Teaching Manual

for Static Trapeze, Corde Lisse and Silks

Edited and compiled by

Jeff Davis

Contributors
Clare Armstrong
Yuri Bozyan
Pierre Carriere
Ezra Groenen
Melissa Merran
Jonathon Priest
Luc Richard
Manfred Tscheche

This project has been funded with support from the European
Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may
be made of the information contained therein.
 Contents

Part 1 - Physical Preparation / Training theory:

1. Basic Principles and Definitions

2. Types of Muscular Contraction
3. Individual Muscle Differences
4. The Mechanics of Muscular Contraction
5. Training Principles
6. Devising Programmes for Physical Preparation
7. Individual Programmes for Training Strength and Muscular Endurance and Suggested
Exercises
8. Training for Mobility
9. Exercises for Training Mobility

Part 2 - Basic Skills on Static Trapeze:

1. Transitions
2. Basic Moves
3. Hangs
4. Balances
5. Basic Drops

Part 3 - Basic Skills on Rope and Silks

1. Climbs
2. Acclimatising to the Rope:
i. Rest Positions
ii. Inverting
3. Inverted locks, hip Locks (Keys) and variations
4. Small drops
5. More advanced drops
6. More advanced rest positions
7. Hanging positions

Part 4 - Teaching Methodology

1. The Training Programme
2. The Teaching Process and Safety
3. Methods of Stimulating the Creative Process

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 PHYSICAL PREPARATION / TRAINING THEORY

1. Basic Principle and Definitions

The four specific qualities required by the body to perform on these aerial apparatus are:

1. Strength

2. Endurance

3. Power

4. Mobility

STRENGTH

The greatest amount of tension which can be produced in a muscle or muscle group under an
imposed load. For example, the absolute strength of the muscle group which makes a bench
press is the greatest weight that can be pushed just once.

ENDURANCE

Endurance can be divided into two sub-categories:

a. Cardio-respiratory (heart-lung) endurance
b. Local muscular endurance

Cardio-respiratory endurance is the ability of the oxygen transport system to carry and to continue
carrying to the working muscles.

Local muscular endurance is the ability of the muscle to continue contracting (working) under a
certain load.

POWER

Power is a function of strength and speed and can be defined as the rate of doing work.

MOBILITY

Mobility is most simply defined as the range of possible movement in a joint or a series of joints

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2. Types of Muscular Contraction
1. ISOTONIC (Concentric) CONTRACTION

This is where the muscle contracts and shortens under a load: for example, the biceps muscle
contracts during a pull up on the trapeze bar.

2. ISOTONIC (Eccentric) CONTRACTION

When a muscle lengthens under a load then it is said to be contracting eccentrically, that is, it is
resisting lengthening. The triceps muscle contracts eccentrically in the down part of a push up.

3. ISOMETRIC CONTRACTION

In an isometric contraction the muscle contracts without any movement. In other words the
muscle does not shorten or lengthen but maintains resistance at a set length. For example, the
hip extensor muscles and the abdominals when the legs are held in half lever position during a
rope climb.

4. ISOKINETIC CONTRACTION

The maximum load which can be imposed upon a muscle is dictated by the amount it can lift at its
most mechanically inefficient (usually when it is fully extended or almost completely contracted).
An isokinetic contraction occurs when the speed of contraction is fixed and the muscle is taxed
to its maximum throughout its range of movement.

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3. Individual Muscular Differences
FAST AND SLOW TWITCH FIBRES:

Every individual is born with a certain amount of muscle fibres, the basic working unit of the
muscle. This number is not variable and no amount of work will result in an increase in the
number of fibres in a muscle.

The individual is also born with a certain amount of two different fibres. One of these fibre types
when looked at under a microscope appears red in colour, the other much lighter. The red fibres
are known as slow twitch fibres. Packed with oxygen storing compounds these fibres are
relatively slow to react but they can continue contracting for a long time. The lighter fibres or
white fibres are known as fast twitch fibres. These fibres react much faster than the slow twitch
red fibres but cannot continue to contract for any length of time.

The ratio of fast twitch to slow twitch fibres will dictate whether an individual is the powerful, fast
type suitable for sprinting and explosive activities, or the slow plodding type with great staying
power. It is important to recognise the general type of your student.
(The reality is a little more complex as fibres are on a scale from red to white, but is usually easy
to see which type are dominant).

