My Airflare thread

[ThomasJG]

Hey guys.

I have been training airflares on and off since what seems nearly 8 years now.... Lame I know.

I have tried many methods, throwing low, going from flare, throwing high etc etc.

I have FINALLY started to get somewhere with this shot.
http://youtu.be/eMnrWPRSgYY

This is the first time they have gone circular.

I know I am throwing "too high" But I am catching well. Ill keep posting regular updates, if anyone on the forum is great at coaching airflares, im all ears

Ill post more updates soon 

[Alessandro Mainente]

don't arch you body, stay hollow and try to maintain your kicking leg above you every round. my best tip is practice different transition before attempting more rounds:

-airflare to windmill

-airflare to flare

-airflare to handstand

-airflare for multiple rounds

[Mikael Kristiansen]

Haha, welcome to the "airflares can go to hell club". Took me loads of years too. One of the hardest moves to learn if you dont intuitively understand it early in the process.

 

You rotate properly which is the most important. THE most important thing is that your hips need to turn out to the side from the handstand position, or else it is very difficult to manage. You can still turn more out that way which will both make you throw more across the chest and stay in a tighter circle(like bboy funt talks about in his tutorial). It really depends on the person, but from what I see here, let that come with time. Work on straightening your legs to get a better swing. It also really helps to imagine that you are pushing your body away from where your palm is(kind of like you push from turtle freeze to backspin/windmill when first learning). This way you will be forcing your torso in the opposite direction of where your legs and hips are moving so you can land underneath them. Thats you do lower airflares that are completely off balance.

 

I agree with the progression Alex wrote, but you are clearly good to go for multiples since you can continue 1. For efficient practice, as warm up, do 1 to windmill and 1 to flare before going on to continuos. Keep training it from flare windmill, swipe or handstand for better understanding of the move. For me, learning it from flare helped my form a lot.

[ThomasJG]

When you say "turn out" do you mean, pike for longer and rotate that pike for longer on that arm?

I will record some with stretched legs into windmill. I have NEVER been able to hit it into flare, I think you need to throw across the chest to hit into flare?

[Mikael Kristiansen]

You dont even need to pike. You can, and some make it look great like Marcio, but you can also stay straight body more like Punisher does.

 

What I mean with "turning out" is that from where your hands are placed on the floor, your hips and legs move like in a flare, but really high up. Look at this guy

 

Pause at 0.03 and notice where his arms are. Pause again at 0.04 and his legs have circled out so they are perpendicular to how his arm position was. From there he pushes himself to the other side while the leg is naturally going up because of the circular momentum. Pause again at 0.06 and his arm position is more or less parallel to his first one but 180 degrees in the other direction.

 

This is more or less "perfect" technique, and you dont need to do that at once, but thats what you are aiming for. You dont even need to be as low as him or throw across the chest to rotate 180 per airflare, and many can do that with a small hop. Understanding this rotation of the hips along with pushing is really important either way to land well, to continue and combo them.

 

You dont need to throw across the chest to go to flare, but its easier then. If you are high up you need to muscle your flare down like if you would flare from handstand which is really damn hard. Practice it anyway as it will give you experience with the move.

[Mikael Kristiansen]

I saw your youtube and you are doing some balancing, teeterboard, washington and stuff! Are you at NICA? I finished DOCH in stockholm 2 close to 2 years ago specializing in balancing and some straps. Did bboying before and still do so thats why im into power haha.

[ThomasJG]

Hi Handbalancer!

Yes I did go to NICA, in fact, I believe you gave me some very nice practice advice a couple years ago when I was learning my one arm handstand. I remember I was very worried by my slow progress. 

Thanks for the confidence boost back then! 

I havent posted this week because I was doing shows everyday in Sydney and had no time to play. 

But I got back yesterday and went to the park today. Todays efforts have been from handstand, as I find it easier to tuck/pike and shoot from handstand. I did a couple that went in a line, but then I did some nice singles that had the "quarter turn".

I will be in the gym on tuesday, and I will do a windup style and try a bigger hop into a flare... Im not confident though

[Mikael Kristiansen]

The first one is decent. Try to swing your leg a bit more out towards 3 o clock(since you go counterclockwise) before you jump and throw more across your chest. Throwing wider makes it actually easier to catch and its less hard on your wrist. When jumping wider make sure to push "sideways" as well so you push in the direction you go. So, swing-push-catch.

 

Check this out. Most of these exercises are more to develop control in motion on the hands and for airflare variations and such. All good to do. However take a look at 2.18 when he does handstand airflare. He does it perfectly and rotates 180 degrees. Look at his tiny hand switch just before he swings. He moves it forwards so its easier for him to push himself off-balance to jump more efficiently. This helped me a lot to do handstand airflare.

 

[ThomasJG]

Hi I have some footage of me throwing wide, I think I have a problem with my throw even when I throw wide, I cant put it down to anything except maybe a lack of range in the shoulder?

It seems to throw at a strange angle and its almost impossible for me to keep my right leg piked. Ill put some footage up in the next few days.

[ThomasJG]

Here is a clip of some more shots.

there are some good catches, but the good catches are from throws that are soooooooo small that they are like hopping 90s.

There are some wide throws, but even my wide throw looks stange like it goes to the wrong place, none of the wide throws were very good.

Also every time I throw wide I cannot pike my right leg. I think it makes a strange feeling in my shoulder.

Again, thanks for the continual advice. I will keep the videos coming

[ThomasJG]

Here is someone who throws kind of differently to most

[Mikael Kristiansen]

For the wide ones you need to focus on getting a better push it seems. You can get across and land on your arm without much swing at all. Without swing the legs will probably drop right after, but you can land with a proper push. You need to get so your landing arm is underneath your body. Now it is out to the side and its not possible to get your weight on it.

