Sunday, November 26, 2017
Friday, November 24, 2017
Front Balance Challenge
Quick note about my private lesson today. After the warmup, we spent a bit of time attempting ball to the top. I, of course, still can't do this at all, but my teacher insists it's closer than last time, that since we've been focusing on this during our lessons, it's closer each time. We worked on arrow/splits under, getting the legs to move at the same rate to prevent tippage.
After, my forearms felt quite sore and warm. I looked at them, and whoa, they were swole like popeye. Not even exaggerating. My teacher said it's just the fluid pooling under the skin, but holy moly, they were hyooge.
At the end, my teacher wanted to give me a new conditioning exercise to challenge me even more with my front balances. During warmups, I roll up, hold for three beats, then fold back down, all without touching the hoop with my hands. She wants to give me extra challenge. Dangit, I knew I shouldn't have shown her how good I was. Can't ever just be good at something, nope, gotta make it harder, I joked.
Anyway, the challenge is to fold up and hold, per usual, fold down halfway, then back up. I tried it and nearly couldn't get back up, but I did. She told me she was showing this to an intermediate 2 student in a private lesson just the other day, and the student couldn't do it. I guess I downplay a lot. Especially a skill that doesn't prevent you from promoting to intermediate. My teacher thinks I want everything I don't have. And I don't think that's completely fair. I don't get hung up over poses I can't quite do, and there are a lot. It's just inversions I'm hung up on. Because that is what's holding me back from intermediate classes.
She's impressed with how good my front balances are. She told me I have my straddle now. And instead of just being happy, I replied with, well I'm still jumping a little bit. I shouldn't downplay. I can work on that. If the teacher, the expert, says it's there? It's there.
AND since she saw me at practice while she was giving a private lesson on Wednesday, she commented, you did a lot at practice, do you normally do that much? uhh, yea. I'm there to work, so I work. She said she saw me working really hard, didn't take many breaks. Yep, sounds about right.
After, my forearms felt quite sore and warm. I looked at them, and whoa, they were swole like popeye. Not even exaggerating. My teacher said it's just the fluid pooling under the skin, but holy moly, they were hyooge.
At the end, my teacher wanted to give me a new conditioning exercise to challenge me even more with my front balances. During warmups, I roll up, hold for three beats, then fold back down, all without touching the hoop with my hands. She wants to give me extra challenge. Dangit, I knew I shouldn't have shown her how good I was. Can't ever just be good at something, nope, gotta make it harder, I joked.
Anyway, the challenge is to fold up and hold, per usual, fold down halfway, then back up. I tried it and nearly couldn't get back up, but I did. She told me she was showing this to an intermediate 2 student in a private lesson just the other day, and the student couldn't do it. I guess I downplay a lot. Especially a skill that doesn't prevent you from promoting to intermediate. My teacher thinks I want everything I don't have. And I don't think that's completely fair. I don't get hung up over poses I can't quite do, and there are a lot. It's just inversions I'm hung up on. Because that is what's holding me back from intermediate classes.
She's impressed with how good my front balances are. She told me I have my straddle now. And instead of just being happy, I replied with, well I'm still jumping a little bit. I shouldn't downplay. I can work on that. If the teacher, the expert, says it's there? It's there.
AND since she saw me at practice while she was giving a private lesson on Wednesday, she commented, you did a lot at practice, do you normally do that much? uhh, yea. I'm there to work, so I work. She said she saw me working really hard, didn't take many breaks. Yep, sounds about right.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Happy
Yay, vacation! Yay, lyra! I can't think of anything funner to do on my day off than go to lyra. I also got to see a couple of my favorite people. My lyra teacher giving a private lesson to my former lyra teacher. She had a baby and has not returned to teaching. But she is on private track, like me, getting her lyra on. They're both lovely human beings.
Here are some highlights of the day! I'm sore already...I'm always sore. I'm having a bit of lunch and a beer, because yay, beer! Then I'll get started on all the fixings for tomorrow. I'm baking two cookie doughs, that way they'll be ready to bake tomorrow. Cornbread for the stuffing, so it can dry out overnight. It's not the holidays without this stuffing. I suppose one might call it dressing, since we're not actually stuffing the bird with it. But I call it stuffing. Oh, and I'm making a cream cheese pecan dip to munch on during the day tomorrow. It's a sweet and savory type dip, with brown sugar and worcestershire sauce. It's heaven. But it absolutely needs to rest overnight. The flavors get very happy.
