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Why can’t I access the December challenge ? It tells me that my type of membership doesn’t give me access to it.
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I LOVE IT !!!! I am speechless 😶. A bit sad my training time this month is reduced since we are again in a semi lockdown in The Netherlands but I will do my best to get as much air time as possible. Thanks a lot!
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Oh my gosh!!! This looks AMAZING!!!!! I am SO EXCITED!!!! I do not want to go to work! I just want to get started on this! What a challenge it is going to be! I love how clearly and precisely and articulately Brandon explains each and every move! Soooooooo excited! Can’t wait! Thank you Brandon, Rachel, and Brett!!!!!
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Oooh I’m so excited to be working on this month’s challenge! However, are there any precautions for training the angel roll ups, like training with an old rotator cuff injury on my right shoulder (I’d like to think I’m mostly healed, but sometimes I could feel the occasional pinch), though I might just use my other side in this case. I could see myself overtraining this skill as I haven’t done this before (uggh soo excited!) thank you so much for this challenge! ❤️❤️❤️
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Oh yes me too with the funky right shoulder from past injury which tends towards easy injury or lack of stability when the muscles start playing up. Keen to know advice on training this safely as Eiz mentioned. I thought one work around might be simply to try it on the other side if I find it’s not feeling right on that shoulder!
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I am already day dreaming with a smile imagining me do this. I hope I succeed in actual. Super thanks for deciding to teach this difficult sequence. I’ve been joining competitions and I know for sure that the angel roll ups score high on “difficulty” criteria. The climb is a stage-wow! And that belay entry is so unique. This sequence will be ultra challenging. Thanks Brett, Rachel, Brandon!!
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This sequence looks INCREDIBLE and I’m so excited to try it! Might take me more than a month to actually get it (especially with being interstate and away from my studio for a lot of December) but I can’t wait to start practising. Really loving how clear and precise the instructions are too, thank you so much for this challenge!
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https://www.silksstars.com/community/jill-b-lovin-aerial/media/1829/
So this is embarrassing, but I guess this is how we learn. 1st, Brandon says to roll over on my belly after the attitude, but you’ll see I have to place the silk under my breast line by hand and then how do you keep that left pole from just popping out and away from you? Thanks in advance, because I’m really needing the help! This one is such a wonderful challenge for sure! 😃😍 -
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What a great combo! I had a quick go into it earlier today… and how challenging! I have the feeling I might need to slightly adapt some small parts from the combo to the reality of my body. I share with you a story I just posted from my angel roll ups… they still feel and look a bit uncoordinated… Please feel free to comment if you have any tips 🙆🏻♂️❤️
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https://www.silksstars.com/community/janice/media/1830/
This is a test of determination and positive attitude. Pls see my December-challenge training video. Sorry it is long as I am still slow in my moves. I need coaching on:
1) How can I balance myself securely at the part while I am wrapping my arm to prepare for angel roll ups?
2) In the angel roll-up, I get stuck on the 180th degree turn. I feel my body can no longer rotate further up.
3) For those of us who will be lucky to have a spotter as we learn the angel roll-ups, do you have any tips for the spotter (ie. what should he/she watch out for mostly?)
Any other tips on the other parts of my video will be much appreciated. Thank you!!
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https://www.silksstars.com/community/kary/media/1831/
Not looking so good 😅
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Hi! I have a question regarding the Brandon belay. Today I was practising it multiple times and I ended up every time (after straddling through) having to do an extra semi turn of my upper body to be facing the belay upwards. I comparing my video with the one from Brandon and I am still confused. I wonder whether I am skipping any step. Maybe you see sth I dont? Thanks a lot! ❤️🙆🏻♂️
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Hi Yvan!
I think Brandon’s semi turn happens while falling into the belay (while his legs are upwards between the poles in a candlestick position).
So, I think you have to gain more momentum by swinging and then, at the top, push your hips forward to get into the candlestick position and the turn will happen by itself.
Great job with the roll-ups!
When I try to roll up the first wrap slips a few cms towards the second wrap and bruises my upper arm. This always happens in the middle of the rotation. -
Thanks a lot dear! Indeed I now see his magic semi turn 🤩. Somehow I am having difficulties understanding his movements in the belay… the angles from below obscure the steps a bit for me.
