The one-arm handstand, or doing a handstand on one arm, is a difficult movement.
It’s something I’ve been playing with in recent months on and off.
The thing is, it’s far more than twice as hard as a regular handstand.
According to circus artist and handbalancer Mikael Kristiansen, the one arm handstand is 10-20 times harder than the two armed version.
Why is this? In the one-arm, the “effective” base of support drops significantly. The width of this base goes from about shoulder width in the two arm, down to the width of a single palm.
What’s the point?
Diminishing returns.
When we go to a certain level, the amount of effort or time we have to put in can increase in an exponential fashion. To train for a marathon is more than twice as hard as for a half marathon.
Knowing this sets us up with a more effective strategy going forward, whether it’s training or otherwise.
How far do we want to take it? How far is optimal given the opportunity costs that arise?
Many goals are easily achievable and offer great return, then, others require a disproportionate amount of time.
