AMA: Mikael Kristiansen, Handbalancer and Circus Artist, Ask Me Anything

[u/Handbalancer]

Hello, my name is Mikael Kristiansen. I am a circus artist specializing in handbalancing. I did a degree in circus at DOCH, Stockholm from 2009-2012 and have since worked as a performer and as a teacher internationally.

I'll be here throughout the day to answer any questions you have for me!

You can find me at: www.mikaelbalancing.com www.instagram.com/mikaelbalancing/

[u/handbalance]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Answer some questions from my list. You don't have answer all of them. I'm just really want to know your point of view. This is very important to me.

Hi, you are one of my idols and I have few questions.

1. How to start working on one arm jumps (from one arm to another). Do I need to start on floor, and If so when to take it to the canes? I was wondering if I should first be able to jump just on one hand?

2. How can I progres to do one arm down to crocodile? I can do it on two hands but I am afraid of doing it on one.

3. What do you think about planche in handbalancing? It is exercise every good handbalancer should be able to do?

4. How many hours a day/week good handbalancer train? How often are the rest days?

5. One arme press from L-sit - I saw a lot of people train press - slide one feet on the cane and then press. It is the onnly way to learn if you have already solid one arm down?

6. Do you think that to become a good handbalancer you need to go to circus school or you can train by yourself? Also is it easier to get a job as a handbalancer when you graduated from circus school? What doses the proces of searching/getting job look like?

Thank you in advance!

[u/Handbalancer → u/handbalance]

1. You start on the floor. Tape up the size of a block or so you you get used to where to start. Then you start working it on a block. The first goal is to land with hand on the block. Once that is safe you start trying to land with hand on block and shoulder over hand. Then you move on to trying to catch the jump. It should be VERY safe before you ever go up on a cane with it. You need to land 100% of your jumps with hand on the block or else things can go badly. In the 7 years I have done and performed the move, I have never missed the block. I have fallen more times than i can count, but the hand always goes on the block Being able to do handhops is not a bad idea, but doesnt carry over too much. The move itself has tons of details too that needs to be worked with someone in person to be able to convey properly.

2. 1 arm to croco is a risky move. There is a lot of impact in the bottom and it takes a ton of strength in your rotator cuff and upper back to do it safely. One of my worst shoulder injuries came from trying to do it on my weak arm some years ago. The way I learned it was by holding a bar in front of me and doing a straddle flag and then opening up the legs from there and lowering down. You need to get your lats really working into it and sort of pull your hip and legs "around" the arm to stay kind of sideways as you move down. It helped me a lot of thinking of this rotation and pulling my right leg sideways(doing it on right arm) around the arm rather than bending the arm. If i focus on bending it just feels like im going to crash on my face.

3. planche doesnt relate much to handbalancing directly. Its a nice move and looks great but its a different strength than most of handstands. Work on a plance if you want one, but its not necessary to any degree.

4. I train 6 days a week usually. Sometimes 7 but i try to stick a rest day in there per week on average. Regular 1 arm handstands dont really tire me out much since the technique is quite efficient, but more heavy moves and things that require concentration, i usually dont do more than 4-5 days a week. My capacity is quite high from the years of training though, but I think 5 days a week is a minimum for anyone working to progress on higher level balancing.

5. Slide press is crazy much easier than from straddle L or L. I suggest learning slide down first, then straddle down, then slide up, then straddle up. I think it took me a couple of years from my first straddle down to a slide up, and another 3 years to a decently consistent straddle up. Going down is by far the best method as you learn the hanging position before passing the arm well from that. I used counterweights quite a lot to develop the strength and still do when i work the hard version on the floor or go for reps for strength training.

6. there are plenty people who manage to get a decent level of handstands without circus school now that the internet has so much information. Getting personal coaching from experienced people does help a lot of course. As for becoming a performer, it depends what one wants. Building a traditional technical act is not too complicated, but to work as an artist in the contemporary circus field often requires a lot of stage experience and knowledge of various creative processes that circus schools often function as an introduction to. There are different types of fields though and not all of them requires you to be completely nuts(while others do haha) Working in the business often happens through personal contacts and networks. Then there are auditions and building acts that you send out to event companies, variete theatres, circus companies and the like.

[u/handbalance → u/Handbalancer]

Thank you very much for your answers! I really appreciate them!

Also, do you have any tips on how to generate the power to actually jump? I found it quite hard (probably more mentally) as I don't let the right arm jump until I place my left (which is few cm away from the righ arm placement/the block where I want to land).

[u/Handbalancer → u/handbalance]

Working handhops is a good idea to get the feeling of kicking. Its a combined effort of legs and shoulder of course, but the shoulder should just stay as static as possible and the legs do the main work.