ONE ARM HANDSTAND GUIDE BY VIKTOR KAMENOVCONTENTS: 1) Level requirements 2) How long it will take to learn? 3) How often you should train OAHS? 4) Warm up 5) Technique 6) Transfer from regular HS to OAHS. 7) What are the most common mistakes? 8) Progressions 9) Full OAH 10) OAHS on the opposite hand? This article is not a training program. It’s just a guide with all the essesial information you need to know about about one arm handstand (OAH) Tam nota professional acrobat. Everything is based on my personal experience. 1ONE ARM HANDTSTAND One arm handstand is one of the elements that almost every top calisthenics athlete can do nowadays. It’s perfect for performing in static combos and it definitely increases the completeness in freestyle competitions. Afcource the path of getting that skill is long and tough but it can be shortened with patience and proper training methods. In this article I will show you my way of learning that skill. 1) Level requirements Before ever trying the one arm handstand I recommend at least one year experience of the regular handstand for gaining initial strength and feel of balance. Be sure you are stable and you perform it with proper form, otherwise it will affect the one arm HS progress. AO Before moving to the one arm I’ve been walking freely on handstand and I’ve been doing around 20 handstand push-ups. Afcource that not a requirement but I say it just in order to give you a rough idea of the level i2) How long it will take to learn? Varies from person to person, depending on the sense of balance and past experience. I made my first hold after thousands of attempts in 4 months, I literally had no idea of the technique and if Thad I would have learned it faster. For sure its way harder than the regular handstand and the struggle in the beginning is inevitable 3) How many times a week you should train OAHS Trained with the proper form the element requires mainly balance and not so much strength. Due to this you can train it even every day, but I suggest you 4-5 times a week. Sometimes for too much exercise makes the technique and balance even worse. One arm handstand is perfect to put in the end of training or in day after a strong workout when you are tired for strength skills but you still can train the balance exercises Push and release 4) Warm up When holding the one arm HS, all the weight of the body falls on the wrist. The risk of injury is high and this is why you must never go directly to this skill without warm up. I made this mistake back in 2013 and it caused me 6 months of no one arm handstand. I usually do the shown above warm ups.5) Technique All the explanations will apply for one arm HS performed on the right hand at straddle position. [right arm OAHS] For the left handed guys it’s just the opposite. For 90 percent of the people the straddle position is easier. The more flexible you are the better for control is. If we put an imaginary axis starting from the position of the wrist - the elbow, and the left butt must be placed one above other on that same axis. Usually the shoulder stands a bit on right (especially if you have hyperextended elbows)The main balance must be controlled mainly from the wrist, elbow, left arm, and legs. ‘The wrist - unlike the regular handstand here you must control the balance with your wrist in all directions. That’s why it’s better to spread the fingers. The wrist is also responsible for the body rotation. Always concentrate your glance between the thumb and the forefinger.+ The elbow - should be always locked. Don't use it for balance corrections because it will ruin the hold. « The shoulder - always push out, otherwise you will get exhausted faster and it’s possible to heard yourself. + Axis B is positioned on the right side of axis A. They both a vertical. « The legs and angles between them. - people often neglect that part. At straddle position the angle between the right leg and the axis B (6) must be bigger than the angle between the left and the axis B (a). « The torso - it’s not vertical but it is positioned diagonal on the direction between the two legs (axis C) « The torso and the legs must stay in the same plane as the regular handstand in order to prevent rotation. + Looked from a side the body must be straight. + Don’t do the “banana” handstand because that runs a risk of injuring your lower back or shoulders Straight Y °Banana” Ian6) Transfer from regular HS to one arm HS. « It’s really important to start from proper straight straddle handstand with locked elbow and shoulder pushed out «Slowly move the right shoulder to the right, while keeping both arms straight and shoulders pushed out « In the same time move both the torso and legs to the direction of axis C and try your legs to be placed symmetrical according to the torso that axis « Stay in the same plane as the regular handstand and don't rotate the legs and torso «Look between the thumb and the forefinger. + When you feel you placed your body at the correct position lift slowly the left hand fingers from the ground and try not to move your left shoulder, cause that can ruin the balance. 7Ph. 2 - wrong showder placement 7) What are the most common mistakes? + Usually people don’t pay attention on the placement of the right shoulder. Photo 2 -In this case the arm is not vertical and has a bigger pressure on the shoulder. + For beginners wrong angles between the legs are also typical. Quite often the left leg is vertical or goes to the opposite direction. (photos 3 and 4) As a result the body follows the legs and falls down. « Also many guys rush and remove the left hand really fast which is good for instagram photos but doesn’t really work Record yourself each time you do attempt. Better do 10 tries with proper form than thousands with incorrect. T he worse the shape is, the more force it requires for hold and the greater the risk of injury is. Ph. 3 - wrong angles X€ Ph. 4 - wrong angles ¥8) Progressions Find a firm surface and make sure you already made a good warm up. Firstly I recommend a_ wall support. (photo 1 and 2) Just try to feel the movement in the correct position with your left hand fingers touching the ground. Make yourself videos or use a help of a friend to position your body if necessary. Do this on your first 2-3 trainings Ones you feel comfortable and you can always go to that point without any correction you can removing slowly the fingers from the floor and hold. Ph. I - Side support Ph, 2 - back support Ph. 3 - back supportAt this level you can also start without a wall with additional help of five fingers. When you can hold that for 10 seconds you can go for 4 fingers. By the same logic gradually use 1 finger less after being able to hold 10 seconds at each variation Something I’ve done as a beginner is supporting myself with little touches between my right leg and a side wall. Patience is really important. Every time I was rushing and skipping warm ups lead me to wrist pain and slower progress. That’s why I advise you to be consistent in your trainings and never going to the next level variation without mastering the previous one. 5 fingers suport 2 fingers suport 1 fingers suport 109)Getting the full OAHS Both of the legs must be on the dyrection of axis C or sightly on the left (as shown on the photo) Be shure you have at least 20 seconds stable OAHS before going for this one. As a beginner as you lift your hand try your wrist to move close to your body, rather than far away. 10) One arm HS on the opposite hand? Ones you've mastered the one arm HS on your dominant hand you will be amazed of how fast you will get it on the opposite hand. I suggest you to try consecutive leans from left to right side in order to start mirroring the movement. I learned the left arm HS when I had bad injury on the right wrist due to lack of warm up and rushing. I used the same approach as for the right hand but the _ progress was significantly faster and I learned it in a month.Afcource everything I've shown here was on floor which is the easiest grip for the majority of athletes. However there are many other grips in which the technique and the position of the body is absolutely the same. The only difference is in the grips technique Afcource maybe there are other approaches but the ones I show you worked for me and for many others who trained by my training methods. Feel free to DM me on my Instagram (viktor_kamenov98) I will be happy to see your feedback and check your progress. Wish you good luck and always train smart!