Aerial Homework: What Should You Be Training Every Session?

May 7, 2018 by Nicky Leave a Comment

Want to see a bit of a hot mess?

I really want to get these. In the air. On BOTH sides. It’s…going.

I’ve added them to my homework category: the stuff I make myself work on at least a little every time I’m on a rope.

Homework

So what do I consider “homework” for training? Basically, it’s the stuff I know I need to work on but can be unmotivated to make myself do.

For example, right now for rope, my beats are weak. When they’re right they’re super fun. But since they aren’t right, I hate them right now. Hate them. They frustrate me to no end, and I just want to skip them.

But that doesn’t help them get any better. And if I want to improve at corde lisse, I absolutely need them. Into the homework pile they go. I’ve agreed with myself that I will work at least a little bit on beats every time I train. Every. Time.

That’s the only way things get better.

It’s also a good way of keeping myself from “training” only the fun things I can already do.

Extra Credit

I *highly* recommend adding training most things on your bad side as well. You may never have to perform them that way, but there are still several reasons for doing it anyway.

It will really help to make you a better aerialist. You’ll develop your own body awareness by making your brain work in reverse.
It will help to keep both sides the same. A common aerial arts problem is being far stronger on one side than the other.
There is a very high probability of you needing to use the opposite side, especially as you string more and more things together and learn to move through a piece. You will start being surprised by the amount of times a transition requires you to be in position for the side you’re less comfortable with. You can learn the whole sequence so it puts you on the side you prefer, but won’t you have an easier time if you just make yourself get as comfortable as possible with both arms or legs? It’s a perfect example of laziness creating more work.
This is slightly anecdotal, but a friend of mine hurt her ankle and had to have surgery. She had to completely relearn several moves on the opposite side once the ankle healed because it was no longer as strong and we had a show coming up. She did it, but to this day she’ll tell you how much easier it would have been if she’d have just learned it from the get-go.

Both sides might not be graceful, but at least your shoulder muscles will start matching again.

When It Doesn’t Go Quite Right: What I learned from a Rough Performance

February 22, 2018 by Nicky Leave a Comment

It happened! I had a performance I am not happy with. I didn’t fall out of the air, I didn’t run off stage, but I also would not want anyone I know to have seen the final product.

Panic

About two weeks before this performance, I was told it was kind of a big deal. It was for a Chinese New Year Gala. And the word “gala” was more than I could handle. We even had to do a run through a week before the show for the director of the even. I shut down. I stopped being able to do level one moves. For real. I fell off the rope doing a move I learned in my first months of silks, almost seven years ago.

Practice became super difficult, because panic had set in.

But more practice would have helped a lot. It was a routine I’d done several times before, full of moves I know very well. I always just figured I could just bust it back out. How I underestimated performance anxiety! Had I been consistently running this piece, even when I had no upcoming performance, it would have helped ease my mind.

Know where you’re comfortable

This was a big reminder to me, I’m a lot happier at relaxed venues. I love ambient work, I love party atmospheres, I love performing for little kids and drunk people (really!). I want to push myself sometimes out of that comfort zone, but now I realize that it’s going to take a lot more work for me to be mentally prepared for that.

Support

I tried to get out of this. So hard. I repeatedly told our studio directors that they could pull me so I wouldn’t make us look bad. I entertained thoughts of how nice it would be to have a twisted ankle so I couldn’t perform, because freaked out brains are stupid like that.

They assured me that they would pull me if they thought I’d embarass us, but that I was just panicking. My friends and directors knew that I have a tendency to freak out, and helped to talk me down. They repeatedly reminded me that I know how to do this.

So get you some people who know you well enough to remind you that you have these moments, and that you still make it out just fine.

I did it anyway.

I had to, and I actually wanted to, under layers of worry. I was using an old routine, and the move that wasn’t landing I just pulled. That’s why it’s important to always have a Plan B for moves.

Nothing had to be exact. For performances like this, I like having music I’m comfortable with and a routine that doesn’t have to hit most moments exactly. In a more lyrical piece, the choreography needs to match the music points. But for me, especially with rope, I enjoy getting to relax into playing with the song instead of worrying that I’ll miss a beat.

