This past Sunday, several NYC aerial teachers (myself included) met to catch up and get hammered have a little dinner. It was the usual stuff – eating tortilla chips, moaning about insurance premiums, and arguing about whether that move is a Jesus Front Handspring or a Dive Between (it’s totally a Jesus Front Handspring – thank you, Bobby H!). BUT – one thing that we all agreed on? There’s a little issue that needs to be addressed across the board: students wanting a Ferrari one day out of drivers ed.

Patience, My Love, Patience

Here’s the thing. I know you’re hooked on aerials. I KNOW you’ve just found the thing-you-love-more-than-Damon-on-The-Vampire-Diaries. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting your own silks/trapeze/lyra/German wheel, but you’ve got to be smart about it. I’m talking to beginners here – advanced students & professionals have been around the block a few times and are seasoned enough to do their own thing. Fledgling aerialists, here are some things to consider:

• Many teachers and studios will happily rent space and equipment to you, and many even offer open workouts. This is awesome, folks! You get to “play the field” as it were, and practice in a safe environment. WIN!
• Do you really know what you want yet? If you’re going to invest $400+ in equipment, you may want to test drive a few models first! You will also need to learn how to rig it safely in your rehearsal space. Get an idea of what feels fabulous for you and go from there!

It Takes A While To Get Your Learner’s Permit

After the soreness has worn off from your first few classes, you may find yourself itching to practice what you learned. GOOD! Ask your teacher to let you know when he or she thinks you’re ready to train outside of class, and keep the following in mind:

• For basic beginners, you need to be able to execute a few moves before you train aerial skills outside of class, even in an open workout: proper mounting and dismounting of your apparatus (if you have to get a running start to get on a trapeze, this is not you), and basic inversions with no spot needed.
• You also have to know what you don’t know. When we first begin any new endeavor, it takes a while before we have a good understanding of what we know, and what we do NOT know – in the early days, students seem to universally believe they know more then they do. Why? Who knows.
• Work moves you understand completely when you’re training out of class – this is not a time to try that twirly thing you did once two weeks ago, or go mining Instagram for new material. Don’t make your poor teacher wear Depends.
• Never – and I mean NEVER – practice alone. Ever. Professionals don’t even do this. This is one of the (many) reasons I strongly discourage folks from installing rigging in their own homes. If a catastrophic accident were to occur, no one would be there to help you. Do. Not. Do. It. (Lawzy, it’s a post all its own!)

There’s no rush! Take some classes, learn some tricks, move on to open workout, and one day, friend, it will be time to buy your own apparatus! And because you waited until you were able to make an informed choice, it will be so much more awesome. Now, speaking of awesome, go watch some Vampire Diaries (Team Damon 4 ever). Love and pull-ups, Laura

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