Regarding the roll ups… in my experience bruising happens as you say from slipping of the silk. Usually because of too much uncontrolled momentum during the execution which creates a bit of slack. And then because of this small slack u kind of fall into it…or it could also be because the arm moves too far away from the horizontal line. In the ideal world you are able to push at all times against the silk and control every inch up or down… then bruising won’t happen. You could try to identify those moments where you let go of the pushing and rely more on momentum and try to put extra awareness there. Hope this helps!
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My technique is far from perfect but I try to find that constant push… ideally, in a turn of 360 degrees you should have pushed in all directions (while trying to keep the arm horizontal to the floor at all times 😜). I am sure Brandon will share some great tips tomorrow with all of us. Looking fw! In the meantime… I share with u a small clip from my training last Saturday… maybe it helps ❤️🙆🏻♂️
I am also happy to receive feedback to soften my rolls 😃 a lot happens and I find myself a bit overwhelmed…
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Yvan this is amazing! So I have been thinking that staying in a more diagonal pose with my left shoulder elevated above my right ankle would help. But I see you are completely horizontal so maybe I have been making this even harder? It’s too cold to work outside today so I’ll let my bruised heal, but going to try for a more horizontal start next chance I get! Really nice work! These look so impressive!
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[Nerd alert!] Thanks Elleb! Great point! I can only talk about my experience… When I first learned the angel rollups I thought the wrap placement on the leg had to always be above the knee for it to work… that s how I was taught… and the first 10-20 times I tried lots of different placements to find out which alignment works the best for my body. I found out through my experimentation that it depends on a lot of things… on the type of silk, the distance to the rigging point, how high I wrap around my arm, how high around the leg, the inclination of the body… Now I am a bit less concerned about where it lands on the leg, and in the above video in fact it is actually rolling just on top of the knee (though I did readjust it a bit). I would suggest that you play with it and find what works for u. Angel roll ups are hard! Patience is key. Seen from the mechanics point of view… the further away the contact points, the more core, upper body, hips and leg engagement you will need to hold your body in between… so yes, I think it makes it a bit easier when u start with the wrap above the knee but u then might need to adjust it before sinking into the angel or try from a different entry that allows u to better control where the wraps land. I used to play a lot with leaving some slack before wrapping the arm to control how horizontal my body was in the starting position. Not so pretty and the danger is that you might fall as you are wrapping with the extra slack… but it adds some feeedom to explore. Also the material of the silk plays a role… if u have a stretchier material then wrapping all the way up is better… if it’s however non stretch then maybe u could play with wrapping a bit less tight around the arm so that your body lands more horizontal. Sorry for the philosophy and the long message! I am actually very curious about what Brandon will say about your points. Because his strength and back flexibility are incredible! Super human incredible! Looking fw to the session tomorrow!
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https://www.silksstars.com/community/elleb/media/1834/
I hope this isn’t a duplicate post! I can’t seem to find the post I submitted earlier. I’m making some reasonable progress on the Brandon Belay but the angel roll up is proving to be extremely difficult for me. This is actually probably my best attempt but I still had to reach for the fabric with my other hand to keep my arm from slipping through the top loop (which causes me to fall out of the roll up). Any tips/suggestions?
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Hi! Here is my attempt and i mostly have the same problems with everyone else but i would like to ask a few more questions:
1. In the angel roll-up, Brandon has mentioned to keep our ear close to our shoulder. Does this mean we should be rotating with elevated shoulders, or neutral or depressed shoulders and just simply leaning our head towards the shoulder? I haven’t attempted to rotate yet as I am just feeling this out for now.
2. During the corkscrew part, i pushed that pole to my waist as i rotate, is that okay? It kinda felt better for the pole not to land direct on my chest.