When in doubt, spin

One entire section didn’t end up working when I was on stage, so I keyed over and spun. People love spinning. I was told after that my fellow performers didn’t realize that I hadn’t intended to do that. I’d have preferred not to, but realized that my height was all wrong and wasn’t about to risk something dangerous. So I played it safe and pretty. Know what your easy, crowd pleasing moves are, just in case.

The takeaway

I’m glad I did it anyway.

It wasn’t great. For real. But that’s okay. It was a huge hurdle for me to get over, freaking that hard and still going (and staying) on stage. I have pretty severe, diagnosed anxiety. It has gotten in my way for a lot of my life, and I’m determined to not continue letting paralyze me. Discovering aerial has been life changing, and finally breaking through in the last year to be able to do solos was a massive step forward for me. This panic fest was just a stumble for me, and in the end it didn’t win. But lord, it took a lot of fun out of it for me.

A rocky performance isn’t the end of the world.

This is the real big lesson: Despite what your head might be screaming at you beforehand, it’s fine. It wasn’t a glorious performance, I never want to see the video. But now I have one that didn’t go great. And that’s actually a good thing. I know it won’t kill me, and I can relax more. I don’t believe in perfect in any area of my life, so it made no sense for me to believe it mattered here either.

At the end of the day, I’m just doing silly things on a rope for fun, and hoping that the people who might be watching are enjoying it too.

Dealing With the Inevitable Rope Burn

December 19, 2017 by Nicky Leave a Comment

This summer, during a group corde lisse routine, our midriff baring costumes came together with an inverted descent and earned me the biggest rope burn I’ve ever had. On stage. Night one.

It’s going to happen. Rope burns in this business are just part of the package. Sooner or later, you’ll sacrifice some of your skin for the hobby you love. So let’s get you as ready as possible for it.

First up: Prevention

It is going to happen, but let’s try to minimize how many burns you get. Cover up! You know what you need on your apparatus; make sure your clothes are covering what you need covered. I used to prefer for my legs to be uncovered because I could grip better with my knees. Until one humid day (all the summer days are humid in KC) I took some skin off my legs just sliding down to my knees on the trapeze.

You’re likely to be able to get away with exposing your stomach on the trapeze or lyra, but it can be less fun on corde lisse or silks.

If it’s hot out, you might feel better in shorts, just make sure to wear some thick tights underneath. And a word of caution about fishnets: they probably aren’t enough. One very fun performance we did had us decked out in rhinestoned bras and black fishnet tights. But the next morning, I and my fellow silk performer had fishnet shaped scabs on our inner thighs. It looked like we had grown scales. Never again. (You can still wear them, just maybe wear skin colored tights underneath.)

Wearing a longer shirt is helpful too. It covers more anyway, but you can also tuck it in for wheel-downs or s-wraps in the silks or on the rope.

What to Do When Rope Burn Happens (because it will happen)

If you’re still training or are in the middle of class, wrap it up to prevent it from getting dirty or getting worse. Always keep some gauze and athletic tape on hand just in case. This will also provide a little bit of a cushion so you can keep training, because burns hurt.

When you get home, clean the wound really well. It’s going to hurt like crazy, but clean it as best and as gently as you can in the shower. (Shower bonus: if you didn’t know you had a burn, you will definitely find out in the shower. Hot water on raw skin hurts!)

I also use hydrogen peroxide at first, just like when I was little and scraped my knee. But I have a friend who insists that you shouldn’t use it much, as it can destroy the new skin forming. I’m not sure on that, but I do think that when the burn is still new it’s a good way to get whatever sweat and rosin and glitter our of there.

Use Neosporin.

I can’t believe I skipped this for so long. It’s a little annoying because you’ll be a little greasy, but it heals so much faster, and so much better.

Wrap It Up

I use gauze and tape over Neosporin for this, especially while I’m sleeping to keep the wound clean. Wrapping it also keeps the ointment from getting all over everything.

A word of caution here: my burn was bad enough that for the first few days, it would start healing into the dressing. No fun. No fun at all.