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4. The Mechanics of Muscular Contraction
All human movement is caused by the system of working (contracting) muscles pulling the bones.
The jointed bones change their position relative to one another and so cause movement.

This is made efficient through a system of levers which allow the bones to move through a great
distance whilst the muscular contraction is small.

Fig 1 Muscle in relaxed state Fig 2 Muscle Contracted

For each movement there are one or two muscles which do most of the work and are called
PRIME MOVERS. However, there can be many other muscles assisting them which make the
movement more controlled and stable. Each muscle works (contracts) when the brain sends a
message as an electrical impulse through the nervous system. It is the complex process of
impulses telling some muscles to work and others to relax which coordinates the movement.

Contraction and relaxation within muscles are both caused by chemical reactions. It is the
complex reactions of proteins, oxygen and other chemicals which makes the muscles fibres
move. The result of any chemical reaction is an exchange of energy and in the case of muscular
movement waste products are formed (Lactic acid and carbon dioxide) whose presence within
the muscles makes further more difficult. They in effect, clog up the muscle and stop it from
contracting, they also cause muscular pain. Lactic acid and carbon dioxide can only be
reprocessed into the original chemicals in the presence of oxygen.

If a muscle contracts without the presence of oxygen it is said to be contracting

ANAEROBICALLY and will eventually cease to function until oxygen is introduced. The amount of
oxygen required to restore the contracting chemicals is called the OXYGEN DEBT.

If the oxygen supply to the contracting muscle is sufficient restore the contractile chemicals
continuously then the muscle is said to be contracting AEROBICALLY.

Most physical activities require the use of both contracting mechanisms, that is, aerobic and
anaerobic. Arial circus skills are predominantly of an anaerobic nature, but the aerobic side of
training should not be ignored in the training programme.

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5. Training Principles
THE OVERLOAD PRINCIPLE

For real gains in strength, power and endurance to occur, the muscle must be overloaded, that
is, it must be exercised near to the point of exhaustion.

THE PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE PRINCIPLE

Related to the overload principle, the PR principle merely states that, as a muscle increases in
strength so the intensity of training must increase.

THE SPECIFICITY PRINCIPLE

Conditioning exercises must be as closely related to skills as possible. This means that the nature
of the exercise must not only be related to the skills but also the speed of the skills. If a muscle is
trained continuously at the same speed it will tend to, when under pressure, to react at that
speed. The specificity of the training angle is most important when training isometrically.
Differences of as little as 10 have been shown to be as much as 20% less effective than
exercise at the correct angle.

THE 48 HOUR PRINCIPLE

After heavy training of the type required for significant strength gains, muscle tissue will be slightly
damaged. Recovery takes up to 48 hours, and heavy strength schedules on the same muscle or
muscle group should have a 48 hour break between them.

TRAINING FOR STRENGTH

Training for strength should not be mistaken for power or endurance. Isotonic training for should
involve few repetitions with a high load.

Two types of isometric training have been shown to be especially effective, these are:

1. 5 contractions for 5 seconds repeated 3 5 times

2. 1 contraction for 8 seconds at maximum strength repeated 3 5 times

NB. Care should be taken if a student complains of joint pain during this training.

TRAINING FOR POWER

As power is a function of strength and speed there are three ways to bring out an overall increase
in power.

1. An increase in strength alone

2. An increase in speed alone
3. An increase in speed and strength together

General guidelines to numbers of repetitions are not possible because of the variety of exercises
which have to be covered. However, increases in repetitions in a set time will produce an
increase in speed.

TRAINING FOR ENDURANCE

Increases in relative endurance will occur with an increase in strength however it is necessary to
train for endurance specifically. Research has shown that it is possible to increase endurance
with heavy loads by training with light loads. Therefore, light weights with many repetitions (20+)
will lead to an overall improvement in endurance.

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6. DEVISING CONDITIONING PROGRAMMES

First of all we must ask the question:

Where does the performer require strengthening?

Obviously each individual will have different strengths and weaknesses and this must be taken
into account when devising individual training programmes. However it is possible to analyse
each discipline and work out what actions the body is making and therefore what needs to be
strengthened.

