Search the Community

Hey GB, Chasing that freestanding handstand for 30s, so I'm working on wall handstands. My question is where should my hands be placed relative to distance to the wall. I noticed the farther I get from the wall (far being < a foot but > 6 inches) the more gassed my shoulders and traps get and faster, when I'm within a few inches of the wall, trust me, it's still tiring - especially when focusing on all the cues like PPT, tight core, pointed toes, shrugging into to floor etc - but seems a bit less taxing on parts of the delt... is there an optimal distance to be for max benefit from this progression? Or do I want to get as close as possible to the wall, and just have a mat or something to roll out into if I lose my balance? Thanks!

I've made the decision to drop out of college and pursue a career as a hand balancing/pole/aerial artist. Do you think they would accept my application if I decided to send one? Do you think age is a factor? I'm 19, turning 20 this year. I would like to know if anyone has some experience about joining circus school in adulthood. I want to be as strong as Cai Yong: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly1SSSyns-s Here are some Cirque schools I'm looking into: -Shanghai Circus School -Ecole National De Cirque in Montreal -National Institute of Circus Arts Australia -School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts -Circus Center San Francisco -San Diego Circus Center -Circus School in Moscow -Orlando Circus -Circomedia -Zippos Circus UK -Circus Space Any other suggestions would be welcome. If I can't become a performing artist, I would like to become a GB coach/personal trainer instead. Maybe even compete in some street work out competitions to demonstrate my new found skills EDIT: How much will the price for tuition be? I am by no means an experienced hand balancer. I haven't been motivated to train handstands because I always figured that I could have an instructor teach me (whether online coaching or at circus school). The handstand is probably the most basic skill to learn in gymnastics so I haven't put much effort into it as much as the planche, FL/SL/BL, other skills. I think if I joined the circus I could learn really quickly, which is the reason I've been putting it off all these years. I think the most challenging part would be my lack of active/passive flexibility. I can hold a HS (arched) on floor for a good 30 seconds and I can do pretty much every press (straddle/full lay planche) except for one arm skills/presses and stalder/v-sit press press on floor due to my lack of flexibility. I can't keep my head in between my shoulders with a hollow body - it's always sticking out. Am I someone that they could work with and transform me into an exceptional hand balancer within a year or so? I can post a show reel, but I do have a couple videos around the GB forums floating around.