Flying trapeze: Unclipping Lines and the Blooper Reel

After a miserable rainy weekend, the rain held off long enough for trapeze Sunday night. I felt lucky to not have to reschedule the class.  Also, only half the class showed up.

There were 5 of 9 people there, so the class went by super fast. I got lots of turns and was exhausted by the end.

What I learned tonight: unclipping my lines.
I wanted to learn to unclip my lines. Because all the cool flyers hand their lines back up the board. I asked Shain to teach me this. It looks easy, but it really isn't. 

So you're clipped in, one carabiner is clipped into the hook on either side of your safety belt. The carabiner is what attaches you to the safety lines. So when you're done with the trick, you unscrew the carabiner, open it. Then unscrew and open the other one. You clip them together and walk closer to the board for the staffer to catch the lines with a hook. Sounds simple! Except, you can't let go of the lines. Or they'll fly up to the top of the rig and someone will have to climb up and bring them back down. Eek!

In theory, unclipping the lines sounds simple.  Except, I am so bad at things like this. It takes me forever to unscrew them. And then do the second one, one-handed—while your arms may or may not be tired from all that hanging. Geez! All the frequent flyers make this look so easy.

It was a good night to learn this—since the class was so small, we weren't rushing and I could take my time with the lines.

Working on my swing
I kept working on my swing tonight.

I still need to work on my take-off, especially getting the bar back up to eye level.

I'm getting closer to understanding the bullet drop. I'm kicking too hard. We tried it on the practice bar. And it's kind of like a plank in that you want your body to be straight. Next time I want to try just thrusting my hips Pure Barre style and not kicking at all.

My second go-round, I kicked too hard and almost landed on my head. I somersaulted into the net. Oops.

I need to remember to arch at the end of the swing. I'm not sure they always call it. And I still need to make my swing more relaxed and less forced. Kaz even said I don't necessarily have to wait for the calls, but to feel it.

Shain started calling extend and I wasn't sure what to to there. Have I only been swinging for 2 classes? It feels like more. Maybe I'm getting used to it. (Kaz even mentioned swinging from my take-off instead of hanging straight. Does that mean progress?)

For a trick. We tried my back-end split.

The first time up, I was expecting more swinging. The trick was called after the first forward, backward, forward, and I wasn't ready for it. Oops.

The second time up, my hands were too narrow for the split. (Kara called this down to me from the board.) After weeks of straddles, this makes sense. It's muscle memory. But wrong trick. Oops.

Then it was time for catches.

My first time up was one for the blooper reel. On my swing I bumped the board with my butt, which got my timing all off. Then, we practiced the trick. Something happened (not sure what!) and I was dangling one arm from the bar. I pulled my other arm up as quickly as I could. And the trick was over. Not sure why that happened. But good to know, I can survive a one-armed hang. However brief. I'm not counting this run ;)

(I tried to calm down after this trick, to take deep breaths so it wouldn't happen again. One of the other ladies made sure I was okay and to not be too hard on myself. It was really nice of her. Thankfully, I wasn't pouting, just trying to chill.)

(Sorry you really can't see me, I was wearing purple that just didn't show up.

 Will try to wear neon next time ;) 

My second first time up was my best trick of the night. I swung into my trick. First (one leg straight, thigh on the bar, one leg with knee bent, foot near the bar) and final, go into the split and arch. I reached to catch and we touched and I fell. The catcher said his timing was off. It was probably me, but oh well.

The last time up, I was a second late in my swinging back and that threw the timing off for the whole trick. Another miss for me.

Blooper reel:
Tonight I managed to
• Somersault out of a bullet drop. I kicked my feet too high and almost landed on my head. Oops.
• Hit the board hwile swinging. Oops. I have lots of padding in my butt so this didn't hurt.
• Let go of my hand instead of swinging up for my split. So I was hanging one handed from the bar.

Class finished 15 minutes early. I was too tired to try again. With five people I was constantly climbing the ladder. My shoulders were super sore towards the end of class. That's a lot of holding your body weight.

