5 Tips On Climbing Aerial Silks

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If you want to improve your aerial climb, you're not alone! Climbing was one of the hardest things I learned and sometimes still struggle with. Not only does it take a fair amount of strength and conditioning, but there is totally a huge mental hurdle to get around. Your muscle memory isn't quite there yet and so you rely on your co-ordination and understanding of the mechanics. Once you've done it several times, your muscles will remember and it will become almost second-nature. At that point you can start exploring different movements when climbing such as arching your back etc... you can get creative with it. For now though, you just want to be able to master the basics... and get more than a foot off the ground..

So here are my tried-and-true top 5 tips for improving your aerial climb... whether you are a brand new beginner or a seasoned pro!

Aerial Silks Tips Climbing How to climb


 Reach up high!
Reach your arms up as high as you can while still maintaining a strong grip. This allows you to get as much height as possible, conditions your shoulders and grip, and reminds you to use those legs!

Lift your legs HIGH.
Make sure when you are ready to wrap the fabric around your foot, you have brought your knees up towards your chest and lifted your legs as high as possible. As a beginner this is especially important, as your upper body strength is not going to be there to give you the boost- so you need to use those strong quads to PUSH your body up (as opposed to pulling up with your arms!) This is waaaay easier and saves so much energy. Don't forget to really flex that bottom foot, as it is basically a shelf you are creating to step on with your other foot.

Train Your Grip
I know you wanted some magical tip that would make you awesome at climbing right off the bat- but the reality is you must work for it. This includes training your grip. A stronger grip means a safer practice. It also helps with endurance as hands tend to tire easily when we aren't used to using them like this. Get yourself a grip trainer and use it! I personally love multitasking.. on the phone at work? Grip train! Watching a movie? Grip train! Waiting for your taxi? Grip train!! (You get the picture...)

More CORE
Once again, more conditioning! Core might not seem like the obvious thing to train here but trust me.. it's so important. Your core is your main stabilizer. A strong core will reduce your risk of injury and keep you safe up there in the air. Also, lifting your legs up high during a climb relies on your deep lower abdominal muscles. Exercises like leg lifts & raises, hollow body, and oblique training as well, will help you develop these muscles and ultimately improve your aerial climb.

Pull Ups!
Aaaand one more conditioning tip! The pull up is the best exercise you can do when training for aerial dance. It works all of the muscles you need to pull and hold yourself up on the fabric; including shoulders, arms, grip, lats, etc... Invest in a pull up bar at home and do as many as you can.You can even reverse train pull ups by starting at the top and lowering yourself down until you have built up enough strength to do full ones.

Ultimately the best thing to do is keep practicing! Climbing can take a long time to learn, some students take weeks or even months to get the hang of it while others can master it in just a few classes. Everyone is different and it is never a competition. Don't risk injuring yourself by pushing yourself too hard- but also don't get frustrated if you don't get it right away. Do the work and you will get there!

Also, remember that 1 million tips cannot substitute for a good aerial coach. Find a local coach who can really show you the ropes- pun totally intended - and you will be flying in the air in no time at all.

Samantha
aerial silks climbing training
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Failure in Circus: What it is and What it isn't


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“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” 
― Ernest Hemingway

Circus Aerialist Aerial Dance
Kate after the sweet sweet victory of achieving the Crossback Straddle!
Circus is one of those things where everyone and anyone can find their place. For me, it is a haven, a sanctuary. Here, my feet are not too flat. Here, I am not too short. Here, I am not too old. In circus you can be any shape, size, or colour and as long as you work hard it will form you into the best version of yourself. The strongest, fastest, most graceful, most powerful you. In ballet or gymnastics you might not find that inclusiveness. In those arenas you may be pushed towards a particular mould of "perfection". If you do not fit that mould then maybe you aren't cut out for it, or so they might tell you. Circus is different, and I love that

That does not mean circus is easy. You might come rearing in ready to work the hardest you've ever worked for something, and you are prepared for all of the bruises and burns. But how you take and learn from your failures will be the most important factor in determining your success in circus, particularly aerial arts, be it recreational or professional.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." 
— Winston S. Churchill

Here's the thing: circus is actually pretty damn hard. You have to be prepared to kinda suck at it when you start out. When you fail at a particular skill, it doesn't mean you won't ever be able to do that skill. It doesn't mean you aren't capable of doing other skills. And it definitely is not an excuse to quit or decide you just "aren't good at [insert circus skill here]". They say it takes 10,000 hours of training to become a master at anything.  If you can follow through with a mere fraction of that even after many many failures you are already succeeding.

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” 
― Thomas A. Edison

Here are some things you can remember that will make failure sting less and actually help you use it to your advantage:


  1. Always train in progressions. Breaking down a skill into smaller steps makes learning that skill more manageable. Each time you master a progression you get a little boost and can have a little celebration of your mini-success. If you fail at a particular progression it is so easy to move back to the previous one to practice and regain your confidence before trying again.
  2. Ask other successful aerialists how they got to where they are. How long did it take them to learn a particular move? How did they achieve it? Some people learn quickly or may have had built up strength from other activities, and some people might have taken a long time to achieve basic skills that you learned in one or two classes. Be mindful that everyone is unique, but  hearing about another aerialist's struggles with certain skills may make you feel less alone and you might get some helpful tips to boot.
  3. Show up and be present. Don't let the frustration or fear of failure prevent you from being present in your training. Take advantage of every opportunity to get better and you will.
  4. Laugh it off. Circus is hard but it is fun and light hearted too!  If you take yourself too seriously you are missing the point. I have learned that when I fail at a skill it usually brings everyone around me a good laugh, and I can't help but join in. Nothing is quite like the sight of an aerialist tangled up and sliding slowly to the floor.
  5. It's not a competition. We are a circus family! And your fellow circus brothers and sisters will hold you up and support you. No one is trying to be better than anyone else, so get rid of that ego of yours and  make the only competition with yourself. Try to improve yourself each time you are in the air.
  6. Videos and photos are your best friends! To best learn from your mistakes and break down exactly where you are going wrong, ask someone to take a video or picture for you. Take as many as you need. Watch yourself from different angles and when you see that you need to do something differently, then try again and again and again until you succeed!
"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." 
— Lance Armstrong (Every Second Counts)
Aerial Reflections Aerialist Circus Splits
"Quick take a picture because damn this hurts!"- Me after finally making this look good.
Here is one of the most important things: celebrate every tiny success, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. High fives and photos are my favourite way to celebrate a success! The more you celebrate, the more confident you will feel and when you fail it won't feel as significant.

