight bodied handstand is preferable for one arm handstands. This doesn’t mean it can’t be done with a curve, but it does seem to be easier. So make sure you have a solid straight handstand first. You’ll notice how the shoulders are locked into place.

The straddle position with the legs makes balancing easier. This is the best place to start towards the one handed handstand.

Lastly coming up onto the fingertips then slowly raising them off the ground, keeps you in balance. Most people that try this move way too fast.

For more info on one arm handstand training check out How to do the One-Hand Handstand by Professor Orlick. You’ll also find some other great articles on Jim’s site.

Comments { 3 }

Struggling with the Handstand?

By admin on February 9, 2011 in Handstands

The vast majority of people that come to this site are beginners looking to get into a handstand for the first time.

Yes, there are those that can effortlessly hold a one arm handstand but they are few and far between. And everyone else is jealous of them of course. 😉

I was working with a client named Tom yesterday who has a goal of doing a freestanding handstand.

I told him that when I started doing handstands I made every single mistake you could. Only through my persistence was I finally successful.

But for Tom and you, it doesn’t have to be that way.

I told him all about the lead-up stunts and how these allow you to build the skills necessary to do a handstand but do it in an easier method then the handstand itself.

Can’t hold a stable headstand? You shouldn’t be working on the handstand. (I made that mistake.)

Can’t kickup very well? You should practice that instead of just the handstand. (You guessed it, another mistake of mine.)

Barely can hold a handstand against the wall for ten seconds? You should improve your position and endurance before going freestanding. (Okay, here’s one I wasn’t so bad in.)

As you may know I just completely re-did my Secrets of the Handstand Quick Start DVD. This is 2.0. While I had upgraded it in the past this time it was redone from the ground up.

It totals 80 minutes long as there was so much information to cram on there that will get you into a handstand faster then anything else.

I’m testing something on a new site. But since you’re already a loyal subscriber you won’t need to subscribe again.

https://www.handstandmastery.com/yourvideo/

If you’ve been around awhile you may already have these gifts. If not, grab them know.

There’s a video that gives you more details on the lead-up stunts.

There’s a special report that details 10 mistakes people make when doing the handstand.

And lastly a mp3 of a special call I did with Jim Bathurst from Beast Skills that goes over all manner of hand balancing skills.

Then and only then if you want you can take me up on my ridiculously generous offer on the new Secrets of the Handstand 2.0

I’ll leave you to see why its’ so great by going to the next page.

https://www.handstandmastery.com/yourvideo/

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. If you’re still struggling with the freestanding handstand run over to this page right now and see what I’ve got for you.

https://www.handstandmastery.com/yourvideo/

P.S.S. Even if you can easily do a handstand you may still want to check this out…

Comments { 2 }

One Arm Handstand Shrug

By admin on April 9, 2010 in Handstands, One Hand

When talking to Jim Bathurst the other night we we’re discussing the one arm handstand. Several points came up but I want to focus on one of them right now. And this actually applies to any hand balancing you do.

That point is shrugging up your shoulders.

When you go into a handstand you want to reach your shoulders towards your ears. Do not let gravity depress your shoulders. Why? This makes it so that your body is fully locked out. This improves your position as well as your endurance.

Shrugged vs. Not Shrugged

This is even more essential in the one arm handstand. But here’s the thing. Some people may not even have the strength in the shoulder girdle and scapula to do it properly.

As is many times the case in hand balancing it’s a good idea to go back to the wall for this one. Doing the one arm handstand against the wall, where you don’t need to worry so much about balance, you can focus on getting the shoulder shrugged.

In The Ultimate Guide to Handstand Pushups there’s an exercise called the Handstand Shrug. This is just to repeat this shrugging motion over an over for reps. While I didn’t think about it at the time, you could do this exact same exercise on just one arm. (I just tried it against and found it to be quite fun.)

This will strengthen the area, giving you the strength to really begin to progress toward the one arm handstand.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

Comments { 0 }

Benefits of the Basics

By admin on March 24, 2010 in Handstands

I got an email the other day from a student who had purchased the Hand Balancing Mastery Course.

I’ve started dreaming about holding handstands, which for me is good sign that I’ll eventually get it, LOL!

I teach a Crossfit-style strength and conditioning class at a Krav Maga school in Dallas, and I’ve added 1 minute of crow stands to our warm-up every time. It is working nicely. A few students have remarked how their striking has improved with the enhanced wrist/forearm strength. People are kicking up into handstands against the wall, and showing progress in their handstand pushups. I have a yoga instructor as a student who has some amazing handbalancing skill, so everyone sees what is possible. Granted it will be even more impressive when I get it at 225lbs! My class is kick butt and your handbalancing course is one of my secret weapons.

Best regards,
Jon Burroughs

Crowstand AKA Frogstand or Knees-on-Elbows Stand

Thanks Jon. Its amazing what even the most basic hand balancing skills can do for people.

Not everyone may want to be able to do a one handed handstand or a planche, but I think everyone should be capable of holding a handstand at least against a wall. And with a bit more practice the free standing handstand is not too difficult.

The benefits of working on these basic skills make them worth it for virtually anyone.

This is something I discussed in the teleseminar with Jim Bathurst last night.

You need to choose how far you want to go. You can reach the basic skills in a relatively short time, especially if you train smart. It also won’t take much time. But if you want to go for the advanced skills, realize that you’re going to have to prove your dedication. (The proper roadmap and coaching on these is now next to essential.)

For the basics or advanced skills I try to offer the best resources available. There may even be some more personal help available soon…

Stay tuned for that and I’ll also be providing a few more takeaways from that call soon.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher