How to Do the One Hand Handstand

8/10/2019 How to Do the One Hand Handstand

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HOW TO DO THE

ONE HAND

HANDSTAND

BYPROFESSOR E.M.

ORLICK


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DISCLAIMER

The exercises and advice contained within this book may be too strenuous or

dangerous for some people, and the reader should consult with a physicianbefore engaging in them.

The author and publisher of this book are not responsible in any manner

whatsoever for any injury, which may occur through the use or misuse of the

information presented here.

How To Do The One Hand Handstand originally published in 1960

Modern Reprint Editions and Added Materials

Copyright 2009 by Logan Christopher and Legendary StrengthAll Rights Reserved.

No part of this course may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information

storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Published by:

Logan Christopher

Santa Cruz, California

www.LostArtOfHandBalancing.com


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Copyright 2009 Legendary Strength www.lostartofhandbalancing.com 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents P. 1

Special Foreword P. 1

The Most Spectacular Stunt Of Them All P. 2

Your Mental Attitude Is Important P. 3

Special Exercises For The One-Hand Handstand P. 4

Starting At The Half-Way Mark P. 10

Finger-Tip Control P. 12

Lead-Up Stunts To The One-Hand Handstand P. 12

The Correct Hand-Position For The One-Hand Handstand P. 16

The Correct Body and Leg Positions For The One-Hand Handstand P. 17

Make Haste Slowly P. 19

The Correct Method of Easing Into The One-Hand Handstand P. 20

Various Positions For Your Free Hand And Arm P. 23

SPECIAL FORWARD

This is an Advanced Course on Handbalancing. It is a direct out-growth of my

basic course Handbalancing Made Easy. For best possible results, you should finish this

basic course first and then go on this Advanced Course. Handbalancing Made Easy

provides the foundation for all of my advanced courses and paves the way to the most

spectacular hand balancing tricks there are. It is a MUST for anyone who wants to

become an outstanding handbalancer.

Handbalancing Made Easy is packed full of terrific muscle-building exercises

designed to give you the coordinated strength you need to become a superb handbalancer.

It gives you a whole flock of lead-up stunts, and then takes you step-by-step to more and

more difficult tricks. It is the most complete basic course ever written and your most

important stepping-stone to success as an advanced handbalancer.


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THE MOST SPECTACULAR STUNT OF THEM ALL

There is no stunt in the world which will give you more sheer satisfaction than the

One-Hand Handstand. This spectacular trick stands in a class of its own. It will bring you

more favorable attention than any other stunt you could possibly learn.

What the Two-Hand Handstand can bring you, in the way of admiration andrecognition is only a drop in the bucket when compared to the One-Hand Handstand.

After you master the One-Hand Handstand, you will not only become the center of

attraction to the world at large, but will also be admired by other hand balancers, and

especially those who can perform the One-Handstand themselves.

Learning the One-Handstand is like getting a passport to another world. It opens

doors for you that dont even exist for others. Its like getting and honorary membership

to a super-exclusive fraternity; like getting the keys to a City; or like receiving an all-

events pass to all the shows in your State. However, this is one honor youve got to earn

yourselfall the money in the world cant but it for you.

There is only one way you can join the International Order of One-Hand

Handbalancers and that is by learning to do the One-Hand Handstand. Anybody can join,regardless of race, creed, color, sex, shape, size, age, weight, height, wealth, poverty, or

anything else. There is only one qualifying conditionyouve got to be able to do the

One-Hand Handstand. If you can do it, youre inif you cant. youre out.

In my basic course Handbalancing Made Easy, I told you what a terrific stunt the

Two-Hand Handstand was. Well, everything that I said there applies ten times as much to

the One-Hand Handstand, or even more, because so few people can do it. I doubt if there

is one hand balancer who can do a perfect One-Hand Handstand to every thousand who

can do the Two-Hand Handstand.

The One-Hand Handstand is definitely a more difficult stunt to learn, but by no

means as difficult as the above would seem to indicate. It is not so much a matter of

difficulty, as it is a lack of know-how which is responsible for this great discrepancy. Itwould be more appropriate to say that the One-Hand Handstand is extremely difficult to

learn without proper instruction.

There are even professional hand balancers who cant do the One-Hand

Handstandnot because of lack of strength, or practice, or ability but because of lack of

know-how. They should be able to master this sensational stunt, but cant, because they

dont go about learning it the right way. On the other hand, there are simon-pure

amateurs, who do hand balancing just for fun, who can hold a perfect One-Hand

Handstand, because they have received proper instruction.

With this excellent course to guide youand sufficient practice on your

partthere is no reason under the sun why YOU cant master the One-Hand Handstand

real soon and join the exclusive ranks of the Sensational One-Hand Handbalancers.

Believe me! Its a wonderful feeling to be able to press up into a prefect Two-

Hand Handstand, ease your weight over to One Hand, raise the other hand off the floor,

and then stay there, balancing the whole weight of your body on the palm of just one hand.

It not only feels good but it also looks good.

Just about everyone has tried to stand on his hands at some time or another. Most

of us do this automatically as kids, kicking up on our hands on the lawn, at the beach, in


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the gym, against the house, fence or elsewhere. Thus everyone knows from personal

experience how hard it is to stand on Two Hands let alone ONE HAND.

Its natural for people to admire those who can do things they cant do. Its also

natural for people to admire those who have mastered the same things that they

themselves have mastered, because they know how much time, effort and energy this

required. Therefore, those who admire the Two-Hand Handbalancer a lot, will admire theOne-Hand Handbalancer a lot more. Thus, when you learn the One-Hand Handstand you

will immediately win the respect of all other handbalancers.

In all sports, those with the greatest skill are the most outstanding, no matter what

their activity might be. It is for this reason that each of us should strive for absolute

perfection in all we do, and handbalancing is no exception.

When you learn to stand on Two Hands, you lift yourself out of the ranks of

milling masses. You become something different, something special, something that

commands recognition. Before, you are just one in billions, no better, no worse, just an

ordinary unnoticed human being. But the minute you learn to stand on Two Hands you

become one-in-a-hundred-thousanda superior person in some specific respects.

Now, you are going to climb still higher. You are going to learn to stand on OneHand, and the minute you do, you will become one-in-a-million. When you join the

ranks of the Two-Handers its like climbing up on a stage where all the world can see you,

but when you learn the One-hand Handstand its like having all of the spotlights shining

upon you.

Will you make it? Will you join the illustrious ranks of the world-famous One-

Handers? This depends entirely upon you. The road is clearly marked in the pages which

follow. BUT you must provide the time, energy, effort and perseverance. No one else can

learn the One-Hand Handstand for you. YOU, and you alone, can master it, if you really

want to. It wont be easy but neither will it be half as hard as most people believe, when

you have the correct instruction.

There is an old proverb which says: anything worth having is working for, andanother which says: you dont get anything for nothing in this world. both of these apply

to handbalancing and particularly to mastering the spectacular One-Hand Handstand.

YOUR MENTAL ATTITUDE IS IMPORTANT

It takes more than muscles to become an outstanding handbalancer. You need

mind-power as well as body-power to master the One-Hand Handstand. In fact, your

mental attitude may be more important than your physical equipment, because the first

dictates the actions of the second.

The first step in learning the One-Hand Handstand is to get ride of the idea that

this stunt is impossible for YOU to learn. Such negative thinking has kept thousands of

otherwise good handbalancers from mastering the One-Hand Handstand they tried it a few

times and failed, so came to the conclusion that they just cant learn it and gave up.

Because of their negative thinking about this trick they become hit-and-miss

practicers. They dont follow any procedure, system or pattern. They just try the One-

Hand Handstand when the urge seizes them. They might try the One-Hand Handstand ten

times one day and then go for a whole month before they try it again. They only think that


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they have tried to learn this great stunt. Actually all they have done is made a few blind

spasmodic stabs at it. They gyms are full of these kinds of erratic handbalancers who never

really develop into anything.

Just imagine trying to learn how to play the piano, or baseball, or swimming, or

high jumping, or arithmetic, or anything else that way. No one in his right mind would

even think of it and yet that is exactly what thousands of would-be handbalancers aredoing right now with respect to the One-Hand Handstand. No wonder they dont make

any progress.

In learning the One-Hand Handstand, as with anything else, youve got to know

where you are going, and how you are going to get there. Then youve got to make up

your mind that you are going to get there come what may.

My system tells you exactly where you are going and how to get there. It takes

you step by step. It shows you every shout-cut there is. It tells you all of the little secrets,

and all of the big secrets as well. It charts your entire course of action from the beginning

to the very end. All youve got to supply is your body and the necessary motivation force

to keep you going until you have reached your ultimate goal -- The One-Hand Handstand.

You need strength and stamina to learn the One-Hand Handstand but you needself-confidence, desire, determination, perseverance, and stick-to-itiveness even more.

Sheer muscle-power is of definite value, but controlled balance and neuro-muscular

coordination are even more important. And above all else, you need will-power.

To master the One-Hand Handstand, you must make up your mind that you want

to learn it, that you are going to learn it, and that you wont let anything stand in your

way. You must think positively and act positively. You must banish all doubts and

negative thoughts from your mind. You must set the goal you want to attain and then do

everything in your power to achieve it.

Dont let yourself be discouraged. Remember that Rome wasnt built in a day,

and that no one ever achieved greatness in anything without striving for it.

Now one final wordthe One-Hand Handstand is a strange stunt. You may workfor weeks or months, and then suddenly, without warning, youve got it. It may feel

hopeless and impossible one day and you may have it the next. So never give inthat

One-Hand Handstand may be just around the corner.

SPECIAL EXERCISES FOR THE ONE-HAND HANDSTAND

Your body requires systemic exercise in order to remain healthy and function

efficiently. Regular exercise keeps all of your vital organs in good condition as well as

your muscles. The importance of exercise is covered in detail in my basic course,

Handbalancing Made Easy.

Also outlined in my basic course are dozens of excellent exercises especially

designed to give you the strength, stamina and neuro-muscular coordination you need to

become an outstanding handbalancer. If you have done these exercises and have been

practicing the Two-Hand Handstands regularly, then you will already have much of the

muscular foundation you need for the One-Hand Handstand. If not, then you should spend

a few weeks on the basic exercises and basic two-hand balancing before going on to the

One-Hand Handstand.


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There are a number of special exercises which are particularly important for

learning the One-Hand Handstand. Some of these have already been described in

Handbalancing Made Easy but others are new and especially designed to help you to

learn the One-Hand Handstand more quickly and easily.

I am going to assume that you may have already developed most of the basic

strength you need in your major muscles from you previous exercising and handbalancing.Therefore, I will concentrate my attention on those special muscles in which you need

extra strength to meet the extra demands of the One-Hand Handstand.

In the One-Hand Handstand, all of the weight of your entire body rests on One

Hand, and is controlled by the muscles of the fingers, wrist, forearm, elbow-joint, upper

arm, and shoulder-joint of one-arm. Therefore, you need more strength in this specific arm

for the One-Hand Handstand than you do for the Two-Hand Handstand.

When you do a Two-Hand Handstand your body weight is divided equally

between your two arms because each arm is supporting half of your total bodyweight.

However, when you do a One-Hand Handstand, all of your bodyweight must be supported

by one arm and thus your balancing arm must support twice as much weight as it does in

the Two-Hand Handstand. To get some idea of what this means, just imagine how hard itwould be for you to do an ordinary Two-Hand Handstand if another person your own

weight wrapped himself around your body. Then imagine twice as much weight being

placed on one arm and you will see at once why it is so important to build extra strength in

those parts which will be bearing the extra weight in the One-Hand Handstand.

Listed below are a number of special exercises which will help you to master the

One-Hand Handstand faster. These should be done in sets and repetitions as advised in

Handbalancing Made Easy.

The number of sets and repetitions you should do each exercise will depend on the

amount of weight you are handling, your strength, and physical condition, but in most

cases you will get best results from 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

To perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions: you must repeat the same exercise 10 times insuccession and take a short rest (this is one set); then repeat the same exercise 10 times

again and take another short rest (this is the second set); and then repeat the same exercise

10 more times and take another short rest (this is the third set). In other words, you must

do the same exercise a total of 30 times, with a short rest after each 10 repetitions.

Where you are using your own bodyweight, or a fixed weights of some kind, or

where you are using a piece of equipment which has a fixed resistance, then your best bet

is to do 3 sets of as many repetitions as you can. For example, if you are squeezing a

tennis ball (or doing floor pushups) then you must squeeze until you cant squeeze

anymore (or do pushups until you cant pushup anymore.

Special Exercises For Your Fingers, Wrists, and Forearms:

(1) Grasp an old tennis ball in each hand and try to squeeze them flat. Toll the balls

around so that all of your fingers and your thumbs get a good workout.

(2) Grasp a grip developer in each hand and squeeze the handles together as

shown in No. 2.

(3) Finger-tip Wall Dips: Stand about two feet from a wall, place your finger-tips

on the wall, let your chest touch the wall by bending your arms as shown in No. 3. Then


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push yourself away from the wall again.

Repeat as directed above. Note: The same

exercise should be done with your feet further

from the wall, with your hands placed at

different heights and widths, and with your

fingers pointing in various directions.(4) Finger-tip Floor Dips: These are

done the same as against the wall except that

you are lying face down on the floor. Your

finger-tips should be placed on the floor just

beside your shoulders, and your body should be kept

absolutely straight as you push it up and down by bending

and straightening your arms. These are also called

pushups.

(5) The wrist roller is an excellent piece of

equipment. It consists of a thick piece of broom-handle,

which is attached a piece of rope and a weight. To use it,grasp the handle in your hands with your palms facing

down as shown in No. 5. The weight should just touch the

floor. Then, with alternating flicks of your wrists, you roll

the rope up on the wood until the weight touches the

handle. Then reverse the process and lower the weight to

the floor again. Note: This exercise should also be done

with the palms facing up.

(6) Sitting Knee-Wrist Curl with Barbell: Grasp a

barbell with your palms facing upward. Sit on a stool or

bench and let your forearms rest along your thighs so that your

hands and wrists are extended just beyond the knees. Lower thebarbell as much as possible by bending your wrists down as

shown in No. 6. Now, raise the barbell up as high as possible

by bending your wrists up. Continue this upward and

downward bending as

advised. Note: This

exercise should also be

done with your palms

facing downward.

Special

Exercises For Your

Arms and Shoulders:

(7) Ordinary

floor dips or

pushups: To do

these lie face down on

the floor, place your

hands flat on the floor


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besides your shoulders,

and keeping your body

straight, push your

weight up from the floor

by straightening your

arms. Then lower yourbody again until your

chest just touches the

floor and push up again.

Repeat as described

above under sets and repetitions (see No. 7)

(8) Parallel Bar Dips: If you do not have

any parallel bars available, then place the backs

of two sturdy chairs about shoulder-width apart.

Stand between them, place one hand on the back

of each chair, and bend your legs up at the knees

so that all of your weight is resting on yourhands. Now, lower your body by bending your

arms. Go as low as you can and then raise your

body up again by straightening your arms. The

starting position is shown in No. 8.

(9) One-Hand Floor Dips: These are a

must in learning the One-Hand Handstand. To

do these you start from the front-leaning rest

position shown in No. 7. From this position you

ease your weight on to your right hand, lift the left hand off the floor and place your left

arm alongside of your body. This is the starting position for the one-hand floor dip. Now,

bend your right arm about an inch and straighten it out again. Repeat this four or fivetimes and then bring your left hand down to the floor again. Now, ease your weight on to

your left hand and place the right arm alongside of your body, and repeat the one-inch dips

again. Then take a short rest and do the whole thing over again.

As you develop more strength in your arms you must dip lower and lower.

Eventually you should be able to go right down to the floor and up again, as you do in the

ordinary two-hand- floor-dip. However, it is more important to be able to do ten little

dips than one full one so far as the One-Hand Handstand is concerned.

(10) One-Hand Dumbbell Presses: Start with a dumbbell that you can press

overhead 10 times in succession and do 3 sets of 10 repetitions. As your strength

increases, add more and more weight, but keep up the same number of repetitions.

Exercise both arms the same amount to build uniform strength and musculature.

(11) Heavy One-Hand Dumbbell Presses Overhead: Use a weight that you can

barely press up two times in succession and then try to force it up three times. As your

strength increases, add more and more weight so that you will maintain the same number

of repetitions.

(12) The Wig-Wag With Dumbbells: Grasp a fairly heavy dumbbell in each hand

and get them both up overhead any way you can. Now, keeping your arms straight, bring


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the dumbbells together and then spread them apart. Now, move them both forward, both

backwards, let them cross each other, and move them every which way while still keeping

tea arms straight. Let the dumbbells get as far out of balance as possible without letting

them come down and without bending your arms, and then force them back again. This

will build very powerful shoulder control which will help your Two-Hand Handstands as

well as your One-Hand Handstand.(13) Heavy Dumbbell Hold-up: Load a dumbbell with all the weight you can

handle. Use both hands to get it overhead and then hold it there with only one hand. Since

the weight is very heavy you cant let it get out of balance at all or it will crash down.

A very simple device will enable you to do this hold up with ease and safety. All

you need is a chair or rope. Hook one end of this to the dumbbell, throw the other over a

beam or pipe, pull the dumbbell up until it is about six inches lower than your full reach,

and then tie down the loose end of the rope.

Now, step under the heavy dumbbell, reach up and grasp the dumbbell with one

hand, bend your knees and stiffen your lifting arm, and then straighten your knees. Now

the dumbbell will be supported entirely by your one arm and all you have to do is to fight

to hold it up there as long as possible. When your arm gets tired you simply bend yourknees and once again all the weight will be

supported by the rope. Start with a reasonable

amount of weight and gradually add more and

more until you are able to support more than

you own bodyweight overhead with one arm.