3. Also during the corkscrew, my right upper traps really got a cramp when reaching for the pole. Maybe I’m doing something wrong there? Or maybe I’m working it and just getting stronger? 😋
4. Is there another way to re-grip the Fabric and avoid the twisted grip (after the angel roll) for now? Although this part is more forgiving for my right shoulder, I’m trying to avoid loading it as i practice this repeatedly. I will come back to twisted grip maybe towards the end of the month as i understand this makes transitions smoother.All other comments and suggestions on this vid would be most welcome. ☺️
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I’m glad I’m not the only one having trouble with the Angel Roll-Ups, but I’m not even going to post my attempt because compared to everyone else’s attempts, you’d think I was a complete and utter beginner 🙈 All I was able to accomplish was holding the floating position- rotation was out of the question, though I tried… In addition to the questions/points above I have this (potentially irrational) fear that I’m going to wreck my shoulder doing this. I don’t have any pain in the shoulder; the only pain is coming from my arm not being used to being wrapped like a Christmas salami, but my left shoulder is not my dominant side. So, in addition to feeling discombobulated simply because it’s my left side, I have that mental block where I’m afraid of getting injured… I can’t attend the Live session but look forward to watching the replay. Thanks all! For those of you who are able, keep on rollin’!
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I’m posting one of my attempts of the roll up where you can see the first wrap sliding down: https://www.silksstars.com/community/dorag/media/1836/
Besides the roll up, I have difficulties going into the belay after the beats. I have a stiff back and my legs don’t swing to the back much and it seems I can’t pull up my lower body just with my strength.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated. -
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I’m having a hard time wrapping the silks around my arm. I’m kind of falling forward. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
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Hi Manon!
I also had a hard time finding a stable position when wrapping the arm.
The first thing I found to be important is to make the footlocks even (as Brandon said) or to wrap the left leg a bit higher. Then you have some space to move the right leg underneath you to find the stable position. The best position for me is when the right leg is underneath the left thigh, almost like you’re sitting on it. Also, I had to adjust the pole on my left hip to slide from my waist to the side of my hip. Actually, the sliding of the pole happens by itself when you move the right leg beneath the left thigh (because that pole is attached to your right leg).
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I tried the sequence today for the second time and really hurt myself on the corkscrew! https://www.silksstars.com/community/caro/media/1837/ How did that happen? I felt a crunch on my lower left ribs and pain! I’ll head to the doctor tomorrow to make sure I’m fine. But I’m wondering where I went wrong and how to keep safe. It does mean that I still haven’t got to the roll up stage. I’m so impressed with everyone’s attempts above! Can’t wait to get that far and try.
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Hello! Managed to sneak in a quick session after classes to start learning this sequence tonight – video here (with a little panicked bail out when I discover the armpit silk burn haha! Will definitely wear long sleeves next time). It’s definitely a challenge!
In addition to the excellent questions above, I’m also struggling with the position just after corkscrew when I take my footlock off – it doesn’t feel stable enough to really let go with my left hand, and I’m wondering if maybe I’m not positioned correctly? You’ll see in the video that I end up stepping down because it feels so unstable. I also noticed my wrapped leg in angel pose ends up much lower than Brandon’s – I assume that’s because I’ve stepped down to do the angel wrap? Thank you! -
When preparing for the Angel roll ups, should my leg and arm be in a parallel line with the floor or should my arm/upper body be slightly above my leg? Also, if I’m right handed, would it be easier for me to switch the combination so that my right arm is wrapped for the Angel roll up? Any tips/advice would be appreciated. Thanks! I’m really loving how hard this challenge is making me work! And think! Thank you!!!
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Hello!
Angel roll ups are in my list of aerial goals and I am so grateful for the opportunity to receive coaching!
I think I understand the mechanics of the rolls but I feel I am not strong enough for it. My “weaker” side is a no go and with my “stronger” arm, I can barely make it to a full roll, need to spot with the other hand, and feel that I sink into the shoulder.– Are there any progressions one should first train before safely attempting one full roll?
– Do you have suggestions regarding strengthening exercices/drills that would help?The inversion from the beats also gives me major difficulties. I find it hard to maintain my body lifted keeping tension with the tails while building up enough momentum to invert. I am slowly sinking in the wraps, which makes it impossible to invert.
