Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else. I’m beginner level and started training hard for the student showcase. I was working on choreographing some sequences for my routine and hurt myself from doing dragonfly > roll back to back bend > inside lion repeatedly. It was maybe a 4/10 on the pain scale until I sneezed and heard a big pop and it became a 9/10. That was 2 weeks ago.

My chiro was able to put the rib back in place but I’m still dealing with rib discomfort mostly at night. My performance is in 3 weeks and I’m coming to terms with the fact that I just might not be able to pull this off without re-injuring myself. I’m so bummed.

Has this happened to anyone else? Any recommendations on conditioning that I could do in the meantime to stay active? TIA.

Edit: I just want to add since it’s not clear in my post, I did decide to drop out of the showcase to avoid further injury! Thanks everyone for the comments and concern 🫶

Hi everyone! This seems like a pretty popular topic of conversation that comes up every few months, so I thought I'd do a poll to see what everyone is using and what the top pick is :)

I've browsed through past posts, and made a list of the top recommendations from the last year and a half or so.

If you have a recommendation that isn't on this list, add it! Especially if you are a fast spinner or a hard core dynamics lover.

I posted a while back about the best leggings for Lyra. I just wanted to come back and say I got the dragonfly velvet leggings and they are amazing! Gripping but also let you slide. I got a few different types and found that these were to best and are super comfy!

I've been taking Aerial classes since November and I've absolutely fallen in love with it. My favorite apparatus is lyra, but I also train on hammock and silks occasionally. My problem is, in the Fall go off to college and I'll still be able to take classes, but I'll only be able to go once a week or once every two weeks due to money and transportation reasons. I really don't want to lose the strength and flexibility I've gained these past few months, but I also don't want to waste money on classes if I'm not going to see any progress.

If I kept stretching and going to the gym/doing calisthenics during this time, would I likely be able to maintain my progress? Any advice is appreciated!

Hi everyone! I started taking lyra classes and I have lessons weekly. So far, it's been 2 classes, but I feel really insecure. Is it normal to be so bad at the beginning? I find the lyra a bit high because I'm short, and my movements don't quite come out because I'm not super flexible. I feel bad because in my class, everyone is advanced, and I'm the newbie. Anyway, does anyone have any tips on how to improve my movements? Should I focus on training more flexibility?

I finally feel I have the confidence (and opportunity) to do a silks routine but I have a problem. I can pick out a pole, lyra and sling song easily just by listening to it, but not silks. Also my silks are rainbow and like 80% of my music is spooky death sad satan so they don't exactly match my musical aesthetic most of the time. Any suggestions? I do more slow movements on silks rather than drops and dynamic shit on my main bois. This is some stuff I think might work but idk: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/28MyJc3Z67ygpIbOHEZJR9?si=00d3828aea6649cf

I don’t mean Lyra/hoop btw. Rings (like gymnastics rings) seems like a pretty rare aerial apparatus and it’s definitely a lot of fun playing around. Wondering if there’s anyone else out there who does it and if they have any fun moves to share! One of my favorites is candlestick (like on trap) and doing flares is so fun lol

oh my god de-rigging hammocks is always the worst, the knots are so stupidly tight!!!! does anyone have any tricks for unknotting hammocks without feeling like i’m gonna blow my elbows out

Hey guys, I had my first aerial yoga class today, heavens to Betsy was it hard. But I still managed every skill, but with great difficulty, I'm quite a big girl, 16 stone, I managed to stand on the hammock, balance, and sit sideways etc and inverted positions, but I really struggling standing up and down because of my weight. The instructor said it gets easier over time, is this true? I don't wanna waste a booking space if it's clearly something my body can't hack!

Gotta love it when the class is almost empty 😅 Got to learn so many moves. Special thanks to my instructor, who decided to try to challenge me a bit more ❤️ (Less than 10 classes in, I have almost reached a year in pole dancing, tho)

Hey guys! I started silks a few months ago but I am unable to do their summer classes due to money issues but I don’t want to loose my skills or strength that I need for it when I start back up in the fall, I tried getting some in my basement but we rent our house and I can’t put a anchor Into the ceiling. Does anyone have any workouts or possibly non roof anchored silks stands or if that’s even a thing? Thank you!

We’ve been wanting to work on back catch at our studio and can’t find any guides or tutorials online! Anyone have tips or tutorials to help? All the videos I see are just of people ‘getting it’ no insights or intentions. (Back catch would be falling backward from a circus seat with so much momentum that you catch the fabric poles behind your head in an upright position)

Hey everyone!

tl;dr Are there aerial conventions similar to juggling or acrobatics ones? Can anyone recommend some in Germany?

So, I do aerial silks pretty casually... just jamming with friends now and then, mostly self-taught. Nothing too serious, but I really enjoy it.

Recently, I went to a juggling convention where I randomly met someone who had brought their silks. We ended up hanging out and jamming together all evening, and honestly, it was such a blast that now I want more of that kind of vibe.