Be sure to keep your arm straight, with

your elbow and shoulder locked, so that your

shoulder muscles are forced to do all the work.

This will prepare them for the job they must do

when you are holding the One-Hand

Handstand. Be sure to exercise both arms inorder to develop uniform strength and pave the

way to learning the One-Hand Handstand on

both hands.

(14) Dumbbell Raises: There are

various kinds of these and all are good

shoulder exercises. The following four

variations are the most common. All are

done in the standing position, with a

dumbbell grasped in each hand. (a)

Stand upright, grasp dumbbell in each

hand, keep arms straight, and raise

dumbbells sideways to shoulder height

as shown in No. 14-a. (b) Stand

upright, grasp dumbbell in each hand,

keep arms straight, and raise dumbbells

front ways to shoulder height. (c) Grasp

a dumbbell in each hand, bend forward


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at the waist, let arms hang straight down, raise arms sideways to shoulder height. (d)

Same as above but raise arms forward to shoulder height. Repeat each of the above four

raises, as advised before. Use dumbbells that you can raise right up to shoulder level. For a

description of the bent-over lateral raise described under (c) above, see No. 14-c to the

right.

(15) One Arm Leaning Rest With Turns: To do these you must start from thefront-leaning rest position shown in No. 7 on Page 9. Your whole weight should be

resting only on your hands and your toes and your body should be kept absolutely straight.

Now, ease your weight on to your right hand and raise your left hand off the floor and

place it alongside of your body. Hold this position for a few seconds and then turn your

body turn to the left so that you are facing the wall to your left. Hold this position for a

few seconds and then turn another turn to your left so that you are facing the ceiling.

Hold this position a few seconds and then turn back toward the wall again. Hold this

again, and then turn to face the floor again. This brings you back where you started.

Repeat the whole process until your right are is tired and then switch to your left and do

the whole thing to the other side.

(16) Rocking From Hand To Hand While Holding A Handstand Against The Wall:Place your hands at shoulder width apart with your fingers about 10 inches from a wall.

Kick your feet up overhead into a handstand against the wall. When your heels come to

rest against the wall, stretch your toes up as high as you

can, lock your elbows and lock-out at your shoulders. Now

rock your weight slowly on to your right hand by sliding

your feet to the right on the wall. Go as far to the right as

you can without taking your left hand off the floor. Then

bring your legs back to the starting position again and

repeat the whole thing to the left. Go from side to side until

tired and then take a short rest.

(17) Handstand Dips Against The Wall: Place yourhands at shoulder-width apart with your fingers about 10

inches from a wall. Kick your feet up overhead into a

handstand against the wall. When your heels touch the wall

stretch up with your toes and go into the perfect two-hand

handstand position. Now, bend your arms slowly about an

inch or tow and straighten them again. Next time go a little

lower down and press yourself up again. Keep practicing

this until you can lower your face right down to the floor

and press up again as shown in No. 17.

Comments: In all the above exercises, you should

exercise both arms equally. This is important for uniform

development. It also paves the way to better two-hand

handbalancing. Furthermore, it will help you to learn the

One-Hand Handstand on either hand. Most handbalancers

favor only one hand, but the really good handbalancers can

do the One-Hand Handstand on either hand. Going from

one hand to the other in your exercises also permits you to


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rest one arm while exercising the other so that you dont waste any time.

How often you should train and how many exercises you should do, will depend

upon yourselfyour physical condition, your strength, the time you have available, and so

forth. For best results you should train at least three times per week for about 1 hours

per session. So far as the handstand are concerned, these can be done at anytime during

the day, as they dont take very much time or energy. Naturally, the more you practice thevarious stunts themselves the faster you will master them.

As with any other sport, it is important that you strive to stay in the best possible

health at all times. This means keeping yourself free from disease, infections, ailments and

injuries. It means getting enough sleep, relaxation, fresh air, and sunshine to meet your

daily needs. It means eating well-balanced nutritious meals, following correct health

habits, and doing everything in your power to get fit and stay fit at all times.

STARTING AT THE HALF-WAYMARK

Why start at the beginning if you can start at some point more than half-way to

your ultimate goal? Yes! There is such a short cut! And, its so obvious that mosthandbalancers completely overlook it.

It is the most important step to the One-Hand Handstand that there is. It is

something you MUST DO before you even attempt the One-Hand Handstand. It supplies

the very foundation upon which the One-Hand Handstand rests. Its lack is the chief cause

of failure to learn the One-Hand Handstand.

What is it? Its simply thisYOU MUST FIRST MASTER THE TWO-HAND

HANDSTAND. Thats right! You cannot possibly do a good One-Hand Handstand until

you can do a perfect Two-Hand Handstand.

This does not mean that you must be able to perform all of the hundreds of tricks

in my basic course Handbalancing Made Easy. It simply means that you must be able to

press into a perfect Two-Hand Handstand and hold it with absolute control. It means thatyour elbows must be straight and locked, that your shoulders must be stretched out and

locked, that your back must be only slightly arched, your knees perfectly straight and your

toes pointed.

To obtain this very necessary PERFECT POSITION, you just go into an ordinary

Two-Hand Handstand and then stretch up as much as you possibly can. Push down on

your hands as though you wanted to lift the rest of your body away from them. At the

same time, reach up with your toes as if you were trying to touch them on the ceiling.

When you think you are fully stretched out you will probably have another six

inches to go, so keep on stretching higher and higher. The important thing is to be

completely stretched out at your shoulders so that your arms are in direct line with your

body. Very few handbalancers ever achieve this fully locked-out position of the shoulders

because they dont know what it is, and even if they do, they tend to think they are

completely locked-out when actually they still have inches to go.