All in all, a solid class (despite my bloopers)  I didn't catch my trick, but I felt like I'm getting used to my one-handed take-off, my swing. I learned unclipping my lines. I'm really learning a lot.

I still need to learn working-in-hands. We couldn't do it this class because I didn't catch my trick, but Wednesday for sure.

Trapeze hands. Working on building my calluses.
You know you're legit when you tear your hands. 

Flying Trapeze: One Handed Take Off

I am official in the intermediate trapeze level. Tonight I learned a one-handed take-off.

A few of the staffers have been asking me for weeks if I'm a one-handed take-off yet. And as of tonight I am! Wa-hoo! I am finally getting there.

To prep, I watched videos online. It looks easy. Like when you jump off the board, your second hand comes to the bar, so you're never really hanging one handed off the trapeze. (Could I hold myself with one arm? Kaz said yes, but it would hurt.)

Kaz took me aside at the beginning of the class. We used the practice bar (the kind I caught with my single reverse) and by holding on to one of the rig poles.

You stand on the board like normal. You put your right hand on the bar, like normal. But here's the difference. When you bend your knees on the "ready" command, you're also going to dip the bar down and to the right. On hep, you snap the bar up to center and kind of jump and grab the bar with your other hand at the same time. You want to catch the bar at eye level. (My interpretation. I could be really off!!!) That jump/ arm and bar swing combo will give you more momentum. (In my mind it's sort of jump a gymnastics punch into the air.)

And I was thoroughly confused by the explanation.

It looked so easy in the videos, I said. "Is it easier to do than explain?" I asked.

Then, I climbed up to the board and practiced a few times. Only I was doing a set straddle, so my hand goes in the middle of the bar, so I just pull the bar up and down—not so much right.

The first time off the board, I felt like I stalled. I thought the staffer wasn't going to let go of my belt. So I stuttered off the board. AND then my arms got all tangled up.

Because I did a set whip instead of a set straddle.

I thought I remembered the trick last week, but I didn't. (My muscles remembered something close.)

And I confused the line worker, so I just sat down on the net and laughed.

I am the queen of epic fails.

I went over to the practice bar and practiced the set straddle. Hands together, feet outside on the bar in a frog position. Ahh, that's better.

I tried the take-off the second time. And I'm bending my arms, and pulling up on the bar. Which also isn't right. (I have been practicing my pullup, so this makes sense.) I went over to the Tivo and watched this. My arms were so bent. NOT GOOD.

So now there are lots of things to remember: KEEP MY ARMS STRAIGHT. LOCK THEM OUT.

Kaz also told me to really exaggerate the motion. To swing down a lot, and explode up/out (I don't remember which, but explode).

(We had a discussion about down/forward and which direction to go, which confused me since I am completely dyslexic with directions. Seriously, I have this alien sense of direction and don't see them like other people do.)

I had one swing where I went out, and then realized my hands were supposed to be together, so I shifted my hands mid swing, so I could save my straddle. (I think they were ready to bring me down. But I can muscle it. Maybe not safe, but ha ha).

My hands weren't together, because I WASN'T LOOKING AT THE BAR ON TAKEOFF.

Not sure what I was looking at. I was probably worrying about straight arms, so I didn't think to look at the bars (SO MUCH TO REMEMBER)

Other corrections for the night:

1) It's a set straddle not a set split. So toes down more and not out. (What's the point of having a killer middle split then?)
2) Don't kick up my feet when I let go for my catch. (I swear they told me last week to explode more and kick my feet, but apparently I remembered it wrong. Haha.)
3) Don't look for the catcher (with you hands). It makes their job harder when you're both searching for each other. Just present and let them find you. I got this correction twice. I know not to do it. But on some primal level, my brain thinks I must.

I got both my catches for the night (same as last week). I'm not piking as much on the catches (still a baby amount directly after) but it's getting better. My sits are getting better after the catch releases.

Next week: LEARNING MY SWING!!!

I will really feel like I made it when I learn my swing. Wa-hoo!