Any advices on this?Thank you for your much needed help 😁😊
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OK guys. It’s going to be a bloody Christmas Miracle if I can achieve this by month’s end. As you can see in the video:
-arm wrap is a struggle…feeling very unstable…tips? Maybe I need to keep the wrapping closer to the rest of my body
-and following the arm wrap, I then feel absolutely stuck trying to scooch my left leg (ronde de jambe it as Brandon says) out to form the angel shape
-once in the angel shape I have NO strength in my left wrapped outstretched arm….SHould I be facing that wrapped shoulder/arm more (like in 1st arabesque?) I realize in the vid my body is very flat to the front
-I think I went the wrong way trying to go into the belay wrap section -
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https://www.silksstars.com/community/elleb/media/1840/
This is my best attempt so far! Making progress!! This was just before today’s Q and A so I’m excited to try again tomorrow with all the helpful advice from today. I still have a lot of work to do. Tips and suggestions appreciated!
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I wasn’t able to make the live Q & A today 🙁 but I just watched it here and WOW! THANK YOU! Brandon I REALLY appreciate how thorough you were and sorry for your arm, but I am a visual learner so I SO APPRECIATE all your demonstrations! Thank you Rachel and Brett for facilitating this amazing program and thank you fellow Silk Stars for clarifying my questions in my absence! So much wonderful information! So excited to work on this tomorrow! Hope I can sleep! It’s like when kids are excited about Santa! 🤣
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Ditto Jill! I couldn’t make it to the Q&A because I was working (the struggles of being in Australia!) but just watched it and wanted to say thank you for the incredibly helpful explanations and detailed demonstrations! The risk of overtraining this is so real because I just get so excited every time a new part clicks hahaha
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Just watched the replay team – you guys are great. So many great tips across the whole sequence and I really appreciate the detail, breaking down each part by explaining and also demonstrating. Thanks for the support and tips on the corkscrew too. And yes loved the thought of celebrating the little wins as we work through this months challenge and enjoy the journey.
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Hi there! I just joined two weeks ago, so I’ve tried a couple of the other challenges but this is my first “official” month here. Anyone else as bruised as I am?
This is a combination video of two separate attempts…I’m having issues keeping control when I come out of the rollups–I tend to panic and then bend my arm or lose my core control, and then “fun” things happen (ouch). I’m also new to beats–I just started learning them, but side to side, not front and back.
Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
https://www.silksstars.com/community/janereaction/media/1843/
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I have been training angel roll-ups on and off for about 18 months. The bruising at first was very bad, but is less and less each time I return to them. I am in total awe of anyone learning roll-ups in a single month. It took me months to get my first from the ground. I will be happy if I get one roll-up in the air this month after not training them recently. One tip on the roll-down part (which I find way more difficult than the rolling up), as Brandon explained, try to trail the free leg as much as possible to slow the movement down. I’ve found this really helps to prevent whipping around fast which could be bad on the shoulder.
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I had a chance to train little today. Got a gnarly bruise on my left bicep. Everything feels a little sloppy and scary but here is what I was able to do. One angel rollup… Feedback greatly appreciated
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Hi! This month looks really like mission impossible. Thanks to Carmen I know I was doing a big mistake with the roll up so I hope next time It’ll be better.
This is my first attempt, I’ve already found so many obstacles 🤣
First training -
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Hi Guys!
So happy to work on this sequence 😍
I am training on a very low ceiling and chose the mini rig version. In this video, I end up a little too close to the rigging which restrain my movements. Still, it might be one of my best attempt 😁
Any tips and advices? (I struggle a lot to invert into the belay without using the pole).
Thank you ❤️ -
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Hi!