If you want to get the feeling of being fully locked-out, get some one to hang you

by your ankles from a chinning bar and then lower you until you can barely reach the floor

with the palms of your hands by stretching your arms as much as you possibly can. You

can get something of the same effect by doing a handstand against a wall and then getting


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two helpers to grab you by the ankles and stretch you up as you can go. They can make a

mark on the wall at the highest point your toes reach and then tell you how close you

come to this mark when you are doing the handstand on your own.

When your shoulders are fully stretched out, you shoulder muscles (deltoids)

should actually be pressing against your ears. Furthermore, there should be a straight

bone-to-bone alignment at your elbow and shoulder joints so that no strength is needed tosupport your bodyweight. When you get into this fully locked-out position, with every

part of your body stiffened out into a straight line from your hands to the very tip of your

toes, then you will be able to hold the Perfect Two-Hand Handstand with practically no

effort whatsoever. In fact, all that it will require to keep you up there is the slightest bit of

pressure against the floor with your fingertips.

The fully locked-out position in the two-hand handstand, is the half-way mark to

the One-Hand Handstand. This is the position you must assume every time you want to go

into the One-Hand Handstand. In fact, this is so close to the One-Hand Handstand that

you cant get much closer to it without actually doing it.

YOU should practice the perfect Two-Hand Handstand until you have absolute

control of it before going on to the One-Hand Handstand. You can figure that you havereached this point when you can hold a fully locked-out two-hand handstand consistently

for about 45 seconds. Most good handbalancers can hold it twice this long so you should

keep on practicing until at least one minute is well within your capability.

This is far more important than you can possibly imagine. You see, it takes time to

get into a One-Hand Handstand. First, youve got to get into the perfect two-hand

handstand. While doing this you are using up some time, effort and energy. Then, youve

got to move over into the One-Hand position, which takes more time, effort and energy.

Finally, youve got to hold the One-Hand Handstand and fight to stay up there. Most

would-be One-Hand Handbalancers have already used up all of their time, effort and

energy before they get into the One-Hand position, and have nothing left for the handstand

itself. Actually they never really practice the One-Hand Handstand although they maythink that they are.

What they are doing, would be like someone trying to learn the high-jump by

running at the bar but never actually jumping over it. Or, like trying to learn how to dive

by jumping on a board without even doing a dive. In the case of the One-Hand Handstand,

youve got to have enough time, energy and effort to enable you to get through all of the

preliminary stages and still have some left to use on the One-Hand Handstand itself.

Many otherwise very good handbalancers have never been able to learn the One-

Hand Handstand simply because they never really learned to hold a perfect fully-locked

out Two-Hand Handstand. So learn this FIRST. Practice it again and again until you can

do it with absolute perfection. Practice it so that you can kick up into it, or press up into

it, anytime, anywhere with the greatest of ease. Put a chart on the wall and a watch on the

floor between your hands and about 10 inches in front of them. See how long you can stay

up. Put the time on your wall chart. Keep trying to break your previous record. Every

second more will bring you closer to your ultimate goal.


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FINGERTIP CONTROL

Whether you are doing a One-Hand Handstand or a Two-Hand Handstand, you

must never forget the tremendous importance of fingertip control. In any handstand which

you do on a flat surface, you must try to get the biggest possible base from your hands.

For the two-hand handstand this means placing your hands at shoulder-width apart,keeping your index fingers parallel and pointing forward, and spread all the rest of your

fingers as wide as you possibly can.

When you press, or kick up, into you two-hand handstand, you must keep the

weight of your body pressing down on the palms of your hands AND ON YOUR

FINGERTIPS. Only in this way can you get the biggest possible base and the fingertip

control you must have. If your weight rolls back on to the heels of you hands, then the

base will become smaller and you fingers will become useless, and it will be almost

impossible for you to hold the handstand. So make sure that you feel pressure against your

fingertips at all times.

In the uneven handstand, where only one hand is flat on the floor, and is bearing

most of your weight, you must also get this same fingertip control. This is accomplishedby leaning your weight slightly forward as well as to the side, so that you can feel pressure

on the fingers of the hand that is flat on the floor. This is your balancing hand and is the

one which must do most of the work. In the free One-Hand Handstand, where you are

balancing yourself entirely on One Hand, this same fingertip control is absolutely essential.

Without it, you just cant hold the One-Hand Handstand. However, this will be dealt with

more fully later, when we come to the actual One-Hand Handstand itself.

LEAD UP STUNTS TO THE ONE-HAND HANDSTAND

(18) Leaning From Side To Side In The Ordinary Two-Hand Handstand: Go into

the ordinary perfect Two-Hand Handstand as already described above. When you are inperfect balance and have stretched up as high as you possibly can, let your legs lean

slightly forward and to the right. Keep leaning until you are as far over as you can go

without falling out of balance and without taking your left hand off the floor. Do the same

thing to your left, easing most of your weight on to your left hand. Go from one side to

the other, back and forth, slowly and in perfect control, until you are tired. Then bring

your feet down to the floor and take a rest.

This is an excellent exercise, and also good training for the One-Hand Handstand.

It helps you to get familiar with the correct position for the One-Hand Handstand and also

helps you to develop the strength you need to pull out of it after you master it.

The same stunt can be done much easier and with more control on a regular set of

parallel bars, such as you will find in any big gym.. However, your best bet is to get a set

of Orlick Parlour Parallels, as these are small and inexpensive and you can use them right

in your own home. When you do a handstand on the parallels, you can get a strong grip on

the bars and let yourself lean further out of balance and still force yourself back, than on

can if you do it on the floor. Its a good idea to learn this stunt both on the floor and the

parallels.

(19) Uneven Handstand On Seat And Back Of Chair: Get an ordinary kitchen chair


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with a strong seat and a strong back. Grasp the front edge

of the seat with your left hand, and grasp the top of the

back-rest with your right hand. Lean forward until your

head and shoulders are in front of your hands. Now take a

little jump with both feet off the floor at the same time,

raise your buttocks up overhead and double your kneesup into your chest as shown in No. 19. Practice this

position a number of times so that you can get into and

hold it with ease. Then press your legs up overhead into

the handstand position and hold it.

