Adventures in Flying Trapeze: Split Catch

Oh how I love flying trapeze. I took a Friday night class with my friend Martha. And we happened to pick a very fun night when all of my favorite people were there.

We started reviewing whip. After a month, I mostly remembered it. I went to final too soon and opened with my legs, not arms. Oh well.

On to split catch. It took me a few times to understand the body position, but once I did I felt pretty confident in this one.

For split catch, you bring your legs up almost like a flamingo—but upside-down, since you're hanging on to the bar. One leg goes straight up to the sky with your toes pointed and with the bar on your thigh. The other leg is bent at the knee, with the foot pressing the bar into your thigh. This is tricky on the low practice trapeze. (And the next day I have bruises on my thigh where the bar goes.) And your hands have a pretty tight grip on the bar on the outside of your thighs, holding you in, but not so tight, it restricts your movement.

After a few seconds in the flamingo pose, you go to your split. This was the tricky part for me. You bring your bent knee down and kind of arch your back into a split. The key is how far you bring your butt through. It's further than you'd think and really close to the bar. You could hang upside down in a split, but the key is to bring your butt through so that the bar is on your thigh. For me, it was my left thigh.

We reviewed this really fast and then it was my turn. I figured I'd try it. I did. It was clear I needed more time on the practice bar. I did. And it clicked what I was supposed to do. From then on it was mostly smooth sailing. I felt like I got it.

On my first run through on catches, I totally had it.

Kaz said hep, and it took me a second to realize that meant go, so I missed the catch. Oh for my brain. I got it the second time.

I've watched the video too many time. My split looks good. It looks easy. It's not wonky like my off-balance whip catch.  (I totally need white tights to wear for my next class.)

The class was just a great way to spend a Friday night. A lot of my favorite people were there: my gymnastics coach, her boyfriend (who caught me at  my first class), Juli who teaches handstands, Laura from Aerofit. I knew just about everyone there: Julie who used to come to tumbling, Dave and his fun dog Huck. It was an awesome Friday night.

Be back soon, Leap!

Calluses and blisters.

Bruises.

Trapeze hands

Trapeze hands

Today was my third trapeze class. We learned catcher's hang (from higher up), trapeze swings (run and hang on the trapeze) and a few new moves.

We started the class with a review of last week's moves: skater, bowsprits and catchers hang. From a hang like when you first get on, we out one of our feet down (forgot the name of this move). You bring one knee to your nose and then let it hang and arch your back. This move looks really pretty (my partner could touch her feet to her head.)

Dolphin—starts out like the hip balances from last week. Fold yourself over the trapeze and the balance yourself (like a balance) but with hands and feet up. From dolphin, you can fold yourself over into arrow (feet wrapped around the rope, head below the bar, an inverted arrow). From there, you can bring your hips up into catcher's hang.

We also worked on tree frog. You hang on the trapeze, hands closer together, on the trapeze, and bring your feet on the outside, also up the trapeze (butt up too.) This one just feels weird.

The hardest part of these moves is remembering what to do next, where your foot or hand goes. But it's getting easier.

We ended the class with the trapeze swings. You just run with the swing and then hang off of it for a while (with your feet up).

We had a bunch of new people in this class. Three, then four and then a few more trickled in. We'll see how it goes.

For now, I have some calluses that are starting to look impressive.