That title is a cheeky way of introducing a post celebrating the art of handbalance. But, keeping your workouts and your ordinary affairs in a sensible balance is no bad thing.  Hand balancing requires strength and a strong core, plus flexible shoulders. And, because your balance organs are in your ears, when you're upside down they are close to the ground - so learning to balance on your hands is harder than learning to balance on your feet. And remember how long that took you! So, don't despair if it doesn't work for you straight away. Just keep practicing. And remember, the correct stance is a dead straight line through wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, legs, feet and toes. Your chest should be ever-so-slightly hollowed. OK so far? We'll start with that perfection - but feel free to practice against a wall, both ways around, to develop your endurance for supporting your weight wrong-way up! Which of those is best? Above the waist - left. Below the waist - right (espec...

Hmmm. 100th post of 2025 today, so we'll go back to one of our favourite subjects. Everyone admires acrobats for their flexibility, strength and balance. Well, those are the things that come from regular training, alongside - most important of all - commitment. If you are working with a partner, then we need to add in 'trust'. Trust that your partner is always prepared in case something doesn't quite right and you need to be caught or supported. It takes years of dedication to achieve some of the things you see in shows, circus or indeed in amateur acrobatic gymnastics clubs. Friendships made doing acro last for life. We should know. Here's a succession of things going well, and occasionally not so well. Above all, make it FUN.  That is from the top acrobatic gymnastics club in the UK - Spelthorne - part of their Christmas display from a few years ago. The art of the possible with good training. We go next to the USA to admire the current generation - one lad from S...

 Gymnastics requires strength, flexibility, endurance and balance and is thus needs a great deal of physical training time in addition to the actual skills which are performed. 6 apparatus for the guys. Gymnastics actually means "the naked art" but we don't do it that way... and, indeed, the original Greek variety involved naked boys performing field sports like javelin and discus, and wrestling - so very different from what goes on in 21st-century gymnasiums! And that's a strange word too, because in German it means 'High Schools'! Whatever. Let's admire the work put in by modern gymnasts. Even when they are just chilling in their gyms, the excellent body image built by the sport is very obvious.