Can you hold a handstand for 10 seconds? Aparently, only one person in 100 can do that. Of course, if you have an interest in gymnastics or acrobatics, you will have trained handstands quite intensively. When it comes to balance on ONE hand... that requires a lot of training alongside the careful physical conditioning that is essential to hold that position in any sort of decent shape. And that's where the ordinary gym comes in - to train those core muscles and ensure that your shoulders are sufficiently flexible to get into a decent shape. So we feature handstands in this blog from time to time: not all the attempts shown here are the ideal shape at al, but we do support anyone who gives it a go. And, of course, the guys who chose acrobatic gymnastics as their #1 sport are the ones that go on to do it professionally, as some featured in this post have done. Hopefully, they all inspire you to get fit. As a gymnastics coach, I also say "the more time you spend on your hands... ...

Supporting your weight on your hands is easy: manipulating your body into the various positions (handstand, planche, one-arm etc) however needs a great deal of practice, with advice from those who have already achieved it... and it also needs good core strength to hold decent shapes, and reasonable shoulder and upper-body strength.  There is one 'core' principle: in any hand balance, your centre of gravity has to be directly above the supporting hand(s). You may well need help from your coaches or friends to get the 'feel' of that, and to keep it steady (that's where the core strength comes in). Expect many failed attempts. So: some examples to enthuse you. Some drills demonstrated by young gymnasts: (Moral: if at first you don't succeed... ... have another go!) Back with the young gymnasts:    ...and don't let the weather get in the way of your training... The crucial points for perfect handstand shape (on two hands) are 'open' shoulders, tight glut...

Strength and a good sense of balance are the critical factors in achieving good hand balancing. Most of the examples here are OK, but some shapes leave a little to be desired. The most usual issue we call 'banana back' - arching the back to compensate for a lack of shoulder flexibility - yes, you need that, too.    If the weight is supported on the hands - that's the first success. Pulling through to handstand follows:   ...and so, strengthening the shoulders for more great things to come! Yes, him again.  We could say the same about him - showing off with his mates. That's Archie Collier from the UK - very talented and currently on tour in a show (as we saw earlier in a rehearsal clip). OK. A couple more of Archie then we'll call it done for this post!