All forms of acrobatic movement can be broken down into the following categories:

Some of these categories are not relevant to aerial work but they have relevance in other areas of
circus performance

Movement Pattern Example

SHOULDER CONTROL

Opening forwards Lifting to handstand from L sit (acrobalance)

Closing forwards Inversion on rope, up and over on trapeze

Lifting barbell from the side to above the head,

Opening sideways
rollup on aerial straps, flag on pole

Closing sideways Crucifix position

MID-SECTION CONTROL

closing Leg lift, inverting on rope or silk

opening Roll ups on trapeze

Tension Dish, handstand

ARM THRUST Press up, headspring

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 ARM FLEXION Chin, basic rope climb

Squat jump, standing back somersault, rope

LEG THRUST
climb

Handspring on floor, thrust through the

SUPPORT THRUST
shoulders with arms straight

To clarify this, if we take a simple inversion on the rope or tissue, this action requires

1. Forwards closing of the shoulders

2. Closing of the mid section

Consequently, we should use exercises which include these two actions to strengthen for this
skill.

Following are a number of exercises specifically designed to help strengthen for trapeze, rope
and tissue. These are by no means exhaustive but will help to create a balanced programme of
physical conditioning.

Following these specific exercises is a suggested circuit for general conditioning and stamina.

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 Specific Strength Exercises for Aerial Skills

1. TRAPEZE BASED EXERCISES

Hanging Leg Lift

Keep the head in
Depress the shoulder blades
Avoid pulling through the shoulders
The angle between the arms and upper
body should remain as open as
possible to isolate the hip flexors

Pull ups
The body should remain static
throughout
Depress the shoulder blades in hang
Lift the chest to the bar

Seated Pull up
Keep the legs horizontal
Elbows out
Keep the shoulder blades depressed

Skinning the Cat

The shoulder angle should be kept out
as long as possible to allow the legs to
circle through
Coming back is as important as going
through

Hang and Pull up in Shoulders

Depress the shoulder blades and pull
the chest towards the bar
Do not bend the arms

Front balance roll ups

Training for the muscles of the back
and seat
Use a spotter to keep the legs from
rising in early stages

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Lifting legs to either side in Hang
During this the legs stay straight
Lift in all directions

Hanging on one arm

Make sure the shoulder stays
depressed
Alternate arms

Catchers Hang Abdominal Curls

Avoid swinging into the curl
Do not strain the neck by pulling the
head forwards too much
Elbows to knees

Ankle Hang Hip Flex

As above, avoid swinging into the curl
Do not arch the back (if you have to do
this then you need to build it up using
an easier exercise
Fingers touch toes

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 2. MORE ADVANCED TRAPEZE BASED EXERCISES

Leg Lift and Extend to Invert

Complete leg lift and then close the
shoulders, extending the body

Chins in Pike
Keep the legs horizontal
Do not arch the back

Inverted Pull Ups

The elbows should bend backwards
and not outwards
Lift as far as the chest

Straight Body Lift (Bent arms)

Pull up, then pull the body to the bar
straightening the arms
Repeat in reverse on the way down

Straight Body Lift (Straight arms)

Very advanced
Lift through front planche keeping the
body straight
Controlled descent

One leg hocks hang

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 3. ROPE BASED EXERCISES
(These can also be carried out on one or two tissues)

Inverting (Tucked)
Start by using bent arms progress to
straight

Pull ups
The body remains static
Lift the chin to the hands

Leg Lifts (Piked)

To isolate the hip flexors try not to pull
up in the shoulders
The movement should only be in the
hips and legs

Curl ups (Straddled)

A more advanced form of this is to start
and finish with the legs horizontal

Hanging from one hand

This should be timed and the performer
tries to increase the amount of time
hanging

Various Climbs and Descents

See rope basics

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 4. FLOOR BASED EXERCISES

Dish on front and back

Arms can be put by the side to start
with
When on the back the lower spine
should not be arched

Press ups
These can be done with elbows
backwards and hands narrow and with
elbows sideways and hands wide

V-Sits
Should be done with control up and
down
The lower spine must be flat to the
floor
Legs straight throughout

Abdominal Crunches
Keep the knees still and raise the chest
to them
Do not pull the head with the hands

Back Extensions
Raise the upper body
Hands can be by the sides, by the ears
or arms extended

