Timing your handstand hold, how much does it matter? First of all, while the time units we use are arbitrary, they do represent some sort of achievement. Yes, 30 seconds is good. It actually means a couple of things physically, in terms of your level of fitness and control. But if you balanced for 29 seconds, you might think to yourself “I didn’t manage 30 seconds, agh!” No! you managed 29 seconds and it’s practically the same thing. But there’s a satisfaction, even if arbitrary, to ticking the little box of a specific time; be it 30 seconds, 60 seconds, etc.
But now we get into the nuance, how do you measure your time? Are you counting the entire time where you’re off your feet and on your hands? Or do you start counting only when you join the legs together and get them perfectly straight and stable? These are two very different time measures. Some people kill 10 seconds joining the legs and getting the balance established, then eke out 20 seconds of shaky balance.
These numbers and start time rules are important not in the achievement necessarily, but because they ensure you’re getting in the right amount of conditioning which results in joint preparation and tissue integrity. Just by working towards this arbitrary hold you’ll get hundreds of earnest attempts, balance corrections, and training volume needed to make measurable progress – which is conveniently measured by the clock.
That’s where the next goal becomes replicability. Once you can repeat that 30s hold a few times, say doing 3 sets of 30 seconds in a workout, within maybe 10 attempts. That’s because you’re tripling the amount of time up, which is significantly more demanding – and that leads to further adaptation. It’s no longer just about getting up and establishing balance. It’s dealing with the fatigue and the rougher corrections of under and over balance that starts happening when you stay upside down longer. To be able to break 20 is not that much conditioning. That can happen on its own, or as a fluke. The consistent, replicable 30s, you’ll likely need a bit more focus, physicality, and technique. And achieving all of that is what takes you beyond beginner handbalancing.
Now say you’ve gone through that journey and can complete 30s holds, what next? You can try for the coveted 60 second handstand hold! This benchmark is wholly unnecessary for the casual handbalancer, but the extra endurance is incredibly helpful for the one-arm handstand, or anyone who wishes to pursue performing.