Repeat the whole procedure the other way

around, with your right hand grasping the seat and your

left hand grasping the back-rest.

The ordinary way of doing this stunt is to keep

your arm on the seat absolutely straight and the arm on

the back-rest bent at the elbow as shown in No. 19. After

you master it this way, you should try it with both armsstretched out straight. This is much more difficult,

because you must lean practically all of your weight on

the hand which is grasping the seat, without falling out of

balance and without pulling the chair over.

To do this stunt go into the ordinary uneven

handstand as already described above. Then straighten

your bent arm a little, then a little more, always fighting to

stay in balance, until finally you can do the stunt with both

arms perfectly straight. The whole secret in this is to

stretch the bent arm a little more each time until you can

develop the necessary control to hold yourself with both arms perfectly straight. Whendone correctly, this trick is very close to the One-Hand Handstand. In fact, many good

handbalancers can lift the hand off the back-rest entirely and hold the free One-Hand

Handstand on the seat of the chair.

(20) Handstand With Hands Close Together: Place your two hands on the floor

with your thumbs touching and your fingers together and pointing directly forward. Lean

forward and kick your feet up overhead into the handstand position. Your base will be

much smaller with this type of a hand-position and therefore the stunt will be much harder

to do. Be sure to lock-out your shoulders and elbows as you did before.

This is not only a good lead-up stunt for the One-Hand Handstand but it is also a

fine trick in itself. It will come in very handy if you want to hold a handstand on the top of

a partners head, on top of a fence post, or on a piling at the beach. There are many tricks

where you will find good use for it as you become more advanced. Master it on the floor

first, before you attempt to do it on higher objects. Then try it on your Handbalancing

Blocks, starting with one and gradually building up higher and higher. If you dont have a

set of Orlick Handbalancing Blocks you should certainly get one as they will come in

handy for a multitude of different exciting stunts. If you want to save a little money on

these you can send for my plan and make your own.


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(21) Handstand With One Hand Upon The Other: Place one

hand on the floor with your fingers together and pointing slightly

inward. Then place the other hand on top with the fingers pointing

diagonally in the opposite direction. Now, lean forward and kick you

legs up overhead into the handstand position as shown in No. 20.

The base of this handstand is still smaller than the one above andtherefore even more difficult. Furthermore, because of this and the

position of your hands, you will find yourself twisting and turning in

all directions, and must fight to counteract this. Go up into the

handstand as smoothly and steadily as possible and fight against any

movement that tends to throw you out of balance. Keep practicing

this stunt until you can go up into it and hold it with ease. The base

of this stunt is not much bigger than the base of the One-Hand

Handstand which makes it a valuable lead-up trick for the One-Hand

Handstand. However, there is one big difference, and that is the fact

that in this trick you have the use of both arms to support your

bodyweight., instead of one. This is also a good trick in itself and willbe of value when you want to balance on the end of your

handbalancing blocks or on the head of a Balancing Cane.

(22) Closed Fists Handstand: This is also called the knuckle

handstand. To do it you clench your fists and place them on the floor

as if you were punching it. Your fists should be placed shoulder-

width apart. Now, lean forward and very carefully kick your feet up

into the handstand position. Do this easily and gently because your

base will be even smaller than before and you wont have the use of

your fingertips to help hold you up. If you kick too hard you are

liable to topple right over. At first, the weight of your body resting

on your knuckles will probably hurt but just grin and bear it forsoon you will get used to it. Once again be sure to stretch up as

high as you can and lock-out at the elbows and shoulders and point

your toes up toward the ceiling. The position is shown quite clearly

to the right in No. 22. Like the others, this too is a fine lead-up

stunt so keep it up until you master it.

(23) Uneven Handstands On The Handbalancing Blocks:

For these you need a set of my special Handbalancing Blocks.

These can be used for many different stunts and are terrific for

building up your own spectacular handbalancing act. To do the

uneven handstands you will start with one block under your left

hand and your right hand flat on the floor. This puts your left hand

about two inches higher than your right hand. Now, lean forward

and kick your legs up overhead into the handstand position and hold

it. Stretch up as high as you can and let your legs lean slightly

forward and to the right. After you have done it to the right then

change the block to the other hand and do it to the left. This time

your left hand will be flat on the floor and your right hand will be


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clear of the box. When you get to this final position, you will actually be doing the One-

Hand Handstand. However, you will be getting some support from the pressure of your

balancing arm against the corner of the box.

Using a box as advised will help you to stay up in the One-Hand Handstand much

longer than you possibly could without any support at all. Not only is this good exercise

for the One-Hand Handstand but it also gives you more time to get into the position whichsuits you best. You are very close to the actual One-Hand Handstand when you stretch

your free hand to the side. However, you can get still closer by leaning your balancing arm

less and less against the corner of the box until you dont get any support from it at all.

This alone, can help you to cut down your learning time by as much as 25% and, when

combined with all of the other short-cuts I have given you, can already save you about

50% of the usual time required to learn the spectacular One-Hand Handstand.

THE CORRECT HAND POSITION FOR THE ONE-HAND HANDSTAND

To get into the perfect One-Hand Handstand position you must first get into the

perfect Two-Hand Handstand position. You can do both of these easier if you draw thefollowing chart on the floor to guide you, or make yourself a hand-position chart that you

can lay on the floor. Or, if you want to save yourself a lot of trouble, you can send for one

of my special Orlick Hand-Position Charts which are very inexpensive.

Here are the dimensions, if you want to make your own:

Here is the chart as it looks with the hand-positions drawn in. However, the hands

have been enlarged just so that you can see them more clearly. This is how your chart

should look when you have finished it.

Here is how you go about using The Orlick Hand-Position Chart: (a) For the Two-

Hand Handstand: Place your left index finger on line A and your right index finger on line

B pointing in the direction shown by the arrows. Move both hands forward until the heels

of your hands are on the base line C-D. Now, spread all of your fingers as widely as

possible without moving either of your index fingers. Then look along line Y at a point

about 12 from the base line and then kick your legs up overhead into the Two-Hand

Handstand. Stretch up, lock your elbows and shoulders, and point your toes at the ceiling,

and then hold it. If you draw in the hands as in my chart you will know exactly where to

put them.


