om body
nerve receptors many of which respond to
pressure. These are constantly signalling the
brain telling it what to do, how to balance. It
should be an in-built mechanism for us but,
like learning to walk and stand as a child,
you had to try repeatedly until it became
second nature. Following this, one day,
balancing on your hands will feel as natural
as balancing on your feet.Changing position
A circus handbalancer wants to change
position in the easiest way, with the least
amount of movement, obtaining longevity.
We try to achieve the straightest line that
we can. Most circus artists begin training at
a young age when it’s easier to mould and
manipulate their bodies. As an adult, your
body can change a lot but we can’t always
change everything. This means everyone’s
straight line will be diferent. To achieve
this, you have your pelvis tucked under
(posterior pelvic tilt) and your ribs down/
in. If you were lying on the loor on your
back, your lower back would be touching
the loor and your ribcage would be pulled
down. For some people this may be diicult
and takes time. When we pull the ribs down,
the common fault is for the shoulders to
close so, while lying down, place your handsover your head, try to touch the loor with
straight arms, pull the ribcage down and
simultaneously keep your arms pressed
to the loor. If this is diicult then your
shoulders and thoracic are tight.
Flexibility and mobility are very important.
If you can’t lift your arms overhead while
keeping your ribcage down, you are going to
struggle to achieve the shape which is the
most eicient and healthiest.
Fundamentally, to balance on your hands,
the key thing to remember is that your hips
(centre of mass) need to be on top of your
hands (base of support). Handstand training
should be invigorating and energising so
remember to have fun, play and ind what
works for your body.Sammy Dinneen teaches handstands in
London and has performed all over the
world with the likes of Les 7 doigts de la
main and appeared in shows including
Batman Live - World Arena Tour and Pippin
the Musical – US Tour. Find out more about
this amazing man at: sammydinneen.com“he hand is crucial as
it gathers proprioceptive
feedback from the loor.”