Best way to achive the 1 armed HS

Here is my current strength level and background, feel free to ask any questions!

I am 16 and have been involved in gymnastics for nearly 2 and have of and on used bodyweight conditioning for quite a few years before that (Now that I have been doing Gymnastics & BTGB I realize how easy the stuff I was doing before was.)

I can hold A "Perfect" BL for around 3 seconds and a straddle for quite abit more than that.

Flatt tuck FL for around 25-30 seconds and over 6 FT FL Rows

Tuck Planche for 13 seconds

50 Second L-hang, also very good V-hang Good L-Sit, working on V-sit & L-sit walking

3 muscle ups in a row (Not sure about the form, no one was watching me)

1 HeSPU against the wall, Almost have negative freestanding HeSPU

Slightly Jump assisted Pike-press to HS, (Not sure about straddle press)

HS against the wall for as long as it takes me to get hungry (I am very comfortable against the wall )

HS walking for quite awhile also

Freestanding HS on Palettes for around 10 seconds On the floor is about the same

And I am working on HS lower to Planche, Although I can only do A Tuck PL I find it easier lowering down in a full lay (And no I cannot do this perfectly I currently can lower about 1/3 of the way down in a controlled manner.

And before anyone say it YES I know that I need a 60 second Freestanding HS to realistically start working on the 1 armed HS, however I would like some exercises/progressions that will get me started even before I get the 60 seconds.

Thanks,

The partially Newguy

you can practice one arm handstands against the wall to build up the strength, but it is really more about balance

if you have trouble holding a freestanding handstand for 10 seconds you better get on it if one arm is your goal.

I'd have to agree with Yuri, and I don't think theres much else to say besides what he said. A one arm handstand isn't as much a different skill from a handstand as it is an extension of it, It's handstand made more complex and difficult in every way. You need the strength, the bodyposition, and the balance to hold a one arm. The strength you can work on just like yuri said by doing one arm holds against a wall, also by doing Handstand wall runs, and by just doing handstand holds against a wall. The body position is very precise but you need to remember that the body position you train your body to remember in a normal handstand is, from the base of your shoulder to the tips of your toes, exactly the same, the only difference is that in a one arm you have a dangling free arm to deal with, you're leaned slightly to one side which puts un-even stress one one side of your body to the other, and you're are only anchored by one arm which give your body a tendency to rotate that you have to control. The balance is also the same as a handstand, just made much more difficult by having a full 360 degrees of falling to worry about as opposed to just 2 directions.

In other words, even though you might not really want to hear it, if you can only do a handstand for 10 seconds, I don't think there really are any exercises you can or should be doing to train your one arm except for improving your handstand.

well said, marlon

to the OP, you have to be very dedicated for a very long time for the one arm handstand. Until you've been training it for a while, you really don't appreciate the difficulty and how small of a margin for error you have in holding it.

but you really need to learn balance, and that just comes with lots of practice. good luck

They are both right. For you at this point you should work on your normal handstands a lot before seriously trying out 1 arms. The biggest difference between a 2 and a 1 arm handstand, is that 2 arms is pretty easy to get the concept of, while the 1 arm is counter intuitive as hell. It looks like you only shift weight to the side, and then balance, but you need to be very precise, and KNOW what you are supposed to do. It also very hard to explain in written format.

The hip placement is very difficult to really understand without hand spotting of a lot of practice. Take a look at videos of people doing it and notice that one leg goes down so that the legs are at an angle over the body. Most people who try to do without training will actually push their legs in the opposite direction because it is more natural for the body to do in this position. Also work for it in a straddle first. If you do not have a teacher it is no point trying to directly for legs together 1 arm at once.

For the exercise part you need to do several things to build yourself up.

Work on balancing for a long time. At LEAST 30 sec, should be a breeze for you. 1 min should also become consistent after a while.

Do drills for your bodyline. Look around this site for IdoPortals shoulder mobility guide as well as his wall HS bodyline drill. A lot of static shoulder stretching helps as well. Have someone critique your line if you can, or film yourself a lot. Remember to extend teh shoulders as high as you can.

Learn to control your legs. You have no idea how important this is. Legs together, straddle, splits, tucked, etc all need to be mastered and you need to be able to change leg position easily and without wobbling. This will prepare you for learning to move your hips properly.

Press handstands. Work on your presses a lot. Having a strong press handstand with straight arms will help a lot in terms of strength.

Study how handbalancers move their hips over(on right arm, right leg goes towards floor) and practice this on 2 arms a lot. You should feel like you have complete balance, but more weight on 1 arm. Later you will work on going to the fingers with the free arm.

These are some pointers at least. It is very hard, and takes a lot of time, but train a LOT and you will learn it. Also, stick to the basics 10-20% longer than you think you need=)

Okay thanks everyone, I Never really thought of doing a HS in split/tuck ect, I will start working on HS Even more seriously.

Will post back when I have achieved a 30 second HS.

Best regards,

The comparatively Newguy