What do you enjoy most about aerial? Possibly the challenge of it? The creative aspect of it? The beauty of it? The feeling of accomplishment? That some skills truly look and feel magical?
The skill I'm sharing with you this week falls into the 'magical' category.
Tying a mid-air hammock knot with your feet!
See below for a video and step-by-step breakdown.
1) Begin from a Russian Climb (the video instructs it from the right side). Firmly squeeze your feet together & tilt to the left placing the pole of the fabric high in your top hip crease. Lean until your head is lower than your bum, make sure your knees remain tucked into your chest.
2) Release your hands, use the back of your top forearm to pass the tail behind you (exactly as you would in a Same Side Inversion Climb). Place both hands on the pole & sit your shoulders up.
3) Keep your left hand on the pole, release your right hand and grab the tail. Place it in between your knees.
4) Reach both hands up high. Begin to slightly lengthen your legs, as you do, step your top foot (which is the left if you started from a right side Russian Climb) inside the loop that you've created which circles around one leg. When you step, flex your foot and press outward to allow space for your right foot to scoop up the tail and pull it through with a pointed foot.
5) Press down with your 'scooping foot' to tighten the knot as you quickly remove your opposite foot so it doesn't get trapped.
6) Once you have your knot you can split the poles, invert through the center & do an array of shapes/skills that you would in a hammock.
7) When you are ready to come out, pass your shoulders through & step below the knot. Hold firmly & be prepared to drop a little when the knot comes undone. Keep in mind, the longer you're in the knot & the more weight you put on it the tighter it gets. Not always does it come out easily as it shows in the video!
Mistake #1 - Tilting to the wrong side after your initial Russian Climb. It just doesn't work!
Mistake #2 - Not placing your top foot in the loop. It slips right down before you can pull the tail through.
P.S. Have you tried our aerial app APTV?
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