Air It Out

Okay, I know I said to cover it up, but it’s also important to let the burn air out too. Remember when you were little and put a bandaid on your finger, and the skin would get all shriveled? Not good. You need to change the dressing on it decently often, so when you can, put some Neosporin on it and just let it breathe. When I had my bad side burn, some days at home I’d tuck my tshirt up into my bra to let it air out.

It still might scar

But you earned that scar! Still, it’s good to minimize them. And if you take care of your battle wound, it will heal up so much better.

Tip Your Hips: How to Isolate Your Lower Abs in Knee Lifts

May 17, 2017 by Nicky Leave a Comment

Oh hey! This post contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything extra, and they help to keep me tangling from the ceiling. I like that.

We need to talk about knee lifts. You know that exercise your teacher probably makes you do, hanging from the trapeze bar and lifting up your knees a million times? Are you feeling nothing? Or maybe just wearing out your thighs?

You’re doing them wrong.

This drives me crazy, because it rarely ever gets explained to new students. We’re trying to target those elusive lower abs, so that eventually you can invert (go upside down) easily.

But if you’re just mindlessly bending your knees, you’re wasting your time.

Here’s what I want you to do: right now, as you’re reading, think of trying to push your belly button into your spine. Without holding your breath or just sucking your stomach in. You should still be able to breath normally, but try to push your belly button through your stomach to your spine, and try to hold it there.

Do you feel those muscles that are working?

Hi lower abs!

(By the way, this exercise is great to do when you’re driving or sitting at a desk. Sneaking extra conditioning in whenever we can!)

Okay. Back to hanging from the trapeze bar. Or the lyra. Or the silks. Or your pullup bar. Whatever you’re hanging from.

I want you to think about those muscles you just found, and focus your attention on them. Once again try to pull your belly button to your spine. Those lower ab muscles are what should be initiating your knee lift, not your quads.
At the top of your knee lift, tip your hips back. That should dig into those lower abs even more.
If you’re not sure what I mean, I always tell students to imagine they have a tail coming out of their spine, and trying to pull that tail between their legs. Like a rolled up armadillo.

Reference.

Do that every time.

This is how your initiate going upside down. Most people think it’s all about throwing your body back, kicking your feet for all you’re worth.

Nope.

It’s rolling back. That’s how it can be done slowly, with no momentum. It’s how you will eventually be doing these with straight legs, if you aren’t already.

(Crappy quality, I know. But it shows the hip tip, and that’s what you need.)

Do you have a pullup bar at home? (If not, get one!) This is the one that I use. It can be placed in a doorway and is perfect for doing these at home between classes. Plus it’s great for like a million other exercises. Don’t worry, we’ll cover those soon.

If you’re still trying to get your invertions, start with 10 of these a day. Go slow and really focus on the hip tip at the top of the movement. Move up to 15, then 20 a day.

When that gets easy, start straightening your legs into a straddle instead of tucking your knees. Then continue to initiate the movement from your hips instead of throwing your feet up.

For real, guys. It’s all about those hips. Just like Shakira has been telling us all along.

Why Your Hardest Tricks Might Not Be the Best to Perform

May 8, 2017 by Nicky Leave a Comment

A couple of weeks ago, I had my first solo performance on silks. This was a big moment for me. I’ve done ambient work (where you perform in the background of a party) and I’ve been part of several group pieces, but the not-so-fun anxiety monster in my head stopped me for a long time from doing a piece all by myself.

Why putting your hardest tricks in each performance is probably a bad idea.

That’s me, celebrating. Oh so celebrating.

Part of what helped with the anxiety? I didn’t put my newest, craziest tricks into the piece.

It’s crazy tempting, I know, to trick out your tricks and put in all the newest stuff you’re excited about. But it’s usually a bad idea.

Because they probably don’t look that good yet.

It sucks, right? But there’s a good chance it’s true.

Remember, performing is a lot different than training. A lot different. When you’re training, you should absolutely be working on your new, harder stuff. You should be working on it until you’re a little sick of it, and you’re learning harder stuff. Because at some point, it becomes a lot easier. Because you’re getting better.

And your audience? Unless you’re performing for a room full of aerialists (which is pretty unlikely), your audience is just going to be impressed that you’re UP IN THE AIR OHMYGOD. So why not put your smoothest, best looking stuff in for them?

