Ian Borukhovich
A circus skill practitioner, and co-founder of Skillwell, with a very analytical approach to skill progression. He practices handbalance, headbalance and juggling regularly, while dabbling in any other skill that might be around. His handbalance teaching focuses on combining very methodical drills to address common problem points i handstand, and strength based conditioning to supplement gaps in technique. Ian has been teaching handbalancing for 8 years starting at Cirque Roots in Tucson, Arizona, Warrior Bridge in NYC, workshops at various yoga studios and private lessons.
Ian Borukhovich
A circus skill practitioner, and co-founder of Skillwell, with a very analytical approach to skill progression. He practices handbalance, headbalance and juggling regularly, while dabbling in any other skill that might be around. His handbalance teaching focuses on combining very methodical drills to address common problem points i handstand, and strength based conditioning to supplement gaps in technique. Ian has been teaching handbalancing for 8 years starting at Cirque Roots in Tucson, Arizona, Warrior Bridge in NYC, workshops at various yoga studios and private lessons.
Series
Videos
Micro kips for easier handstand pushups wiithout sacrificing form
Handstand pushups (hspu) are a tough skill to learn because of the strength and balance requirements. To make learning the hspu easier, we review how to best leverage a kip without going full banana. Using this technique can let you get used to the mechanics and get dynamics reps into your workout while you develop the strength to go full range without a kip. Note, this kip is different than a crossfit kip and a breakdance kip which both aim upwards and tend to have a lot of momentum. This kip is more of a minimal way to gain upward momentum and send the balance over the hands while maintaining form. More tutorials on goskillwell.com/ianbreal IG: instagram.com/ianbreal
Key Drills for Learning to Press to Handstand
As promised! Here are my 5 top drills for press handstand. Shoulder, wrist and hamstring warmup are key so you can straight legs and arms as much as possible. #presshandstand #presstohandstand #questforthepress #handstands #circuslife #dailypractice #inversions #ianshandstandtips
3 Intermediate Drills to Start Balancing a One Arm Handstand
If you have been learning one arm handstand and need some drills to start balancing, these should help. Read the captions carefully, do both sides and all positions! Tag a friend that’s learning one arm handstand!!! #ianshandstandtips #handstands #onearmhandstand #oahs #circuslife #calisthenics #streetworkout #breakdancing #inversions #dailypractice
In Depth Hollowback Handstand Tutorial
shoulder positioning, counterbalance, weight placement, stretches, wall practice
Ultimate Straddle Press Tutorial - Ian's Polymathic Tutorials
Highly detailed, covers common flaws and important concepts It's called "Ultimate" because this is the last tutorial you will ever need, but that shouldn't stop you from watching 40 more. Sorry for the lighting change, but all key parts are visible throughout! Watch up to 1.75 speed for understandable fast learning. Success is at least 655000 times faster if you video and self analyze with no ego or exaggeration.
Great Strength Drill for One Arm Handstand Shifts
Heres a fun lil one arm drill to help make that shift + scapular elevation feel more natural. #handstanddrills #circuslife #circuseverydamnday #technical #shoulderrehab #onearmhandstand #calisthenics #handbalancing #nyclife #ianshandstandtips #handstandblocks
Raising the Free Arm in a One Arm Handstand
Oahs balances usually start with a low free arm partially because of hesitation to lift and partially because the practitioner hasn’t learned to shift and tilt enough into the balancing arm to counterbalance a parallel free arm. Here are three drills to condition raising the free arm more comfortably. If this helps or if you have any questions feel free to drop a comment ⬇️ Save and share with anyone that could use this! #oahs #onearmhandstands #ianshandstandtips #handstands #inversions #handbalancing #circuslife #dailypractice
How to Jump onto Handstand Canes
Technique + progressions + intentional breathing@lauren.taus for reference 😆 #handstandtutorial #questforthepress #handstandpress #handstandcanes #ianskickuptutorial #circuseverydamnday #circusconditioning #nyc #ianshandstandtutorial #ianshandstandtips
Human flag Technique Tips (Ian's Polymathic Tutorials)
Following a few simple techniques can make the flag way easier and look way sharper!
3 ball Juggling for Absolute Beginners (3 ball cascade)
A following along tutorial for 3 ball cascade, the most basic pattern in 3 ball juggling. This tutorial is great for people who have never juggled before, and is great for people that can kind of juggle 3 balls but don't know the technique or how to move on to more tricks. Juggling can be done with Sections: 0:20 the shape of the cascade 0:58 kneeling to avoiding bending down to pick up 1:57 starting with 1 ball 3:45 the scoop motion 4:28 cradling like an egg 5:10 common problems with 1 ball throws 6:40 throwing at low, medium, high heights 8:00 keeping hands low when throwing high 9:25 hang time for low, medium and high throws 10:24 don't throw overhand 10:52 2 ball throws 12:58 2 ball low, medium and high throws 13:30 When one hand doesn't cooperate 14:35 Where you should look 16:15 starting 3 balls 17:10 3 throws with no catches 18:16 fixing bad throws 18:54 catching all 3 balls 20:10 moving on to continuous 3 ball juggling 23:00 things at home that you can juggle!
One Arm Croc Tutorial from Scratch
One arm croc is a great beginner handbalancing skill that can even be learned if you can't hold an upright two arm handstand. This video shows progressions and techniques for the one arm croc also known as one arm mayurasana and one arm elbow level. It includes body positioning, how to start using two arms, and basic conditioning ideas. Make sure the wrists are well warmed up for this and don't try to many repetitions in a row at first because your wrists can take a lot of pressure. Body positioning - 0:34 two handed croc - 2:00 Lifting the legs - 3:55 The problem with not side bending - 5:00 Advancing to the one arm croc - 5:30 Croc with pretty form - 7:15 Notes about progression from two arms to one arm - 8:15 Tilting into the balancing arm - 9:10 Balancing on raised surfaces - 9:50
How to Straddle, Tuck and Pike to Handstand
This video focuses on techniques and progressions for 3 foundational entries or kickups to handstand; straddle, tuck and pike. It can be very helpful for people just starting to learn these handstand entries as well as people trying to clean up their technique. Here is a guide to the key parts of the video: 0:00 demonstration of the 3 handstand entries 0:53 basic handstand warmup notes 1:27 3 key positions shared by straddle, tuck and pike 2:58 speed and continuity of the 3 positions 3:24 proprioceptive drill to get the folding see-saw mechanics 4:24 reviewing general jumping mechanics 4:50 applying jump mechanics to the handstand entry 5:10 leg path for the straddle jump 6:30 a couple of straddle flexibility drills 6:58 finishing the kickup by bringing legs together and using fingers 7:42 tuck handstand entry 8:58 pike handstand entry 10:05 common mistakes in jumping to handstand
Handstand kickups - split or scissor entry
This video explains the mechanics of the split or scissor kick up to handstand which are foundational for the four handstand kickups (scissor, straddle, tuck, pike). You will learn how to: - Properly hinge from the hip - Coordinate the driving leg with the hip hinge - Set up your shoulders before you leave the ground - Generate momentum in a controllable repeatable fashion
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