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 is the first in a new series that shows an average day life, except that the person gets around while in a handstand. This is from Tim “Livewire” Shieff a famous freerunner.
It starts off with a forearm stand.
There’s lot of walking on the hands.
A bit of a supported one armer as he pays to get in the station.
Riding down the escalator, and taking a few downward steps at the end too. He covers a flight of stairs a little later on.
Finally he holds a stable handstand inside the departing subway train. Considering they tell you to hold onto the rails if you’re standing, this probably is much harder then it looks.
I wondering how the backpack may have made this slightly easier by lowering his center of gravity.
I can’t say for sure as I wasn’t there, but this was most likely just done shot at a time. Is anyone else interested in trying something like this? To do the whole thing in one shot would be truly legendary.
I got this in just a couple days ago from Steve.
Thank you. I am a 60–almost 61–year old man, 6’1″, about 185 lbs. I have lifted off and on since age 15, trying to stay in shape. During my college years I did a small amount of handstands. I taught myself to do them by kicking up against a wall. Back then I could even do what I call handstand pushups, which I have always considered a true gauge of pressing strength. I figure that if you can do say, 10 handstand pushups, kissing the ground at the bottom of each rep, then you are pretty strong. I would even try to make them a little harder by putting each hand on a gallon paint can, and lowering myself between them. After a while, I learned to walk on my hands, but it’s been many, many years since I’ve even practiced any of this stuff consistently.
They say as a person ages they lose their sense of balance, unless they work on it. So that is why I am interested in your site. I watched part of your 30 minute video and already have learned some things. I’ve been kicking up against a wall and slowly lowering myself a few inches at a time, then pressing out, to try to develop my handstand strength. I also need to work on my balance. My goals would be to do a one-minute free handstand, to do ten “floor kiss” handstand pushups, AND to walk on my hands for at least one minute without falling. Not sure if any of these are attainable for an old geezer like me. Maybe my goals are too lofty; what do you think?
Thanks for coming by Steve.
Yes, I absolutely think your goals are attainable. While it is easier for young people to learn these skills this doesn’t mean anyone older can’t do it. Professor Paulinetti practiced his hand balancing into his 70’s before passing on at 76. Granted he was already one of the best but that doesn’t mean anyone can’t practice and attain new skills at any age.
Add to the fact that you have prior experience and I see no reason why you can’t get back to what you were doing in your college days.
My advice would be to follow what’s laid out in the Handstand quick start video. Work on standing still in a free handstand before you start walking around. And once you hit about 30 seconds in a free handstand you can add in the hand walking practice.
Add to that a few handstand pushups, which you can find more information about that here and here, and you’ll be well on your way. What you wrote, doing the partials reps, is an excellent place to begin.
Be sure to keep me posted of your progress.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
Here is a great question on the value of walking on hands versus standing on them.
“Hey Logan I just now started to do the frogstand and I can do it for a long time. I’ve been learning the handstand and couldn’t find my balance and I can walk all the way down my hall on my hands but I cant hold a handstand and Its frustrating so I stuck to walking on my hands. I’m gonna start practicing my frogstands right now. Is there any other things I could do to work on my balance for a handstand?”
Marcus
I recommend that anyone getting started with the handstand attempts to not walk around but instead finds the balance and holds the position on the hands.
You see, how you balance while walking on your hands can be entirely different then how you balance while standing on your hands. The first when you come out of balance you step to get back in balance. So your balance is maintained by moving around your body.
When standing on your hands you maintain your balance by keeping the body in a certain range that can be balanced by the hands and arms. If you start to fall out of balance you shift the pressure to keep your body up.
Doing this is tough. That’s why I recommend using lead-up stunts to teach you how to balance. The frogstand is great for teaching you hand balancing while in an easier position with your body low to the ground.
Other moves that help you build balance, different from the frog stand, include the headstand and forearm stand. If you can’t do these easier stunts well then you definitely should not be attempting the handstand yet.
Full details on these and other helpful stunts can be found in the Secrets of the Handstand Quick Start DVD.
Learning how to balance your body will in the end make walking around that much easier.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
In a previous blog post I wrote about changing positions in the handstand and how you can do that to increase your balancing skill.
Similar in many regards is walking on your hands.
Let me preface this by saying, that walking on your hands can be easier then standing still or harder and that depends entirely on how you go about it.
Stumbling around, that is catching yourself from falling by stepping with your hands, is easy to do. But it does not exhibit the control you want and it doesn’t really help you get better.
Most any fit person can manage at least a few steps in this manner. But as I’ve said before, I think its important to learn how to stand still before you begin walking.
The other side, the harder way, is through walking and staying in control the entire time.
If you think about it, all you’re doing is shifting your weight to a single hand for a moment as you take a step with the hand. And then you repeat the process.