If possible I would love to have some feedback regarding the belay… I did it many times but somehow I always land in an awkward position… any tips as to what I am clearly not doing? I am thinking it has to do with the way I am grabbing the tails? Too strongly? Am I supposed to have a soft grip and let go of them? Brandon lands so nicely in his belay! On the other hand I feel I am half way through… each time… Any tips much much much appreciated!-
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Thanks for your answer! I just deleted it because I went training again today and it was unfortunately officially my last training of the month. The Netherlands just entered a full lockdown and now all indoor sport activities are forbidden 🙁 Luckily for silksstars, I heard the rumour while I was training today so I put all my devices to record as much material as possible and I am now going throught the recordings to pick up my final submission. Dear lord… this covid situation is a never ending story…
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My final submission is now in my profile. I hope it is visible 🙂 December has proven a tough month for me with very high work load in my engineering job and also some unexpected injuries ouch 🤕. That’ s why I decided to modify the entry to the rollups. I am happy anyways very happy I was able to get some lst minute good recordings today. Since The Netherlands is entering a full lockdown as of tonight I will gladly take any feedback you may have to January next year when I have again access to a rigging point.
https://www.silksstars.com/community/yvanlp/media/1849/
Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year! 🎄❤️
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Hi there! I would love any feedback/tips on my attempts so far – two different videos combined because I’m not super comfortable doing the angel roll up higher yet. I definitely need to work on keeping my core tight and arm parallel to the ground during the roll up, but two other things I can’t quite figure out are:
1) why do the leg wraps get so high as I roll? I always feel like they’re too tight and have to adjust them down before I can roll again.
2) how can I control the roll down better? I know Brandon mentions aiming for a back bend and dragging the leg behind in the Q&A, which I will definitely try if I can get into the studio again, but any extra tips for helping with the “fear factor” would be really appreciated! It feels so much more unstable on the way down.Also, in the belay entry, I’m finding I get a good beat but then lose it or sort of get stuck right at the top and end up coming through the silks in slow motion. Am I missing something?
Thank you so much 🥰
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Hi Beatrice! Very nice work so far.
1) Looks like your hips are slightly above your wrapped foot, and that may be why its higher on your leg than you’d like. Try and get your hip and foot as parallel as possible.
2) Definitely incorporate arching and leg dragging, as Brandon advised. That will keep your body weight closer to your center, for more stability. In terms of the “fear factor”- practice with a spotter, squeeze as tight as possible, be super warm, and do it when you’re fresh. Drill it drill it drill it.For the beats to belay-
Don’t allow a pike to happen. Ideally, you want a long, tight body line from your lower ribs all the way to your toes. Like a board. Don’t let your knees bend to the back, and don’t allow a hip crease to the front. That will give you a more powerful beat to get into the pullover. Let us know how it goes! -
Thank you so much for this feedback, it made a huge difference for my roll ups (+downs) and I’m feeling a lot more comfortable in them now! Honestly so chuffed, my goal at the start of the month was just to be able to even hold the angel pose because it hurt so much haha.
I won’t get another chance to visit a studio before the new year, so filmed a final submission tonight. The beat entry to belay definitely still needs cleaning up (that darned pike just keeps happening!) but I’ll keep drilling it in the months to come. Thank you for such a fun and rewarding challenge 😁 -
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https://www.silksstars.com/community/janice/media/1855/
I’d appreciate feedback on my video. Actually, this is meant to be my final submission until I saw @yvanlp ‘s video. I am now inspired to try again and hopefully inject improvements to this. The angel roll up is my dream move:) I didn’t expect I’d learn it through an online class. Thanks SilksStars!
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from last night’s student showcase at Paradisaea Circus Arts. Fun times but still need to work on so much!
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Hi. And Merry Christmas! I’m slow getting this one going. Would you be able to have a look at the video. It’s pieced together as I can’t do the whole thing as a whole yet https://www.silksstars.com/community/caro/media/1861/
Rollup: I found the roll up on the ground is getting better (still keen on any hints though!) but once I get in the air after the climb it feels quite different. It feels much less stable and I notice the wrap is way down at my ankle which I think decreases stability. Is there a way of having the wrap a little higher when you’re doing it in the air?
Entrance to angel roll in the air: I’ve only just tried the entrance to angel roll via corkscrew in the air today as I’ve still been a bit cautious of my ribs which are much better but still a little tender sometimes. But the balance felt very tricky when you are wrapping the arm for angel roll.
Beats: Any hints on the beats would be most welcome. I’m finding them very hard to invert in.