Side Lifts
Maintain a straight position from fingers
to toes
Put the upper hand on the floor to help
balance

Dish Rocks
The body position must remain the
same throughout
Small rocks

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Rocks in Shoulder Stand
Hold wallbars on bottom rung
You can start with the hands higher to
make it easier
Maintain body tension
Small movements

Lifts up and down in Shoulder Stand

As above for hand position
Try to keep the body straight
throughout

Adductor Lifts
Lower leg is lifted
Keep a straight line form fingers to toes

Abductor lifts
Upper leg is lifted
As above make sure the leg is lifted in
line with the body

Tension Bridge
Start with the hands just in front of the
shoulders and move forwards with time
The back must remain straight, no arch

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 WEIGHTS EXERCISES

Closing Shoulders (Straight arms)

Move only the arms
There should be no movement in the
body

Bicep Curls
Keep the back straight
Use a light enough weight to ensure
only the arms are moving

Pullovers on bench
Weight starts at the waist and arms
are maintained slightly bent
Keep the back flat

CIRCUIT TRAINING

Begin with 20 seconds work intervals and 40 seconds rest, increase intensity by:
1. Lengthening the work interval
2. Shortening the rest interval

1. Inversion on rope 2. Tucked V-sits

3. Dorsal Lifts 4. Rope Climb

5.Tricep Dip 6.Side lift either side

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7. Squat Jumps 8. Press ups

9. Step ups on bench 10. Shoulder stand tilt

11. Abdominal Crunches 12. Running on the spot

13. Dish on back 14. Tension Bridge

15. Lumbar lifts 16. Chins on trapeze

17. Squat thrusts 18. Jumps in squat

19. Russian walks 20. Leg lifts on trapeze

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8. Training for Mobility

WHAT SETS THE LIMITS OF MOBILITY?

It is obvious that for some joints the limits of mobility are dictated by the boney structure of the
joint itself, for example, in a joint such as the knee it is impossible to extend much beyond 180
because of the position of the bones.

In ball and socket joints (which are the vast majority of joints we are concerned about) for
example, the shoulder joint, the limitation of range of movement is imposed by the soft tissue.

Ie.
i. Muscle and its facial sheath
ii. Connective tissue such as tendons, ligaments, joint capsules
iii. The skin

Experimentation has shown that the most important factors limiting mobility are:

i. The ability of the antagonist muscles and their fascial sheaths to relax
ii. The joint capsule
iii. The tendons

MOBILITY AND THE STRETCH REFLEX

If a muscle is stretched with a jerky movement it will respond with a contraction whose amount
and rate will correspond directly to the amount and rate of the movement that causes the stretch.
This is the result of the myotatic reflex or stretch reflex.

Conversely, a firm, steady stretch will invoke the inverse myotatic reflex and will actually relax the
muscle being stretched.

METHODS OF IMPROVING MOBILITY

Methods of stretching can be divided into four different types. Here we shall call them:

i. Active, dynamic stretching

ii. Passive dynamic stretching
iii. Active, sustained stretching
iv. Passive, sustained stretching

Dynamic stretching involves fast movements of the bobbing or bouncing kind eg. Leg swinging,
whereas sustained stretching requires the gymnast to hold a position for a number of seconds.
Active stretching means that the performer must be moving the limb or limbs his or herself
whereas in passive stretching the movement is caused by another person pushing.

Sustained stretching has certain definite advantages over dynamic stretching for increasing range
of movement. These are:

i. Sustained stretching does not invoke the stretch reflex

ii. There is less danger of exceeding the extensibility limits of the muscle and tendons
iii. The energy requirements are lower
iv. Dynamic stretching often causes muscle soreness whereas sustained stretching can
often alleviate muscle soreness

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Consequently it can be seen that for improving range of movement, sustained stretching is
preferable to dynamic stretching.

Passive, sustained stretching also has certain advantages over the active type. These are:

i. Active stretching is limited by the students ability to accept pain

ii. Passive stretching enables the joint to be stretched further with less effort from the
student
iii. Because of the decrease in effort the student can concentrate on relaxing the antagonist
muscles

However the teacher should be very careful when stretching students to apply tension slowly and
firmly and in the case of male teachers remember the possible difference in strength between
himself and the student.

