Taking stock of last year's progress at 69-th b-day

[Richard Duelley]

Straddling your legs in the beginning is also a great way to get to know the balance (its how I started them). When you want to progress to legs together you need to start slightly twisting your body so you dont spin around your balance point. Hmmm, I cant explain it well enough so here is a quote from Ido that he posted on my handbalacing log on his forum

"Ricky, as you close the position, it is usualy helpful to rotate the body sideways more, as if you are externally rotating your humeros in a rotator cuff exercise.

The full closed position is will become much easier if you start to limit yourself to first only balancing with the elbow angle and the wrist moving and the rest of the body locked, and finally only with the wrist.

In the straddled position people are sometimes relying too much on their legs to balance, which makes it difficult to advance to the full elbow lever version.

By the way, this is true to all handbalancing. The end goal is to 'take down the balance' to the wrist only. The rest of the body is locked into position.

Ido."

Basically I would start in as wide a straddle as you can and then once you get that solid start working on half straddle and feet together. If your wrists are bugging you, blocks are a great help for these.

[FritsMB Mansvelt Beck]

Yuri, you are too modest. Mine is a subjective scale, based on limited observations. It goes from “wannabe†(where I rate myself) to “pretty incredible†(where I rate Handbalancer’s waiting-for-the-subway-train-just-playing-around-and-doing-a-one-hand-stand-with-a-sixty-kilo-fellow-circus-friend-on-my-back). On that scale “accomplished†precedes “fully accomplishedâ€, precedes “outstandingâ€, precedes “pretty incredibleâ€. You see, there is plenty of room for further development for you.

Yuri and niftyvt, thank you both for your good advise. Combining what you say, I think my strategy should be to eventually find my balance point at my wrist, getting there by also using my feet while keeping the left hand off the floor, minimize waving my legs, lift up my chest, tilt up my left shoulder and hip, rotating the body to the right, initially using a partial straddle, all to shift my gravity centre to above the right elbow so I can use the elbow angle to balance. Got it. Internalizing all of that will take some time, but that is what I enjoy the most. I do this only at the end of my training. By that time my right wrist, arm and shoulder are completely warmed up and hold up well (to my surprise). For the time being I will just focus on my right arm. Thanks again. Hope to show some progress in the next couple of months.

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

I know this is an old thread, but this is very, very inspiring.

Does anyone know if FritsMB still frequent the board? His Bday is coming up in two weeks; it would be really cool to celebrate it with new videos and a progress report here on BtGB forum

Fred

[FritsMB Mansvelt Beck]

Hi FredInChina. Yes, I still frequent the board. However, I haven't posted anything for a couple of months. Pretty content to work out by myself. I am of course very happy to read that you found my "Taking stock at 69-th birthday video" inspiring. In fact, I was quite surprised and very inspired by the positive responses that this video got; that is the way it works. The past five months I had to concentrate on my training for rowing in veterans races (in an 8+), so I did my GB training after my training on the erg (concept2). To my surprise, I found that the pretty intense erg training (half an hour of steady state and/or interval training) to be by far the best warm up for the GB training; much better than the rubber band etc. warm up I had been doing. It is amazing how much more strength you have when you are really warmed up ( I am talking about getting your heart rate up to 80% of max and keeping it there for 10 to 20 minutes). Most of the training I do at the moment is with my Dream Machine (ring pulley system that allows you to work on rings with half your body weight while it supports you at waist level). I have a routine that consists of IC presses, reverse MU, HSPU in rings, planche to HS and pelican to HS (I have posted some of those exercises here on the Board a couple of months ago when I started; look for Dream Machine). I want to see where that gets me (strength wise) in, say, a year's time. Of course, if and when I feel inspired to do so, I will definitely do another "Taking stock.." video, if alone to help other people to realize that it ain't over till the fat lady sings. Have fun.

Frits

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

Very good FritsMB, nice to hear you are still at it & thank you for this update; congrats on your progress, and looking forward to reading the following of your "adventures in gymnastics", rowing, etc...

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

Happy Bday Fritz

Still waiting for this year's video compilation...

[FritsMB Mansvelt Beck]

Thank you Fred. Since I turned seventy a year ago I have been waiting for my (athletic) world to crumble and leave me empty handed and looking at a bleak future. But, you know what? It ain’t happening (yet). I guess that I was right to start taking up these Gymnastic Body exercises when I was sixty eight. Talking about “just in timeâ€. Still making progress. A compilation of last year’s Gift that Keeps on Giving is a little difficult; I hardly made any videos this last year. I am concentrating on gaining shoulder strength using my dream machine; boring stuff, except for me. I will make a short video and post it here. And then, when I have enough to hopefully inspire-and-motivate, I will do a compilation.

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

Very pleased to hear that Fritz; please keep up the good work, you are an inspiration

Hats off Dear Sir!

[Quick Start Test Smith]

Belated Happy Birthday, Fritz! 8)