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(b) For The One-Hand Handstand: The starting position for the One-HandHandstand is the Two-Hand Handstand just described above. So, the first thing you must

do is to go into a perfect Two-Hand Handstand. (1) If you are doing the One-Hand

Handstand on your Right Hand, then you must turn your head to the right and look at the

tip of your right index finger. Then lean your legs slightly forward and to the right, in the

direction shown by the arrow on line Z. (2) If you are doing the One-Hand Handstand on

your Left Hand, then you must turn your head to the left and look at the tip of your left

index finger. Then lean your legs slightly forward and to the left, in the direction shown by

the arrow on line X. Whether you do the One-Hand Handstand on your Right Hand or

your Left Hand, you must be sure to have pressure on your finger tips and not on the heel

of your balancing hand.

THE CORRECT BODY AND LEG POSITION

FOR THE ONE-HAND HANDSTAND

You will see many different positions of the legs and some variations in body

position, for the One-Hand Handstand. Some of the most common leg positions are: legs

straight and together; legs straight and spread wide apart; legs straight and together with

one foot hooked under the other; legs together with the knees bent; legs spread wide apart

with the knees bent; and so on.

There are a number of very unusual body positions and leg positions which are

performed by contortionists with very limber backs and loose-jointed limbs. You may alsosee some impossible positions which are performed by persons who have capitalized on

some injury or physical defect.

However, in this course we are going to stress only two standard method: (1) Legs

Straight and Together; and (2) Legs Straight and Spread Wide Apart.

The first is the most important and should be mastered first. Once you get this, the

other will be very easy to learn. When you can do both, then you will have no trouble

learning all of the other variations. If you happen to be a contortionist, then it will not take


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you long to learn the pretzel-type of handstand as

well. In other words, these two standard methods

you are going to learn are basic to all of the others.

(1) Legs Straight and Together: Go into a

perfect Two-Hand Handstand as described above,

making sure to lock-out at your elbows andshoulders and to stretch up with your toes. (a) If

you are doing the One-Hand Handstand on your

Right Hand, then look at your right index finger, and

lean your legs slightly forward and to the right as

shown by the arrow on line Z on the Orlick Hand-

Position Chart. Move slowly and steadily until all of

the weight of your body is on your Right Hand and

you left hand is free from the floor and you are

actually doing the One-Hand Handstand (b) If you

are doing the One-Hand Handstand on your Left

Hand, then look at your left index finger, and leanyour legs slightly forward and to the left as shown

by the arrow on line X on my chart. Move slowly

and steadily until all of the weight of your body is on

your Left Hand and you right hand is free from the

floor and you are actually doing the One-Hand

Handstand. Be sure to keep your legs straight and

pressed tightly together no matter what hand you

use.

Note: The One-Hand Handstand with Legs

Straight and Together, done on the

Right Hand is shown clearlyimmediately to the right in No. 28.

(2) Legs Straight And

Spread Wide Apart: Again you

start by going into the perfect

Two-Hand Handstand. (a) If you

are going to do the handstand on

your Right Hand, look at the tip of

your right index finger. Then

spread your legs as wide apart as

you can. Now, keeping your legs

spread wide apart, force both of

your legs slightly forward and to

the right letting more and more

weight rest upon the Right Hand.

Finally, all of the weight of your

body will be on your Right Hand. It

will help you to get the right


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22/27


learn to do the One-Hand Handstand? or are YOU going to try NOT to learn the One-

Hand Handstand? This seems like a very foolish question, but remember, ALL beginners

make the same mistake. YOU dont have to make it, but you probably will, unless you can

make up your mind that you are going to follow the correct procedure and the FOLLOW

IT.

If you throw yourself into the One-Hand Handstand, you might stay up a secondor two, but so will a broom. The reason why all beginners rush into the One-Hand

Handstand is mostly psychological. By rushing into it quickly they give themselves the

illusion that they are actually holding the One-Hand Handstand, even if it is only

momentarily. If they practice it the correct way they might get into the handstand position

once in every ten tries, or even more often. Therefore, they practice it the WRONG way

and then wonder why they never make any progress.

This is like trying to get up a flight of 20 stairs in one jump. No matter how long

you practiced you never would make all of the stairs at once. Can you imagine any

intelligent person jumping again and again week after week, month after month, and even

year after year, without success, when he could get up those steps easily if he would just

take one little step at a time. Yet this is exactly what thousands of would be One-HandHandbalancers have done from the beginning of time and will continue to do as long as

man exists. Perhaps its just as well, because their failures make the stunt even more

exclusive and bring more glory to those who are intelligent enough (or lucky enough) to

practice it CORRECTLYand of course, YOU are going to be one of thesearent

you?

No matter what kind of a One-Hand Handstand you want to learn, the same

method applies. Take your time! SLOW DOWN and you will learn the One-Hand

Handstand FASTER. This is the most important advice that anyone can give you.

When you rush into the One-Hand Handstand, or throw yourself into it, you

are learning how NOT to do it. You are learning WRONG things which prevent you from

holding the One-Hand Handstand.There is only one way you can learn to do something the right way and that is by

practicing it the RIGHT WAY. All other practice is useless or worse, because it works

against you.

Centuries ago, Socrates said: Make Haste Slowly. He must surely have been

talking about the One-Hand Handstand, because nowhere does this famous saying apply

more aptly. Let this be your motto for learning the One-Hand Handstand, for nothing can

bring you success FASTER than is you MAKE HASTE SLOWLY.

THE CORRECT METHOD OF EASING INTO THE ONE-HAND HANSTAND

(See Figures No. 30-33 on the next page)

Regardless of what hand you are going to try the One-Hand Handstand on, you

must first go into the PERFECT Two-Hand Handstand. Then you must lean your legs

slightly forward and in the direction of the hand you are balancing on, as already described

in detail above. Gradually there will be more and more weight on your balancing hand and

less and less on your free hand.