That bit makes the move harder than just standing still. You have to constantly correct your balance with every little movement.
At the same time it should serve to work your body better at maintaining its normal position in the handstand. If you allow yourself to get into a place where you can’t balance from you haven’t kept control.
Walking on the hands in the many ways you can do it will make you a better balancer.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
P.S. In Professor Orlick’s Walking and Jumping on Your Hands you’ll find all you need to know on taking your first steps, running, dancing, leaping and much more. By far the best guide to this grouping of hand balancing skills.
Some years ago when I was teaching Physical Education at the Western University Medical School I decided to see just how many steps I could conquer with practice. Therefore, twice every week after I had finished all of my classes, I took a crack at the main stairs.
For a couple of weeks I stuck to one flight of stairs as a sort of warm up. Then I added a few more steps with each try, until I was doing two flights with no difficulty. Gradually I added more steps, without really pushing myself to the limit and within a month was doing three flights regularly. The fourth flight gave me a bit of trouble, but once I got beyond this I landed two more to make it six flights in two months. At the end of three months I could start at the top of the building and make it “non-stop” all the way to the bottom…eight flights in all, and began looking for bigger buildings to conquer.
***
This story comes from Professor Orlick. I don’t know about you but I think walking down six flights of stairs is quite impressive.
Walking down stairs in certainly not a stunt beginners should go after but it serves as a great challenge to work up to. Even so, just about anyone can get started walking on their hands.
In Walking and Jumping on Your Hands, Prof. Orlick goes in depth on just about every possibility there is when it comes to walking on your hands. From starting with baby steps to running, dancing, jumping and more.
And if you think going down stairs is hard, just try going up. But this is broken down to a brain-dead simple process anyone can follow.
Of all of Orlick’s books I think this one is my favorite.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
I hope you’ve been enjoying the Olympics. Although I’ve been traveling around, now that I’m settled back in I’ll be watching a lot more.
And it just so happens that today is when the finals for gymnastics start. Which as I said before contain some of my favorite events. There are others but I think Gymnastics tops them all.
If you live in the US and want to know what’s going on I recommend you check out www.nbcolympics.com for tons of coverage, details and everything else you need.
On top of that I got the new article and video up on the site.
This one covers a few tips on walking on the hands. Including one of the best methods to develop real control while doing it. Walking on the hands that will make your stationary handstand better.
You don’t need to be an Olympic level athlete to do this! Learn how to Walk on Your Hands here.
The video is just a piece of the DVD coming with this month’s Acrobat Accelerator. There is still time to get your hands on it. But there are only 17 left. Once its gone its gone.
And remember from last time it includes my biggest tip on learning to balance on your hands.
If you are just starting out I recommend you go with the Secrets of the Handstand Quickstart Guide. You’ll get everything you need to do a handstand plus this month’s tips and tricks.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christophe
Here’s a good question from Tony.
“Dear Logan Christopher, I am a 44 year old male that just decided to do handstands since it was a great workout. I can do a handstand and pushups against the wall. I just read your 10 handstand tips and will work on these great ideas. My problem is when I try to walk on my hands my legs tend to fall toward the “wall direction” when I try to stand without the wall. I feel that it is fear of falling flat on my back. Sometimes my hand strides are a little too big as I am trying to go too fast and then my legs fall toward “the wall direction.” I can hold a handstand probably at least 30 sec. I am usually sustaining myself up after doing 13-15 handstand pushups through a short ROM. I initially thought it was my ab/core strength and I just started with Eddie Baran’s gymnastic abs dvd which is fun and challenging. I am improving but got a little concerned when you said that walking is easier than standing. Your hints have clued me into improving my body awareness with standing and increase my length of time. Any other ideas?”
I should have clarified the position on standing vs. walking. For most people the walking is going to be much easier. This is because you can shift your weight around and take a step with your hands toward any direction you are falling.
If you take the time to learn how to stand still, and remain in a good handstand position than you are much better off than someone who can merely walk on his hands.
When you are walking on your hands the legs tend to ‘fall forward’ in overbalancing. This is a good thing because that’s the forward momentum you want to walk with.
The key is to maintain control. You don’t want to be overbalancing so much that your hands can’t keep up or that you just fall out of the handstand.
To work on the control even more so, you should practice different size steps as Prof. Orlick teaches in Walking and Jumping on Your Hands. Go for small steps. Next try to clear a yard with each step.
You can also vary the speed with which you walk. Even try running on your hands!
But first and most important is to learn to stand on your hands. So that you can maintain a good handstand and not just stay on your hands by catching yourself from falling.
Just keep training and you’ll be able to walk, stand, run and hop on your hands without a problem.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
P.S. Click here for more on walking, running and jumping on your hands.
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