There is one kind of stretching not yet mentioned which is called PNF stretching or resistance
stretching. PNF stands for Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and is designed to invoke
the inverse stretch reflex and relax the muscles to be stretched. The teacher pushes the student
to the limit of his/her range of movement and the student then pushes back against the teachers
resistance (with no movement). After this the student relaxes and the teacher applies pressure
again. It will be found that this stretch will exceed the last one, as the antagonist muscles relax.

This method should only be used on larger muscle groups such as the hamstrings.

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9. Exercises for Training Mobility

Warm-up and basic stretching exercises

TO INCREASE SHOULDER MOBILITY

Start with arm circles both ways

Extending the shoulders

This can be done with a partner or on wall
bars

Use a stick to increase mobility

Place tape marks on the stick
Try to get progressively closer

For upper back and shoulders

Extend through the shoulders and upper
back, not the lower back

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 HIP/LEG MOBILITY

Straddle stand, stretch forwards to

sideways to each leg.
Bounce and hold.

Lunge to each side from horse-riding

position (demi plie)

Lunge forwards on each leg

Crouch, straighten legs

Start with finger tips on floor
Progress to hand flat
Then hands facing backwards

Hurdle sit fold forwards

Keep back straight

Kneeling lunge, stretch forwards on each

leg

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 More advanced stretching for improving range of movement

Grande Battement:
X 10 forwards, sideways and
backwards
Each time the student should
touch a hand at maximum
stretch height.

Stretch to side:
Fold x 8 then the teacher
applies pressure.
Progressively increase the
height of the leg.
Finish by holding leg free of the
bar using muscles

Forwards and Backwards Fold

Alternate lean forwards with
lean backwards as per ballet
class.
Begin with extended ankle and
then flex.
Lean forwards with straight back

Lifting leg to back

Teacher applies pressure and
then the student holds the leg
alone

Side stretch with split legs (1 leg

bent)
Student sits in hurdle position
Legs should be split as wide as
possible
Lean to the side with pressure
from the coach
Begin with extended ankles and
then flex.
Repeat folding forwards

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Side fold, foot in front of knee
Fold to side opposite bent leg
Knee must remain on the floor
Teacher applies pressure and
fixes bent leg with his foot.

Fold forwards, knees wide, feet

together
Knees should be pressed to the
floor
Teacher applies pressure to
back Repeat in Lotus position
Back should remain straight

Back rotation and buttock stretch

The student applies backwards
pressure to the bent knee whilst
actively rotating the shoulders in
the opposite direction

Lumbar fold
Head lifted
Back straight
Start with feet extended, then
flex

Straddle fold
Start with narrow split and then
widen

22
"Frog position" hip stretch
Hips are pressed to the floor
The knees can rest on the
teachers feet to allow greater
range of movement
Repeat with straight legs (side
split)

Fold forwards, knees wide, feet

together
Knees should be pressed to the
floor
Teacher applies pressure to
back
Repeat in Lotus position
Back should remain straight

Back rotation and buttock stretch

The student applies backwards
pressure to the bent knee whilst
actively rotating the shoulders in
the opposite direction

Lumbar fold
Head lifted
Back straight
Start with feet extended, then
flex

Stretching the feet and ankles

First with knees and feet
together
Then split legs and sit between
feet
Lastly lean back and press back
to the floor (This will take some
time to achieve)

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Splits to front
Keep the hips square
Turn the front foot out
Lift the front off the floor min.
3cms
Bend the back leg and lift the
foot towards the head to ensure
the hips are square, leaning the
upper body back towards the
foot.
The teacher can manipulate the
student into the correct position

Further exercises for splits

Against wall, pull the foot
towards the buttock

Splits, bend back

Ensure that the hips are kept
square

Splits folding forwards

Straight back
Teacher applies pressure to
back

For all these exercises students should work in pairs so they understand the principles
and can help each other.

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More advanced stretches

Blocks can be placed below the students feet in front and side splits to increase the range of
movement.

Leg stretch from kneeling

The teacher can control twisting of the hips.
Use the knees in the back to extend the hips
forwards.
Repeat to the side

Back and Shoulder Stretches

Repeat with straight and bent arms

Stretch for lower and upper back

Shoulder flexion stretch

25