This is angel, with a lower grip. I'm working on getting lower and lower. It's stupid hard the lower you go.
Here are some highlights of the day! I'm sore already...I'm always sore. I'm having a bit of lunch and a beer, because yay, beer! Then I'll get started on all the fixings for tomorrow. I'm baking two cookie doughs, that way they'll be ready to bake tomorrow. Cornbread for the stuffing, so it can dry out overnight. It's not the holidays without this stuffing. I suppose one might call it dressing, since we're not actually stuffing the bird with it. But I call it stuffing. Oh, and I'm making a cream cheese pecan dip to munch on during the day tomorrow. It's a sweet and savory type dip, with brown sugar and worcestershire sauce. It's heaven. But it absolutely needs to rest overnight. The flavors get very happy.
This is angel, with a lower grip. I'm working on getting lower and lower. It's stupid hard the lower you go.
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Pretty, not so much
Silks didn't go so well last night. I mean, it started out fun. As usual. My climbs are ever improving. Hipkeys. I even tried a straddle without the knot. It was ugly but doable. I tried basic footlocks from the air, starting to get these.
Then we moved onto poses. I just feel like I'm not meant for much pretty in silks. I'm not flexible enough for most positions. And my chunky body doesn't appreciate the fabric wrapping around tightly. I have certain levels of pain tolerance. Certain types of pain I'll endure more than others.
Poses that are a joke for me. Arabesque...there's this funky, flamenco grip to get into this. And it hurts my shoulders. I got into it once then had NO idea how to get out. I just stepped down. No other attempt worked. Then man in the moon. To get into this requires double leg wrap, plus a half wrap. And by the time I get to seated, the fabric is cutting off circulation at my ankle. Flamingo arabesque, the fabric squeezes my thighs so much, it burns.
My teacher could tell I was down. I was trying not to cry, trying not to look like I was throwing a tantrum, trying not to be a nuisance. We had free time at the end for working on what we wanted. I chose more basic footlocks from the air. It seems I'm only having fun with silks when I'm working on strength stuff. When I try to look pretty, it blows up in my face. So maybe next time...not sure when there will BE a next time...I'll ask the teacher if I can just extend the warmup. Work on climbs, hipkeys, and footlocks in the air. Maybe work on one new pose. Maybe.
Then we moved onto poses. I just feel like I'm not meant for much pretty in silks. I'm not flexible enough for most positions. And my chunky body doesn't appreciate the fabric wrapping around tightly. I have certain levels of pain tolerance. Certain types of pain I'll endure more than others.
Poses that are a joke for me. Arabesque...there's this funky, flamenco grip to get into this. And it hurts my shoulders. I got into it once then had NO idea how to get out. I just stepped down. No other attempt worked. Then man in the moon. To get into this requires double leg wrap, plus a half wrap. And by the time I get to seated, the fabric is cutting off circulation at my ankle. Flamingo arabesque, the fabric squeezes my thighs so much, it burns.
My teacher could tell I was down. I was trying not to cry, trying not to look like I was throwing a tantrum, trying not to be a nuisance. We had free time at the end for working on what we wanted. I chose more basic footlocks from the air. It seems I'm only having fun with silks when I'm working on strength stuff. When I try to look pretty, it blows up in my face. So maybe next time...not sure when there will BE a next time...I'll ask the teacher if I can just extend the warmup. Work on climbs, hipkeys, and footlocks in the air. Maybe work on one new pose. Maybe.
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Fish
Arrow poses to the top of the hoop are way harder than under. So much stabilization needed, in addition to the pose. But it's fun to feel my muscles working that much harder. I just wish I could proper ball to the top. I just can.not. Look at me cheat the hell out of it. But my teacher said it was OK.
So pretty!
And then fish! That's what I'm calling it because it looks just like the dance lift. My teacher said it didn't have a name, and when that happens, I name things.
So pretty!
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And then fish! That's what I'm calling it because it looks just like the dance lift. My teacher said it didn't have a name, and when that happens, I name things.