Thanks team!-
Wow Caro- awesome progress on this! Your roll up from the ground looks great. In the air, if you pike your hips slightly, that should help get the wrap higher on the leg for more stability. Your front beats are nice and strong, think about driving your back beats with more power and super straight legs.
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Yesterday I did my first roll!! I’m super happy! The challenge is still a work I. Progress, there are several things I need to fix: corkscrew and Inversions are the worst. As Caro as written above, I have a feeling that rolling in the air is more difficult but I’ll give it a try, hopefully with a spotter.
There’s another thing I want to fix and it’s the entrance in belay. I fall on my ribs and it’s not ok… nothing bad but I want to do it again in a safer way. Any tips to rotate faster in the air?
Here’s my last training Christmas challenge
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Hi Laura, nice work!
Yes, definitely practice the roll with a spotter. In terms of the belay entrance- you want to “beat” with more power and energy, also keep your legs super straight. This will help drive the pull over. Also- have you tried to not hold the poles? If your arms are “free-er” (still holding the tails) you may have a better opportunity to twist your core faster and more efficiently.
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https://www.silksstars.com/community/susi/media/1868/ Hi aerial community! This is where I am right now on this challenging silks stars routine in this 14th feet studio 😬 I hope I still can work on some details and do better and smoother before the end of the month… Meanwhile I wish you all tons of love, happiness, peace and prosperity! Thank you again sils stars for this crazy challenge! 😘🎅
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WOW!!! This is a CHALLENGE! I’m LOVING it! Really pushing me, so thank you SilksStars and Brandon! Here’s a link of where I’m at: https://www.silksstars.com/community/jill-b-lovin-aerial/media/1879/. I’m kind of a hot mess all over the place🤦🏼♀️ So ANY and ALL tips, tricks, corrections and/or advice would be appreciated! My goal is a 5 star video 😳 and I’m not there yet, but I have 2 more days to work and this girl believes in Christmas miracles! So bring it on! 😜😍
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Nice, Jill!
For the beats to belay-
Don’t allow a pike to happen. Ideally, you want a long, tight body line from your lower ribs all the way to your toes. Like a board. Don’t let your knees bend to the back, and don’t allow a hip crease to the front. That will give you a more powerful beat to get into the pull over.
Overall- watch micro bends, and remember to lengthen through your foot extension whenever possible.
Looking forward to your submission!
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I’m panicking!!!!! 🤣 I’m running out of time, so I think I’m dropping the toll up and doing the mini rig version, but I don’t seem to be able to get high enough to end off of the ground. I heard we weren’t supposed to mix the 2 versions, but may I just do 2 of the opening climbs to get that little bit more height? THANKS!!!!!
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Hey silks fam!
I did zero work on December’s challenge.
Our studio did an online show Dec 17th that had me working on a few performance pieces, and shortly after the show, BC (Canada) went through another round of partial lockdowns, which included gyms and fitness studios. As a result, I’ve got no roll ups to show off at this time…
I would be absolutely honoured if any of you would care to watch my Pierrot performance, and I would be doubly honoured if Rachel and/or Brett cared to provide some critique. I realize this is not what the monthly challenges are for, but interesting times call for interesting requests 😉https://www.instagram.com/tv/CXnY1nuD2s2/?utm_medium=copy_link
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Hello, and Happy New Year!
This was my first official challenge, and the struggle was real! Hopefully you can see my video below. (I’m not sure anyone was able to see my previous attempt.) Anyhoo, I lost a lot of time in the past ten days to injury and then to rain, so this was my last chance to get something on the record books. This was my best attempt, although some things were better in previous attempts. Enjoy the extraneous noise of birds and airplanes in the “soundtrack”!
A couple of notes: 1) I can seem to do OK in the angel rollups from the ground (see bonus video at end), but when I attempt them in the sequence, I never seem to be wrapped right. Am I doing something differently? 2) I didn’t attempt beats today because I pulled a hamstring during a previous beats to inversion attempt. 3) I guess I forgot how to exit the belay. Oooops!
Angel rollups have been on my bucket list for a while, so this was a good challenge to make me work on them. Thanks, and great job everyone! <3
https://www.silksstars.com/community/janereaction/media/1927/
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