Why cramming all of your hardest tricks into your routine is probably a bad idea.

Shiny.

Work on adding stylistic stuff to what you’re already got to up the wow-factor. Add a trist to that climb, turn your body all the way around under your shoulder before you climb back into the lyra or trapeze, fan your silks a little (a lot of aerialists HATE that, but you know what? Audiences love it. And you’re performing for their enjoyment, right??)

How to Make the Most of Your Aerial Training When You’re Broke

April 2, 2017 by Nicky Leave a Comment

Aerial training is expensive. There’s no getting around that. Responsible studios have to upkeep their equipment, pay for specialty insurance, pay for teachers… And all that means that classes add up too.

But there are a lot of ways that you can get the most for your money and maximize your training!

Condition at Home

This is probably the single most important thing you can do to improve quickly. Not learning a million tricks, but being strong enough to do whatever is thrown at you in class. If you ignore everything else in this post, don’t ignore this one. You will see results.

To make this easier, come up with a conditioning routine. Make a list of the body parts you want to work on (think obliques, lower abs, arms, butt…), pick one or two exercises for each, and do them at least three times a week outside of class. Work on deep stretching on the days in between.

Go to Open Gym

If your studio offers an open gym time, take advantage of it! Open gym is time offered during the week to practice what you’ve learned in class. While it still costs money, it is usually a lot cheaper than regular classes and you get the chance to practice on your actual apparatus. How to Make the Most of Your Gym Time

Take and Review Your Notes

Take notes during class! If that would distract you while you’re learning, get a notebook ready and as soon as class ends write down everything you learned, step by step. I do this after my silks class every week, and reviewing what I wrote down while it was still fresh in my head is so helpful later. I regret it when I don’t, and forget important parts of the skills. Soooooo frustrating.

Take Video

Ask your instructor if this is okay, and record them demonstrating the skills. Resist the urge to ONLY get video of yourself doing things you do well (I mean, get some of those. Instagram material!). Some of my classmates will set up a phone or tablet or GoPro and record the entire class. Our silks teacher speaks and moves quickly, and it helps all of us to watch the videos several times.

Focus on One Apparatus at a Time

This one can be so hard! Some people immediately know they only want to do silks, or that lyra is the only thing calling their name. There’s nothing else in this world for them.

For most of us though (me included!), we want to learn it all. I saw the trapeze hanging while I was taking my first silks classes. I dabbled in some lyra workshops. I finally realized I needed to focus, at least at first. I didn’t have unlimited funds. The reason I don’t do lyra now? In those first few months, there were more silks and trapeze classes. I fell in love with both of those.

But even then, I tried to focus mainly on one at a time until I got comfortable. I’ve added more later, and gone back and forth throughout my almost six years in aerial. I started on silks, did trapeze almost exclusively for a couple of years, went back to silks, tried a custom spiral apparatus, then found corde lisse and fell in love all over. And I’ve finally started training silks again.

Everything relates to everything else. Just pick one for now. Train hard and get to know it well instead of spreading yourself and your wallet too thin.

Eat Well

If conditioning is the single fastest way to improve, I’m putting this one as the second. Take care of your body! Aerial dance is physically demanding, but so, so rewarding. Support your body so that it can support you. Drink lots of water, eat protein so that your muscles can build themselves up, don’t load yourself up on crap. If you eat terrible food, your body will not perform well. You are working hard and paying good money for class. Don’t sabotage yourself!

Besides, treating yourself well feels amazing. You deserve that.

I know that classes get expensive. I get how frustrating it is to want to be in the air every day but not to be able to shell out hundreds every month to make that happen. But if you work smart throughout the week, you will still seem amazing results in the air. I promise!

A Super Simple Tip to Instantly Look More Confident in the Air

February 4, 2017 by Nicky Leave a Comment

I have a short and sweet tip for you today.

Want to know an easy way to instantly look better in the air?

It doesn’t involve conditioning (but you’re still doing that, RIGHT?!?), and it’s not a new move.

Lift your head up.

That’s it. Just that. Lift your head up.

