OK. Bend your arm as if you were doing a bicep curl. Unless you are exceptionally slender, your wrist is not resting on your shoulder. Why? There’s a bicep and all your forearm muscles in the way! That, my loves, is an appositional issue.

Appositional (side by side) issues occur when movement is limited by one body part coming in contact with another body part. They’re super common! If you come away with nothing else, please hear this: almost everyone has or will have one, and they’re more the rule than the exception. They can be temporary (pregnancy) or permanent (joint structure). Bodies are different, so your issue might not match up with someone else’s, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

Why They Matter

I have quite a few appositional issues, but the bane of my existence is my inner thighs. Thanks to a hefty layer of muscle and a dollop of fatty tissue, my ankles will not touch if my legs are in parallel. There is no work around in this position. I am not imagining it, and it’s not me being “lazy”; I cannot count the teachers who assured me that, if I just tried a little harder and “engaged my muscles more”, that my ankles would touch. Girl please, my body parts are literally in the way!

Appositional issues matter because they’re real. You don’t do yourself (or your students) any favors by pretending that body mass doesn’t exist, or that someone’s anatomical structure is anything other than it is.

Where They Occur

So many places! Common areas include:

• During pikes (tissue in the chest or abdominal area may limit compression)
• Side bends in straddle (ribs may come up against tissue in the waist or hip)
• Inner thighs (calves & ankles may not touch)
• Bent arm hang (students with well-developed biceps may struggle to bring the wrist closer to the shoulder)

This isn’t even a remotely complete list – appositional issues can happen almost anywhere.

Working Around Them

Appositional situations are only an issue if they limit or bug you in some way. If they don’t, well, then it’s not a problem, is it? If it’s something you want to address, here are a few things to try.

• Scooch around it. Can you inch body parts a little to the right or left? Elevate your butt? Prop yourself up on some yoga blocks? See if you can adjust your body position in a way that makes this work for you.
• Sub it out. Friend, there’s always more than one way to whip the cream. If a seated pike isn’t working, can a standing hammie stretch do the trick? If your ankles don’t touch with legs in parallel, can you bend one knee & bevel it in all sexy-like? (Yes. Yes you can.)
• Adjust your body composition. Sometimes, adjusting our body composition can affect whether our parts touch. Body tissue – fat and muscle in particular – can influence range of motion, and you’re free to explore that if you’re interested.
• Fuggettaboutit. There’s only so much we can do – we cannot alter our genetics, or trade in our anatomy for a different model. If you can’t adjust your position or swap a move out for something similar, and you’re not interested in trying to adjust your body comp, accept it! Aerial arts are wide and varied – I promise that tabling one move that doesn’t work with your body is not a deal breaker. Cross my heart.

Your body is unique in all the world; not every move is meant for every person! You have the opportunity to adapt moves, stretches, and conditioning to your body, and maybe discover something wonderful along the way. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help!

A final thought. So many teachers have not themselves experienced appositional anything, and may not have experience in adapting movement to individual bodies. Hell, I don’t always have an immediate answer when a student needs an alternative, though I do try to find an answer later. BUT. Just because a coach doesn’t acknowledge it, or doesn’t know how to advise you in the moment, doesn’t make it less real. Ask questions, and, if your teacher is dismissive, don’t be afraid to push back a little. If you’re in a community that routinely ignores or disparages body differences, I’m going to gently suggest that you find or create a more supportive community. Love and pull-ups, Laura