How necessary are implements for OAHS training?

In regards to a feet together one arm handstand, I know people say they are much harder than a straddled one arm handstand, and impossible to learn without hands on training from a professional, but are canes and blocks and such necessary?

It can be learned without a coach and any equipment, but it will take way more time. When learning something as hard as that you would want to use what tools you can. Getting it solid with coaching and all that is already a very long process because you literally can not make any mistakes in it without falling. From what I have seen it can take people a couple of years from the point where their straddle is solid until they get any sort of consistency with the legs together one. Lifting the arm to the side is even harder.

Thank you very much for your advice.  I know you are a very advanced hand balancer, can you perform the feet together one hander?

And yeah, I know how long it's going to take with or without coaching.  From where I am (the beginning of H1) I'm pretty sure it's going to take me a decade or more....

A year to finish H1 (optimistic here) a couple years to master press to handstands, then a couple more working on straddle one arm progressions until I can hold it for at least 30s but more like a minute or two, and then finally beginning dedicated work on moving my feet together (which I've heard takes 2-3 times as long as learning a straddle one hander.)  I may detour between the straddle and the feet together version to learn one arm press to handstands, if it's really necessary.

Either way, this is definitely the long haul for me.

Yes I can do it. It is no problem at all for me. It is a long process to get there and you need to be very serious about balancing if you want to get it. You dont need straddle for a minute, thats a very long time, but its smart to work on half straddle, tuck and toes touching as well. In finger support its not too hard, it is the balancing that is tricky. Focus on the journey of learning, not on a specific goal. Loads of other interesting balances to learn before you get to that point!

I never knew that it takes so long to learn the one arm handstand. But its in my goal list aswell

I've heard a straddle can be learned in about 3 months, with coaching and a good base to start from.

Straddle 1 arm cant be learned in 3 months unless you are an absolute freak. You could maybe learn it in 3 months if you have full splits and pancake, 2+ min solid handstand. repping presses with ease, are able to touch toes on each side by flaging for reps, and can block walk up and down and sideways across several blocks without problems. I have seen people with excellent strength flexibillity and technique be stuck at finger support for very long, simply because it is very difficult and time consuming to learn to balance on 1 arm.

Some can get it quite quickly though, even without the aforementioned stuff, but its not the norm. I have seen 1 person do 1 arm handstand on his first try and he was a bboy who could jump 30+ hops on the arm, do 7+ 1990s, roll back to 1 arm freeze, etc. Depending on your level I would say 1-3 years of very focused and consistent work.

Whoever mentioned the 3 month straddle thing was probably talking about Ryan Hurst who was able to do a 3 second hold after 12 weeks or more likely, John Sapinoso who after 4 months, was able to hold it for 10 seconds.

But of course,

I was hoping you would chime in Phillip. You are a strong ass dude who clearly trains a lot and I think you can agree that this is a very difficult skill to build. 

I dont know much about Hurst background. If he had a solid consistent 3 second after 3 months thats very good, consistency is the real thing in question. You can hit it by luck some times, but being able to reproduce it at least 1 out of 3 times or more is what matters. I usually consider 5 seconds to be a "qualified" time. In that amount of time you have to do several corrections and you cant hit it with luck. I believe John Sapinoso is a pretty strong guy with gymnastics background who has been on his hands for some years. He also has mutant strength beyond most people. In cases like that im not surprised, but for someone not yet familiar on their hands it does take time. 

When I learned 1 arm I could already do 30+ handhops on my right arm so I learned quickly. I could also press handstand from L sit without problems. Left arm had a lot more work to do, but because I knew what to be doing and feeling from my right arm the progress was also quicker. 

Haha thanks, Mikael. I can definitely agree and will say I am definitely an example of someone who is on one hand and one finger, and still working day in and day out on it for a lot of time a day, just like you said.

I've had moments of 5 seconds, and even once 7 seconds. Never past that though and never consistently or even twice in the same day.

3 months for a straddle would be pretty freaky. Three months for a consistent straddle is even freakier.

Working presses the way you showed me is definitely helping!

Alex Chubb said:

Working presses the way you showed me is definitely helping!

I'm curious now.

Bipocni said:

I'm curious now.

Working on the minimal lean presses allows me to control underbalancing better on one arm. Does that make sense? Read the topic on reducing the press handstand lean and he wrote more detail there.

Alex Chubb said:

Working on the minimal lean presses allows me to control underbalancing better on one arm. Does that make sense? Read the topic on reducing the press handstand lean and he wrote more detail there.

Oh okay.  Yeah, I've read that thread, it's why I've included press handstands on my roadmap above.  I just wondered if you were talking about something not on the forum.

I really need to pay more attention to who's making these posts.  If you don't have an avatar, I have no idea who you are or what you've said....