 

I think the push is something which would help you on the high technique as well. Think of pushing diagonally into the floor so you get yourself off balance before you throw. When I do it I try to watch the hand im pushing with until last second and feel that i go away from where the palm is. Then I throw across. 

[Keith Bearne]

Throwing is a matter of preference and is dictated by the angle your body is at Cico, boby, the d-trix clip you posted all throw high and they have a higher body angle aswell (like yours), even punisher's is a little high compared to someone like Simonsters. 

The things that matter more i think are legs need to be somewhat on top of you when you jump.
There needs to be rotation on the hand and a lean (or fall) as you PUSH across to the other side) akin to like learning a backhandspring when you feel the fall and then jump back.

 

The ones at NICA are still your cleanest but not matter what KEEP YOUR LEFT LEG IN! or at least up.

 

[Merunas Astrauskas]

I think you have a lot of room for improvement. Your biggest problem is that you arch your body when you throw, your right leg also seems to jerk back to make the jump over. When you look at someone with good airflares, usually their legs stay in a straddle facing up while the upper torso twists over to catch the floor.

 

I did a quick search for an example and came upon this:

and this:

Here are two of my favourite airflare tutorials on youtubu: Bboy funt and bboy guinho. Maybe you can get some ideas from the videos to incorporate into your training.

[ThomasJG]

Latest update. Basically I am trying to get as many rounds as possible at the moment. After I can get multiple rounds i will start throwing more over the chest. I just cant make a round throwing sideways yet.

Some of these attempts went circular. I did manage 4 rounds but they were in a line.

[Mikael Kristiansen]

Keep going with that! There are different strategies to learning it, and you need to find what works for you. Getting some rounds will eventually make you throw more in the right direction like at 0.28. Making them go more circular is the main issue, but it does sort itself out with time. Straighten your legs though and think that your kick "ends" straight as high as it can above you.

 

I trained with bboy Marcios brother Paulo yesterday. He isnt perhaps as crazy as Marcio but still flawless at power and doing crazy variations, threading 90s, etc. He said the main thing to get is a strong push so you can accelerate just from that and learn it slow so you maximize your control. I need to get back on them a bit now. Have had an injured shoulder due to too many shows so I have stayed away from airflares lately.

 

This is approx how mine look at the moment. I as well need to practice with the mindset of doing 10 every time to increase the numbers. Training 1-2 perfect wont build the mental focus and "readiness" to correct any mistakes you will make during the motion.

[ThomasJG]

Thanks for the continued help MIka!

Your airflares look awesome. I think you will do 20 rounds very soon I will post todays training effort up next!

[ThomasJG]

Hey guys,

here is my latest update,

I haven't been smashing them at training because my shoulder really hurt after my last update. I've got quite a bad ROM in my shoulders in every direction except for overhead extension.I think rotating from overhead to sideways and pushing one my left arm really pushed its ROM and its been quite sore.

I have had to take it really easy as I just started a new hand balancing contract which goes for the next month. But with that said I did do some more twists today so here they are. Also is me doing a handstand on my new trapeze. If anyone out there does Washington we should chat Washington trapeze sometime Also is my friends first aerial cartwheel in the background

No amazing progress BUT we are starting to see a circular shape to them. 

[ThomasJG]

Hey Guys,

Another update. 

They are starting to go more and more circular. I think my breakthrough will be when I can go past my "starting point" Hopefully soon I will make 5 rounds that stay in place.

Again I am still throwing very high. and probably too backwards

Appreciate any tips 

[ThomasJG]

I'm just gonna bump this thread for tips

[Mikael Kristiansen]

Its getting a bit better. Keep building the numbers on them, but try to go more away from your arm as you are going to throw. The angle of throwing is determined a lot by where your head and chest goes compared to the arm you go from. Push and try to rotate away from the shoulder so the chest faces the celing more, but feel free to do it in steps rather than just go full on.

 

The rainbow/cartwheel jump thing you do can help for getting rid of the fear but since it doesnt involve rotation i dont feel its as relevant, but keep practicing it. Also try to do L kick and throw across from that. From flare you come in a bit too low. Im not super good at doing it from flare, but what makes a difference for me is really focusing on pushing well. You want to go in high, and when you place your left arm down you directly push with the intention of travelling backwards so that the momentum is blocked, travels upwards and brings you over.

 

One thing you can also experiment with which has helped me out a lot to do it lower and with better form is to push your hips up as you are throwing. If you are too high it might not work, but if you do this well it really helps lift your centre of mass and makes the movement much lighter on the body from my experience.

[ThomasJG]

Are there any secrets to keeping the right leg piked. I feel its quite critical to the move.

[Merunas Astrauskas]

Just wanted to let you know that to me your airflares look the most airflare-y when you try them from flares. When you do them from standing you seem to jump over ahead of time by thrusting your hips out and arching your back.

 

You need to swing your arms over your body instead of slapping it down above your head. I think this guy illustrates the concept nicely:

[ThomasJG]

Hey guys, I am jumping above the head on purpose....

When I throw flat, I cant twist enough in my shoulder, It feels liike its going to slip out of the socket. 

I want to know, does anyone else have trouble keeping their NON swing leg in? I cant keep my right leg piked, or tucked, or in at all. It always goes backwards and brings my body down.

[Merunas Astrauskas]

Can you do halo's? I find it has a similar leg motion and could help you isolate and work on your legs.