How To Get Started In Aerial Silks

Aerial silks involve two lengths of fabric which are attached and secured to the ceiling and you need to use your strength to climb and maneuver the silks to perform different moves. You need to wrap these silks around your body and after doing this, you can accomplish a variety of poses and movements.

This article will tell you everything you need to know as a beginner to aerial silks so you can have the most enjoyable experience and receive all the benefits that aerial silks can give you. Here you will also learn about how you can improve your aerial silk performance and what you should wear before attempting to start.

What You Need To Know Before Starting Aerial Silks

Aerial silks can seem intimidating to beginners who are just n getting started and have had no experience with aerial silks or similar activities before. If you have no idea what to expect in class, then aerial silks can seem more daunting then they really are.

To put you at ease, you should know that you will not be made to climb these lengths of fabrics and ascend into the air during your first couple of classes. You will start much closer to the ground and you will be made to use less stretchy fabrics, so you have a much easier time. This will help you get used to the feeling of maneuvering with the fabric and you will have more control over climbing and dropping.

There are many different moves that you can perform, and each of these moves will require a different level of fitness, this means you can go as far as you feel comfortable with and are capable of doing.

Remember, you will get stronger and be able to perform more movement and poses as you keep attending your classes. Keep at it, and do not give up. It will get easier, and you will start to enjoy it even more.

Benefits Of Aerial Silks

There are many benefits that you will receive from undertaking aerial acrobatics. Some of these benefits are:

  • Strengthen your upper body
  • Strengthening your core
  • Muscle toning
  • Improves your range of motion by lessening pressure on joints
  • Spinal decompression
  • Increased confidence
  • Great way to exercise and work all parts of your body

What Do You Need To Wear?

For aerial silks, you should opt to wear tight-fitting clothing as you will be continuously going up and down the silks and loose clothing will make this more difficult than it already is, especially if you are just starting out.

Make sure to avoid clothing that has zippers or similar design additions. You do not want that zipper snagging on the silks during your climb or drop. This can be dangerous and cause you to get injured.

When choosing what clothing to wear, make sure to pick clothes that will keep certain areas of your body covered. This will help you avoid getting friction burns and scrapes as you are maneuvering up and down the silks. These areas include your armpits, knees, lower back, and stomach.

Pick clothing that is tight, appropriate, and doesn’t have any additions like zippers. This will let you focus on aerial silks and not need to think about anything else while you are trying to practice and improve.

Appropriate clothing includes leggings, t-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, and bodysuits. If you still aren’t sure, then you can ask your instructor when you go to class. Slick fabrics can be your worst enemy. They will make it harder for you when you’re on the silks. Choose fabrics that aren’t slick and those that can provide more friction. While this won’t make too much of a difference for experienced aerial acrobatics, beginners will greatly benefit from this.

What You Need To Know

Since aerial silks, also called aerial acrobatics doesn’t require any contact of your skin with the equipment (silks), it is recommended that you wear clothing that protects yourself from friction burns and scratches.

As a rule of thumb, when starting with aerial acrobatics, you should:

  • Do not wear loose clothes. This can make performing movements difficult.
  • Do not wear clothes that are too tight. This will restrict the range of movements that you can make.
  • You should wear appropriately tight clothes that are comfortable.
  • Avoid clothing with metal parts like zippers, buttons, and belts. These parts can get stuck in the silk and will increase the risk of being injured.
  • Wearing socks will increase the degree of difficulty when you are on the silks. Doing this barefoot will give you a greater grip and more confidence to perform complex and difficult moves.
  • Remove your jewelry before you start.
  • Tie your hair up in a ponytail or a bun. This will keep your hair out of the way, so you aren’t distracted.

How Can You Improve Your Aerial Silks Performance?

There are many ways that you can improve your aerial silk’s performance. Yoga, Pilates, and aerial yoga are great in helping you stretch and strengthen the right parts of your body and prepare for the challenges that you will need to overcome when undertaking aerial acrobatics on the silks.

Since aerial silks involve high-intensity movements, you should focus on performing any exercise that helps strengthen your body. Since yoga, Pilates, and aerial yoga help increase flexibility, they will build on the foundation of your performance and let you perform more complex and difficult aerial acrobatics poses and movements.

Push-ups and planks will help you build the upper body strength that you will need in your aerial silks classes. The more exercise and training that you do outside of your silks classes, the more progress you will make in the classes.