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24/27


THIS IS THE CRUCIAL POINT. It is here that you must make haste slowly. It is

this final stage which will determine whether or not you are going to learn the One-Hand

Handstand, and how long it is going to take.

When most of your body weight is on your balancing hand, slow down your lean

almost to a stop and make sure that the shoulder of your balancing arm is fully locked-out.

Then lean your legs a fraction more and lift the palm of your free hand from the floor sothat only your fingertips are touching. Practice this a number of times until you can raise

and lower the palm of your free hand without any difficulty and can stay up on the

fingertips of your free hand.

Next, lift the tip of the little finger and the one next to it, by bending them both in,

so that only the tips of your thumb and the two adjacent fingers of your free hand are

touching the floor. Practice this position until you can get into it and hold it without any

difficulty.

Then raise your little finger, the one next to it, and your thumb and again practice

until this is easy to hold. Next add your middle finger so that only the index finger of your

free hand is touching the floor.

When you get to this point where you are balancing on one hand with only onefinger of your free hand touching the floor, you must STOP. Dont lift that one finger.

Keep on practicing this one hand and one finger balance until you can hold it for about

ten seconds.

Each time you practice this stage of the One-Hand Handstand, you must start from

the perfect Two-Hand Handstand position, then raise the palm of your free hand, followed

by one fingertip after the other as described above, until only one finger is touching the

floor. Hold this one hand and one finger balance as long as you can. Then replace your

fingertips one at a time, and finally lower your palm to the floor again. This will bring you

back to your original starting position, the perfect Two-Hand Handstand, which you

should hold for a few seconds to develop control, before lowering your feet back to the

floor.Keep practicing this important stage until you have it down perfect. Then, and only

then, are you ready for the final steplifting your last finger off the floor. All you have to

do is bend this finger up the slightest bit and you will actually be doing the One-Hand

Handstand. But dont rush this either. Just raise your index finger a fraction of an inch so

that you can touch the floor if necessary with practically no movement at all.

When you get into the free One-Hand Handstand try to stay up there as long as

you possibly can. At this point it doesnt matter which fingertip touches the floor, or even

if two or more touch it. The important thing is to stay up in the One-Hand Handstand as

long as possible and to use your free hand as little as possible to help you stay there. If you

must touch the floor then let your fingertips barely brush against it, and only when

absolutely necessary.

Keep on practicing this final stage of the One-Hand Handstand and one of these

days it will happenyou will find yourself staying up with practically no effort on your

partalmost as if you were standing on two hands. You wont have to fight the balance

and you will barely have to use any strength or energy. You will just stay there with the

tiniest bit of pressure on the tips of the fingers of your balancing hand.

From then on its just a matter of practiceand like all things requiring skillthe


25/27


more you practice the better will you become. But Remember! Dont try to skip any of the

stages, dont rush, dont throw yourself into it. Take your time and gradually ease yourself

into every handstand you do. Try to maintain perfect control from the very start until your

feet are back on the floor again.

VARIOUS POSITIONS FOR YOUR FREE ARM

As soon as you can stay up in the One-Hand Handstand for a period of ten seconds

or more, without having to touch the floor with your free hand you should start moving

this hand out of the way. There are a number of different positions used by balancers for

their free arm and hand. These can be used with the various leg positions I have already

mentioned. The most common positions for the free arm and hand are as follows:

(1) Bend the elbow of your free arm and place the fingers of your free hand on the

biceps of your balancing arm. Your bent arm will pass just under your chin.

(2) Raise your free arm straight to the side: (a) Most balancers bring their free arm

about half-way up so that it is at right angles to their body parallel to the floor. (b) Others

bring it about one-quarter of the way up. (c) Still others bring it about three-quarters ofthe way up.

(3) Raise your free arm to the side bend it at the elbow, and place your free hand

on your hip.

(4) Raise your free arm to the side, bend it at the elbow, and then slide your hand

and forearm behind your back.

(5) Raise your free arm to the side as high as you possibly can until your whole

free arm is straight and pressed tightly against your side. Your palm should be pressed

against your thigh.

There are other positions for the free hand and arm, but these are the most

common. If you can master these then you will have no trouble doing any of them, and can

even make up some of your own.Position (2-a) is the most popular when done with the One-Hand Handstand with

the legs straight and spread wide apart. This handstand not only looks better, because of

the symmetry and beautiful lines, but is easier to hold because the extended free arm helps

to counterbalance the opposite leg. So be sure to learn this one and get it down perfect.

Position (5) is the most popular when done with the One-Hand Handstand with

legs straight and together. This one gives the impression that you are so good that you

dont need the free arm at all to help in your balance. It gives the feeling of absolute

control. This one is also very important so be sure to master it.

Top Olympic Gymnasts and Professional Handbalancers use these two methods

more than all others put together. You should master both and use them both in your

routine or act. Not only will you be sure YOU are pleasing everyone, but you will also be

showing everyone that you have developed terrific control of the One-Hand Handstand.

Then too there are a number of special One-Hand Stunts that you will want to

learn later, which you wont be able to do unless you have mastered both methods.

Once you have arrived at this point, you will be a full fledged One-Hand

Handbalancer of the highest caliber, and an accepted member of the International Order of

One-Hand Handbalancers. You will be in a class equal to the best of amateur and


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professional handbalancers and could work up a sensational routine for amateur

competition, or a spectacular act for professional performance, and go right out on the

road.

No matter what you do, you can rest assured that the feeling of satisfaction will be

terrific and will repay you a thousand times over for any effort you have expended in

learning this spectacular trick. So, go to it! The One-Hand Handstand can be yours if youreally want it. Make up your mind that you are going to be one of the worlds amazing

few who have mastered this sensational stunt. Then keep on practicing until youve got it.

Good Luck and Good Handbalancing

Prof. E.M. Orlick


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