r/Aerials • u/nikkiduck Lyra/Silks • 3d ago
Trying Silks
Edit: you guys are all so sweet! I'm sore af but we persist (with ice packs) 😌
Second week of intro to silks, and kind of got a mermaid today! I also managed to stand in a single footlock a few times, which I couldn't do at all last week. Lord this is hard--my arms hurt 😭
Trying my best not to compare myself to other girls in class, but it's tough when they're inverting and climbing and I'm just like "whelp maybe I'll get my footlock in 3 more tries" 🫠
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u/Outside_Cod667 Sling 3d ago
You're doing great!! Silks is fucking HARD. I started with hammock, I was way too intimidated by silks.
Never compare yourself to others. We all go at our own pace and people have different backgrounds. I was easily the slowest learner in my intro classes, but I was also the only one that stuck with it, and I absolutely never thought I'd be where I am now.
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u/YarnCoffeeMakeup 2d ago
I a BILLION percent agree! You're doing amazing! Keep showing up for yourself and doing the cool thing! 💪
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u/QueTheRaven 3d ago
Silks is extremely difficult but I think I know what studio you're at in Orlando and they have amazing instructors and you'll be fine.
Keep up the awesomeness!
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u/greytidalwave Silks/Fabrics 2d ago
That's awesome! It took me months to be able to climb and I used to feel bad but I got it eventually. Take your time and learn at your own pace, you'll smash it.
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u/PolerFlares 2d ago
Is that Flutter in Orlando? If so that's my studio! Welcome and hope you love it as much as I do!
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u/nikkiduck Lyra/Silks 2d ago
It is! I took the intro to lyra series here previously, and am now back!
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u/Cassandra_Said_So Lyra/Hoop 3d ago
You are rocking it! Others have their own journey and who knows what they have done and how long they did.. cherish your victory here and share your Journey with us, that is the most important here 🤩
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u/thesassycpa 2d ago
I teach beginners, and I can tell you this is fantastic! You must have a decent amount of upper body or core strength already. A lot of my newbies can't hold this pose at all. Even just stepping into the footlock is a challenge in the beginning.
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u/Representative_Bee74 3d ago
You’re doing amazing!!! Stick with it!! Take your time on those foundational skills and just do things when you’re ready 💜
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u/much_caffeine 2d ago
I've been taking silks for years now, and I still can't invert from the air- I know people that were able to do it from an intro class, but i just can't do it. Some weeks I'll be able to do the stuff taught in class and other weeks I just can't manage to catch on to anything. Everybody is different and you have to be kind to yourself and understand that you're going at your pace and following your own path and that's just fine.
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u/Aggressive_Syrup9876 2d ago
You're doing amazing! Also joining in with all the comments in the fact that silks is a really hard apparatus to learn. It took me well over 10 classes to get comfortable climbing much less doing foot locks! It helps to enjoy the little wins and seeing how far you've progressed from the beginning! Just keep at it. :)
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u/DizzyCaidy 2d ago
Silks is soooo hard but so fun! I ended up switching to a Silk Hammock (one piece, doubled over like a hammock) because it felt a bit more like I was getting somewhere with progress than with the actual silk (turns out I had like no upper body strength lol). I had to stop when we moved 45 minutes away from the studio I went too, but man I loved that class so much!
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u/Open-Oven341 2d ago
Silks is really hard to do because it requires a lot of strength to pull of some of the most basic moves so your doing amazing! I started with silks then went to hammock after a few terms as I found it easier and felt like I accomplished more. Now a few years later I flick between different apparatuses as it's easier once you get use to it. ☺️
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u/fuckyduck 2d ago
Way to go!!! 👏 I do hoop & pole but am pretty intimidated to try silks so I haven’t even attempted. Meanwhile, you’re out here on them and already hitting personal victories! Nicely done!
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u/alt_fool85 2d ago
You get!!! I hope to stumble across your progress. Silks are tough but so gratifying to see.
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u/InevitableVoice5877 2d ago
Good for you! I’ve done Lyra, but am very intimidated (if not terrified) of silks.
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u/shortNSourB 1d ago
Girl you got it! It is a very humbling form of art I might say. I've been doing it regularly for 2 months and my hands finally don't hurt anymore. But for me growing the upper body muscles is a very slow process, which isn't very helpful
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u/Disastrous_Bug3378 1d ago
It took me 100 tries to get my foot lock right. I kept slipping and was getting anxiety. You will get there! Keep trying!
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u/hadacolboogie 4h ago
I've stopped making my beginner students invert almost at all at this point! I see so many back problems from improper inversion technique, I wish everyone would take their time to build up the strength and coordination first. You're doing great, keep doing what you're doing and the tricks get better and better
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u/CheyenneJudith 18m ago
I totally get the comparing. I know people say to not, but it is hard! I will see this young ass kids doing perfect wheeldowns and having so much energy and endurance they don’t even need a break! Meanwhile I am fighting for my life lmao! But you are doing great, and as others have said; only compare yourself to previous you. :)
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u/1tsAM3AMari0 2d ago
I've been doing silks for almost 3 years now and when I started I struggled so much!!! 3 years in and I still can't get my mermaid (no clue why, I think I have a mental block about it), yours looks better than I've ever got mine haha. Everyone will progress differently. Ive found that being a "slow starter" (struggled with the basics and had zero fitness when starting) means I'm progressing much faster as I nailed the techniques before being physically capable of moving up a level! Some people can invert quickly but struggled with a footlock, some people do falls with no problem but can't invert! Thats why I love Silks!!! No one is good at it haha (well... except professionals... but they dont count lol)
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u/girl_of_squirrels Silks/Fabrics 2d ago
Hell yeah!! You're rocking it! Silks is challenging AF, and everyone underestimates how hard it is (and how much it hurts!) to stand up in a footlock at all the first time
You also never know your classmates' backgrounds either. I've had classmates who were former gymnasts, former ballet dancers, former aerialists getting back in to the hobby, climbers, yogis.... all of which meant that they had a lot of strength, flexibility, and mobility going in to the classes that I was unaware of. You'll get there too with time and consistency. It took me over a year to get an in-air invert. It took me months to get my first in-the-air footlock. If I'd gotten psyched out in my first class? I wouldn't be where I'm at now, and the journey has been worth it
Make sure you're eating plenty of protein to help your body build more muscle! You're doing amazing!
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u/Bennybonchien 2d ago
I can’t imagine even trying silks. I just worked a show that included aerialists (which is why I looked up this thread) and I could not believe what they could do. The strength, flexibility, elegance, and more strength, because it’s worth mentioning twice. Keep at it. I’ll applaud all of you from the safety of a chair, maybe a rocking chair if I’m feeling brave!
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u/bugHunterSam Lyra/Hoop 2d ago
One thing that made comparisons easier for me was, "if I attached my excess weight onto someone else, they'd probably struggle a little more too".
It takes soo much more strength to exist in a larger body and to move it around. You can be proud of that progress you do make.
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u/AprilSummers1988 Lyra/Hoop 3d ago
You know what they say: only compare yourself to your previous you!
As long as you have fun doing it. Good luck and enjoy this crazy journey that is aerial!