Check out this video with loads of handstand variations. All of these can be used to work on your hand balancing skills or just to increase strength.
Are you unable to perform some of the moves listed above? Hand Balancing Made Easy has hundreds more variations and will get you started and help you reach your goal as soon as possible.
This video shows a one arm press from straddle to one arm handstand on hand balancing canes done 11 times.
You can skip to about 1:20 when the action starts.
Judging by the reactions and build up it must have been a record at least among this group.
One Arm Press is a super advanced skill. Doing it on two arms is outside what most people can do, let alone on one.
Thanks to Dunte for sending me this video.
Bad time to start my hand balance everyday challenge. I go to gymnastics and end up sore for 4 or 5 days afterwards. Then off a whim I end up in a 6 mile road race. This too leaves me sore.
And it’s not like I can’t hold a handstand. It’s just that right now getting up into the handstand is a problem. While the majority of my training does not cause soreness this past week has been in stark contrast to that.
That left me with one move I’ve been working on regularly, a one arm half planche or lever. No kick-up required, in fact you start off right there on the ground.
I think with any move you need to spend enough time doing it, sometimes getting it right, sometimes failing to do anything right. After you’ve done this for awhile you gain two things.
1. The ability to discern your proper position that works for you to make the move successful.
For this move, this starts with where to position your elbow in your abdomen. While I’ve experimented with moving it around, at this point I can feel when I have it in the right place.
2. The ability to make small changes that make a big difference.
After having the arm position right I then would start balancing. After a couple go’s at it I realized that by shifting the same leg as the arm I’m on (left leg for left arm) slightly more out to the side I could balance better.
As was stated previously this in in a straddled version on the one arm half planche. Its working well for that but when I move onto legs together I’ll need to find a new way to shift that weight.
These are the ‘AHA’ moments that only come through practice. When something clicks and you are suddenly better able to do these moves. In many cases you can only discover these for yourself through regular practice.
So far so good in this challenge.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
Here you’ll find tips on planche progression.
“I’m 21 years ( physically strong ) I do need to get into Planche. Can you advice me on something to start with ???”
Kenji
I have not built myself up to doing the planche. Haven’t really worked on it much.
But I can give you a variety of drills and methods to build it up, proven by a number of other people who have had success. The basic planche progression is to increase the leverage of the movement little bit by little bit.
That is going from a tucked position to a straddle and finally a complete planche. When you get good at one position, building the strength and skill to do it, you move onto the next.
I first learned about this method from Coach Sommer. In his article below you’ll get many more details on this planche progression. Plus it also covers the front lever.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
Time to answer some of your questions again. What with the new site and new releases I’ve let some of these pile up.
Here’s two asking the same thing.
“How do you do a lever up handstand. Starting feet on floor in straddle. Used to be able to do it when I was training 10 years ago-but even then it was a struggle & a skill I lost quickly. There’s got to be a technique I’m missing. can lever down but not up from feet on floor. Wait to hear…”
Chrissie
“I would like to learn how to go into a handstand the way gymnasts usually do by leaning over the hands with legs straight until the feet lift off and the legs hang then lifting up the legs into a sort of planche then straight up. Can you do this and what would be the stages in learning it? Surprisingly, I couldn’t find any information on this on the site.”
Ross
Thanks for asking. With a bit of different language both these questions are asking about the same thing. And that is the straight arm press.
It will be easier if the legs are straddled, but once that becomes easy you can keep them together in the pike position.
This move not only takes strength in the arms, shoulders and abs but a big degree of flexibility as well. You have to get the center of you mass over your hands if you want to have any chance of succeeding. This means your shoulders will come far over your hands.
Chrissie was on to something when she said she could lower down. Work the negative, staying under control and soon you’ll be able to lift up into the handstand.
Another way is to hold a Jack-Knife handstand. When you can hold this position low pressing up into the handstand should be no problem.
Some people have no problem doing this move. Others will have to do tons of work to get it based on there body leverages. If you fall into the later group just keep at it. A bunch of negatives, holds, and isometrics will get you there faster.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
I spent this past weekend as an Assistant Instructor at the Russian Kettlebell Certification.
Kettlebells are a great tool and they could help your hand balancing, as described in part by Rif in the interview found in the Hand Balancing Mastery Course, but that is not the main point of this message.It just that at the event I was practicing a little bit of my hand balancing during some of the off time. Lo and behold some of the people in my group happened to be fellow hand balancers. And not just novices either.
One of them is actually working on a partner hand balancing act. She showed me a video of her and her partner’s hand-on-hand balancing.
How about holding a pretty decent straddle planche? Definitely past the beginner stage.
I also picked up an interesting variation of the forearm stand from yoga that I’ll share with you next time.
When they found out about my site they went ahead a purchased The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing on the spot.My point is that when you get around like minded people you are likely to learn some new things. I encourage you to get out and find other hand balancers to help you on your path. Its not always an easy thing to do but worth the effort.
If you can join a gymnastics class.
Just practice outside and you might get lucky and stumble upon someone. Who knows?
When you get together you can help one another out. You learn best by teaching after all. You may pick up a crucial tip that benefits you. Plus there is the challenge to out do each other.
If you are fortunate enough to have a like-minded friend then you know what I’m talking about. (On a side note you should tell them about my site so you can talk about and practice many of the tips together.)
If you don’t you gotta find one.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
P.S. You can find out much more about kettlebells and many other great training resources right here.
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