See the difference? This isn’t a fancy pose and I’m definitely not all dolled up (in fact this was taken after rope, so I’m sure I was fairly ripe). The only thing I changed was the position of my head. And you can see an immediate difference.

Lifting your head up instantly extends your line (that’s good), makes you look more confident, and lets the audience see your face better, which makes it easier to connect.

Unless you’re trying to connect with the ground. Then by all means, go ahead and keep staring at it.

See, my little spider monkeys? Told you it was easy.

3 Reasons You’re Not Advancing in Your Aerial Class

December 16, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

Are you frustrated that you’re stuck in level one or two? Do you feel like you’ve checked off all the tricks in the book for your class, and you aren’t sure why you’re staying put?

Although every situation is different, there are three big things students often overlook that keep them from getting to the next level in class.

You stop trying after the hard part.

You can do a beautiful inverted split in the ropes. And then you melt back down to the trapeze bar, shoulders gloriously unengaged, back slouched, with a facial expression that screams “Now what?”.

You nail a gorgeous stag pose in the silks, only to drop to the floor, foot tangled in your footlock because you couldn’t be bothered to take it off the right way.

Finish out your movements. It builds strength (hello, sneaky conditioning!), and it demonstrates that you have control. That’s important as you learn more difficult stuff.

You’re sloppy getting into and out of the air.

I had a trapeze class who used to get furious because every couple of weeks we would drill getting onto and off of the bar. They really didn’t understand the point. They’d do it right a couple of times, then go right back to getting up however the hell they felt like it. Several of them had even expressed interest in being in our performance group!

Do you do this? Do you not see the point of making things look nice if it’s not a big silk drop or a pretty spinning lyra pose? Are you just ready to move on to the next level so you can learn harder stuff?

Move on? You should be getting back to the basics. If you’re consistently ignoring the basics, the foundation stuff, then you aren’t ready for more. You’re going to be a danger to yourself with more advanced moves, and your teacher isn’t having that.

Not to mention, that looks terrible. For real. Terrible. We don’t want to look terrible.

You aren’t conditioning.

You knew this was coming.

If you’re refusing to condition (or being a bit of a baby about it), don’t expect to go anywhere anytime soon. As you advance, you’ll be learning things that are more difficult and more dangerous. If you can’t do pushups or won’t even try to work abs, your teacher probably doesn’t feel like you’ll be safe going forward.

This is an easy fix though! Just work a little every day. On the ground. Come back to class and start seeing progress.

Every student, every teacher, every class is different. If you still aren’t sure why you aren’t advancing, go to the source. Ask your teacher what you can do to progress, and then really do those things. And keep in mind, this isn’t a race. Everyone progresses at their own pace. Just keep working and know that no matter how far you advance, there will always be more to learn.

Get Comfortable Looking Stupid

October 19, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

I’ve seen a lot of people walk into their first few aerial lessons and knock that shit out of the park. Maybe that was you? Possibly a former gymnast, you’re strong, you’re graceful, you can invert on the first try no cheat, no problem. Effing wonderful. You’ve got a killer head start.

But a month or two in, something happens. We’re not doing just the basics anymore. We’ve diverted from the things you were so comfortable with (that’s what happens when you’re progressing). The people you were effortlessly showing up week after week are now catching onto moves before you are. No more one and done tricks, you’re having to work. And think. And sweat a little.

And by the end of class, you still might not have figured out what we’re doing (hint: that’s expected!). And you’re pissed. Where before you were so eager to do whatever your teacher threw at you, now you’re refusing to try and begging to do that move you mastered two weeks ago while your instructor is explaining something new.

You stop progressing. Do you know why?

It’s because you’re afraid to look stupid.

Looking stupid is important to progress.

Seriously.

Get comfortable with it. Embrace it, even. Because if you want to get better, sometimes you’re going to look really stupid.

And that’s okay. Really. I promise. Who exactly are you trying to impress in class? You aren’t on stage right now. If you are learning new things, those things are going to be awkward and sometimes awful at first. The only way to get better is to start at awful.