 In conclusion there is no magic tip that will make you suddenly good at aerial/circus arts or help you get that move down pat after only a couple of tries. Practice is the only way. Take the time, make the effort, push yourself, and try again and again and again and again. When you get there feel free to celebrate because damn, you earned it!

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” 
― Oscar Wilde

aerial silks failure quitting
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Why the R.I.C.E. Method Doesn't Work

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The R.I.C.E. method, coined by Dr. Gabe Mirkin in his best-selling book The SportsMedicine Book (1978), has been touted as the end-all be-all of muscle injury treatment and recovery methods for the past several decades. R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. It is so pervasive that despite current scientific and medical studies showing the detrimental effects this method has on healing, you will still find most doctors and sports professionals recommending it as a viable treatment.

Disclaimer: Always consult a doctor for any serious injuries. This blog is intended for reference/educational purposes, not to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Sources are hyperlinked.

Injury Prevention Aerial Circus RICE MEAT


Rest

For the acute stage of injury, rest is important. Continuing to push through your physical task when in pain is ignoring your body's message that something is wrong. Immediately stop what you are doing and take rest. For mild injury this may only be a few minutes, for more severe injury it may be longer. Intense sensation and mild discomfort are normal when building muscle and flexibility, however acute pain is not normal and should be heeded as a warning of injury. Where rest doesn't work is when it is prolonged or excessive unnecessarily. Bed-rest is especially detrimental to recovery as it inhibits circulation among other healing mechanisms in the body. After the initial acute stage of injury, movement and exercise should be introduced slowly to restore proper circulation and blood flow which carries nutrients to the injured tissue and encourages lymphatic drainage of metabolic waste. Movement will also help regain range of movement and prevent scar tissue from building up around the injury. Exercise should be used to start strengthening the muscle again. There is a mental component that comes into play when immobilising the injury for too long. You might experience inhibition in moving the affected area if you wait too long before introducing recovery movements and physical therapy.

Ice

Ice is perhaps the most pervasive injury recovery treatment recommended by professionals today. Let me start by saying this; swelling and inflammation is the bodies natural response to injury. A recent study published by The Journal of The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology showed evidence that inflammation is actually beneficial and in fact necessary for tissue recovery. That's because in the study, researchers discovered a hormone being produced in great amounts by inflammatory cells, called insulin-like growth factor 1 or IGF-1 which increases the rate of muscle regeneration and greatly improves muscle repair. Previous ( and current ) opinion of professionals is that reducing swelling encourages healing, however the results of this study contradict that notion. It was found that the application of ice and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen inhibits the body from delivering this healing hormone (and therefore inhibits proper healing ).

Ice has also been shown to reduce muscle strength, power, and endurance. It affects the way your nerves function and although this may relieve pain temporarily it will affect the healing process greatly. It also constricts blood vessels, restricts blood flow preventing vital nutrients, oxygen, and other healing properties from reaching the area.

According to professionals, Ice can be applied briefly for short periods to manage pain.

Compression and Elevation

Compression and Elevation fall into the same category as Ice. They reduce swelling and blood flow to the injury and therefore should be considered as detrimental to the healing process.

In terms of compression or immobilization, protection should be the main theme here. Focus on protecting the injured area while it heals, this includes removing it from the cause of injury, seeking out proper treatment, and not engaging in any activity that might exacerbate the injury,

The use of NSAID's have also been shown time and again to inhibit healing.

So what IS the best method for recovering from a muscle, tendon, or ligament tissue injury? I have discovered a method called M.E.A.T. that seems to make the most sense. M.E.A.T. stands for:

Movement

As I mentioned above, movement should be introduced after the acute stage of injury when pain and swelling has significantly subsided. movement should be gentle but consistent. Things like gentle stretching have also been shown to be effective. This is as opposed to total immobilization which has been shown to be less effective in long-term healing.

 Exercise

Including targeted strengthening exercises will increase blood flow to the affected area, strengthen the muscle, as well as help to prevent build up of scar tissue.

Analgesics

Medication to relieve pain can be administered in moderation, but you should avoid the use of NSAID's especially since prolonged use of these can lead to stomach ulcers and other gastrointestinal stress, not to mention that they have been shown to inhibit muscle repair as stated above. Some people have found the use of Epsom salts or Arnica (homoeopathic treatment) to have healing effects, and some people use topical analgesics to relieve pain.

Treatment

Various treatments that have been shown to be effective in healing muscle/tendon injuries are: massage therapy, taping, acupuncture, alternate ice/heat in short periods during acute phase, and physical therapies.

Remember that in extreme cases for serious tears and injuries one should always consult a doctor. If you are having other symptoms such as fever, vomiting, dizziness, please seek out emergency medical care.
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