Acrobalance : Acrobatic balancing.
Essential basics:Base: The person doing the lifting.
Flyer: The person being lifted.
Flexibility: You don't need to be flexible to do a lot of acro, often it is more helpful if you have good body tension and can hold a rigid shape. Frequently the flyer must remain rigid like a plank for a trick to be successful. It will help though if the base can develop enough flexibility to touch their toes with the heels of their hands, this may take a few weeks or months of regular gentle stretching, mainly of the back of the legs, but also of the back.
Warm up and stretching: Before doing any acro check that you can move _all_ of your joints through their full range of motion. Just to see where your limits of movement are, find out if everything is working as you thought and so that you do not surprise yourself whilst doing a trick. It's not great to find yourself doing a trick and thinking, "Wow, I didn't know I could bend like that !".
Location, location, location: You'll need a place at least two people high, preferably more. The surface must be flat and even, you really don't want the base to trip over. Judo mats or soft ground are ideal - firm enough for the base to be stable - soft enough for the flyer to land with bare feet from high up. Stay well away from any obstacles, the base may wander while balancing a high trick - and they won't be looking where they are walking.
Spotters: Helpful people whom catch the flyer to stop their head hitting the ground. Some spotters are better than others. Usually this involves grabbing the flyer when the trick is going wrong. The best place to grab is on the arm below the shoulder, for other tricks the back or hips or waist may be more appropriate. Spotters are most often required when the flyer cannot get out of a trick by putting their feet down first.
Trust: Should be built up slowly between base, flyer and spotters. Find out how people react when things go wrong, then you can have confidence in attempting tricks, safe in the knowledge that you have reliable support around.
Part 1: Front balance, back balance, chair, flag.
Part 3: Reverse candlestick, straddle on feet, teardrop.
More pictures to come.... especially if you email and request them :-)
s . j . s w i f t . 9 3 @ c a n t a b . n e t
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