If you refuse to look goofy, you are holding yourself back. Not just a little bit. It will compound. You refuse to try moves that made you feel awkward the first time through, so you never improve them. They don’t get added to your aerial arsenal. You don’t learn new ways to move through things, new positions, new transitions. Having a wide range is important, especially as you start creating your own routines. Do you really want to leave all that on the table?

That’s me, losing all grace as I nearly fall out of the air.

And I hate to burst your cool looking bubble (that’s not true, I’ll happily burst this one), but you look like an idiot trying to play it cool all the time.

You aren’t fooling anyone. Instead of coming across as an aerial savant, you really seem like the person who doesn’t want to try. And that’s really lame.

I teach a way to go from standing to seated on the trapeze that can be scary at first, so I have people start by doing somersaults on the floor to simulate the motion. And sometimes I have students all but refuse to do it. They came here to learn to be prima aerialists gracefully gliding through the air, not to look like toddlers rolling on the ground.

The people who somersault with me? They get that move a lot faster than the student sneering in the corner. And they have a lot more fun in class. And, well, this may be reaching a little bit, but I’m going to assume they have a lot more fun in life, too.

So get over yourself, my little spider monkey. And embrace your own awkwardness. It’s okay to look a little stupid.

A Beginner’s Guide to Your First Aerial Class

September 27, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

Are you thinking about trying your first aerial class, but are feeling a little intimidated? I get that. Tons of people tell me how much they’d love to come try silks, but rarely do they make it to their first class. And that sucks for them. I don’t want you to miss out. To ease the first class nerves, let me tell you what you should expect.

What to Wear

I’ve covered what to wear to class in depth before, so I won’t completely rehash it here. Basically, wear comfortable, close-fitting workout clothes. Make sure your legs are covered, and leave any thing with zippers behind. Removable sleeves (even an extra long sleeved shirt) aren’t a bad idea.

What to Expect

Every teacher and every studio are going to be different. But expect some sort of warm up to get your body ready to move. This might include some stretching, but ideally will be movements to get your joints “greased up” and moving smoothly throughout a range of motions (think shoulder rolls), movements to get your blood pumping (jumping jacks are my favorite way to get this done quickly), and some strengthening moves (like pushups) to wake your muscles up.

If this is your very first class, there should be a breakdown of how to get on your apparatus if it is a trapeze or lyra, and an explanation of simple knots and basic climbs for the silks. Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know how to do those things yet, or if you have no idea what that even means! That’s why you’re in class, remember? I promise, you can learn these things. You just have to show up and try.

You won’t be learning drops. (You shouldn’t be learning drops. If this is your first class, and you are learning drops, find a new studio–this one isn’t safe.) Even if you’ve spent the last 12 years in gymnastics, don’t expect to be learning Cirque du Soleil audition moves right away. Soak up the basics of this new way to move.

It’s okay if you get tired! Do what you can, take breaks if you need to.

Your hands will probably hurt.

This is normal. It will be more pronounced on trapeze and lyra where you’re gripping a hard bar, but don’t kid yourself with silks. You’re going to feel it after gripping that fabric for an hour. Gently push your fingers back to give your hands a little stretch in the opposite direction. It’ll help.

What to Do After

Cool down! Now would be the perfect time to stretch the muscles you’ve just used (in aerial, that’s usually all of them!). Shoulders usually get worked like crazy, so take some time to loosen them back up.

Oh, and what a great time to work on those splits! These are a lot easier after class when your body is still super warm.

Dealing with Soreness

You are going to be sore the following few days. Like, really sore. Did you know your armpits could be sore?? You’re likely moving in ways that you aren’t used to, hoisting yourself up in the air and twisting into new positions. Freaking great for your body (holla for functional fitness!), but you’re going to suddenly be aware of muscles you never knew you had. Yay! They’re working!

Drink lots of water. That’s always good advice, but it will help sore muscles to keep them hydrated.

Keep moving. It will help to move through soreness. Go slow.

Stretch. Take the stretches you learned in class home and use them.

Going into your first class can be intimidating. Don’t let that stop you from joining in the fun! I was so scared to go to my first silks class, despite being in decent shape at the time. But I can’t imagine the world I would have missed out on if I hadn’t gone. Be brave, take class!