Learn to use your strength with great technique in order to do efficient and clean straddle inversions every time!

Great technique pointers to get the perfect straddle inversion!

You’re an aerialist, we already know you are super strong. Climbing an apparatus and inverting regularly will give you some serious abs and arms. However, as aerialists, our practice is much more than just how strong we are. We need to introduce our strength to our great technique to create the power couple that will take us through our aerial careers. Technique is our secret super power!!! Here are some drills in the air and on the ground that focus on inversion technique and will help you create a sustainable and healthy practice for inverting.

Honing in on your inversion technique is a HUGE part of being a well-rounded aerialist. It allows us to take the strain of inverting and distribute it throughout our bodies and muscles to share the heavy load. This really helps us in preventing injuries, finding stability in our muscles to protect our ligaments and joints, and we may even find that we have more stamina in the air once we lean into technique as much as we do strength. It can be the difference between struggling through a 3 minute act in the air versus finding your flow and the freedom to stylize your movement. Good technique makes us consistent, and consistency is where we can allow the unique magic of our own movement to pour out of us and into our aerial art.

Let’s begin with getting your straddle nice and warm.

Before we jump into any of these exercises, taking the time to warm up is crucial. Follow along with my 10 minute straddle warm up here. Once you are warm, then we can jump into our inversion training.

Now let’s get into the nitty gritty of all things INVERSION TECHNIQUE!

Follow along with these videos:

Part One: On the Ground
Part Two: In the Air

Part 1. Our first set of exercises take place on the ground:

  1. Straddle pancake stretch
    • Come into a straddle (does not have to be your deepest straddle!)
    • Keep your knees straight!
    • Bring your chest and arms to the ground in front of you
  2. Lay on your back and come into straddle
    • Use your hands to gently pull on your legs towards you (like you’re trying to fold yourself in half)
    • Then release your hands and see if you can hold your straddle where it is
  3. While on your back and holding your straddle, move your legs back toward your face and then forward pointing in front of you into your hollow body
    • Keep your toes as close to the ground as you go through this movement
    • Keep your booty on the floor and your lower abs tucked
  4. Straddle inversions on the ground
    • Begin in a hollow body hold position with your legs together in front of you
    • Straddle as your legs come back towards your head (think about folding in half again!)
    • Lift your booty and back up off the floor in a straddle to get your feet to touch the ground behind your head
    • Keep your feet as close to the ground on either side of you as you bring your legs back to hollow body position

Part 2. The second set of exercises happen on your apparatus:

  1. If you are using a silk, tie a knot in the fabric. Bring the knot as low on your back as possible.
  2. Diamond shape knee tucks
    • Hold both poles and open to straddle with your back parallel to the ground. Bend and open your knees to make your toes touch
    • Lift your knees to try and touch your armpits
    • Remember to keep your hollow body shape
    • Don’t throw your head back!
    • When you are comfortable here, you can straighten your legs to straddle at the top
  3. Straddle ups in the knot
    • When you can comfortably do 10 reps in diamond shape you can straighten your legs into straddle and continue to bring your legs up to your shoulders
    • Then, try going all the way upside down and bring your head to the floor with control
    • Remember to keep yourself folded in half!
  4. When you can do 10 of the exercises listed above with ease, you can tie the knot higher
    • Still keep the knot on the lowest part of your back
    • Repeat the straddle up exercises
    • If it becomes to much, you can go back to diamond shape
  5. Use your legs!!! They are connected to your core
    • To take some of the load off of your arms
  6. Now let’s try these exercises without the knot at all!

If you would like to follow along with these exercises, check out my straddle inversion technique videos:

What did we learn today?

The key to getting your perfect straddle inversion without burning out is…TECHNIQUE! If you find you don´t have the strength to do a straddle inversion right now, switch your focus to good technique. You might surprise yourself with how far your straddle inverts come! However, technique is not magic, and you still need to do the hard work of being consistent in your exercises for technique. Add these drills into your practice regularly to build up strength and good habits. I am giving you the handy tools to have in your tool box – go out there and build something amazing for yourself!

I hope to see you soon at one of my Sweet Retreats live aerial intensives at Casa Chango Mexico.
Enjoy the process!