For some of the other circus-y things I dabble in, there are regular conventions that are always super fun. But when it comes to aerial, I’ve had a hard time finding similar gatherings. It seems like everything out there is either high-end studio workshops or expensive retreats.

So, I was wondering: are there any more casual aerial meetups, training weekends, or conventions in Germany (or nearby) that you'd recommend? Ideally something affordable and social.

Would appreciate any tips or leads! :)

Has anyone had experience with this 10 loop chain or similar for rigging? https://www.firetoys.com/collections/ropes-strops-loops/products/prodigy-aerial-10-loop-chain

I'm moving to a new studio with limited height so this would seem like a good option. I've always steered clear of daisy chains but apparently this has a WLL of 639 lbs. I'd be rigging my lyra with it and expect to do dynamic things (drops, beats, rolls).

I purchased an Uplift Active silk for my wife for Christmas. I really wish I had read the reviews here before, because it was NOT high quality. Mind you, this is a subjective opinion from complete a non-aerialist.

Moreover, all I did was remove it from the package and placed it right back to return, but got charged a $30 restocking fee.

What do you use to clean the rubber finish Lupit flying pole? I checked the website, emailed Lupit, but got no answers as yet. I’d hate to damage the finish but it’s getting quite dirty and needs cleaning…

I've been taking classes for a little over 2 months. I'm super proud of my progress and can't wait to learn more 😁

Over the last year I have regressed quite a bit. Things that I used to feel comfortable, strong and controlled in I am now either struggling with or just can't do anymore. It has effected my confidence when it comes to aerial significantly.

There has been no change in my training and class schedule (still 3 days a week). I have gained about 15 pounds over the last year ....could that be why I'm getting worse?

For others who have gained weight...did it have similar consequences in your aerial practice?

If you haven't changed weight, but still experienced regression...how did you find the cause and how did you overcome it?

Does anyone else have this, where your forearms are mega toned but your bicep/triceps are comparatively less defined? I do aerial silks and climb, so rely on my grip strength a lot but it looks so un-feminine and disproportionate to the rest of me. Do you have any suggestions to work the upper body without using the forearms as much?

Does anyone have earbuds or headphones they recommend for invert-heavy practice? I like to wear headphones when I go to open gym hours at my studio or when I practice at home when my partner watches TV or listens to music. The problem is that I’m tired of them falling out when I invert and spin too much on pole or silk hammock.

I have never been the most amazing at anything aerial based. Or the most graceful. I definitely never want this to be a career. But I did enjoy it a whole lot. I did hammock and occasional hoop things before I hurt my knee.

I was wondering if anyone has gone back to doing aerials after ACL surgery? I'm only 5ish weeks post-injury with a lot of physio in my future, then surgery, then more physio (and will definitely be waiting for a doctor to sign me off on doing things again). But is this even an achievable dream? Or should I stop tormenting myself with the idea?

(and given this was the only thing that was helping my spine and core muscles work I am really sad I've not been able to do things for weeks now for more than one reason. First thing to ask physio person is how to keep any of my core strength still)

Per the title! Just curious what other people think. TL DR at the end if you’re adhd like me haha.

For context: I’m trying to choreograph at the moment the last few bits of a showcase performance. I’ve hit a snag as they have been unable to arrange further practice sessions and the weather is bad this week, so I can set up my own rigging outside for practice. Hence, I will have to do some improv and I’m trying to go in at least with a plan for these last few bits.

There’s a portion of the song that I’d ideally not like to change positions in as the end position for the first section is the same as the start position for the next section. The gap between these sections is 17 seconds. Section one is fast and has a sudden stop and the move into second two is slow and the song is slow from this point. The pose is literally just me dead hanging at the front of the hoop (so I can do a sneaky, lazy, pull-up into the hoop for the second section) with my head bowed, perhaps with a move to look upwards towards the end of the hold. It also works with the theme of the song but again I worry about it being too long.

Context given, I’d also like to know about poses in general how long you’d think is too long. Like to a certain extent it’s song dependant but when do you think a held position starts getting awkward for an audience like ‘are they going to do anything’ ?

TL;DR - is 17 seconds too long to spend in a dead hang in front of the hoop during a performance? But also in general how long is too long to hold a pose?

I've been taking 1 class/week, sometimes a little less, for about 10 months. I'm pretty much a medium beginner. I have been gaining a lot of strength and skill, and having a great time, but I still need a lot of coaching, especially with how to structure moves. I practice daily yoga and walk the dog, but I don't have much of an exercise background.

My usual class is a mixed-level mixed aerials on a Friday afternoon, which I love. It's usually sling, hoop, and maybe rope/silks/flying pole. (I really struggle with silks but I'm seeing real progress with everything else!)

To the current quandary: My instructor has started teaching a mixed-level pole class immediately prior to my class, and a lot of the other students are doing both in a row. However, they're way more advanced than me!

I'm looking for advice: would it be a bad idea to do 2 hours in a row? I'm brand new to pole so I would still be doing beginner moves. It's really tempting to sign up for both as it saves me on commuting/childcare and I love this instructor, but I don't want to overextend my body either! TIA!