a pretty awesome straps video

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flying crosses, one arm levers, narrow grip front lever.

the tissue routine is from a soleil show Dralion. I actually saw that routine about 50 times because i was working as temporary staff early last year. It was great. the girl is his younger sister.

I know that guy. He is a Swedish straps performer who did the Montreal circus school. He has been in Sweden several times this year coaching me in straps which is my secondary discipline in circus. He is an absolute monster. You dont even see his best stuff in this video. The hardest things in straps are in general the movements changing from the flag position(arm behind) and the hanging pike(arm front),as well as 1 arm levers, which just takes ridiculous strength to execute slowly. He told me he was doing these 1 arm sequences, 1 arm levers and full 360 pulls with 4 kg ankleweights a couple of years ago! His control is unreal. He is also doing the 360 degrees swing on 1 arm which is totally bad ass.

Straps is in general easier than rings since you have the straps on your forearms when doing crosses, planche, etc. A lot of the straps performers you see are often gymnasts who have gone into circus, since it is in general pretty easily learned for intermediate level gymnasts. In my training I am doing a lot of conditioning on rings, as well as a lot of specific training for the 1 arm work.

Here is another video of one of the best in the world on straps, Igor Zaripov.

Handbalancer said:

He told me he was doing these 1 arm sequences, 1 arm levers and full 360 pulls with 4 kg ankleweights a couple of years ago! His control is unreal. He is also doing the 360 degrees swing on 1 arm which is totally bad ass.

wow.

is their any progression for learning the one arm work? I have had some limited success with the pike position (the person who taught me called it 'meathook') but that was starting from two arms, the idea of pulling into it with one is pretty insane. the behind the back position eludes me. I see a lot of people who do it but don't look that strong. Is it a matter of learning the correct position? Or building strength in such an extreme ROM?

The pike, or meathook, position is not so difficult actually. A good way to learn it is by first getting decent at the "windshield wipers" exercise(the one where you move your legs from side to side in a high pike hang), to build up and understand which muscles will be holding you.

The easiest way of executing the position is from an inverted hang in rings, slowly pike to one side. Try not to let your hips go too low, but let your legs move far over and pike actively. When you are there it is pretty easy, since you have even weight on both sides of the arm. In the begining you will probably feel your abs working hard, even in the position, and also the scapular muscles will be taxed heavily to keep the shoulder in place. Pulling into it on 1 arm is pretty hard. I am training it a lot and I can currently pull into on 1 arm about 4 times. Pulling into the back position i cant do yet.

The back position is more about placement than anything else really. If you have good back flex it is not so hard since you are arching heavily to find the balance around the arm. Thats why a lot of the circus girls do it easily because of their flexibility. I can do it pretty easily,but I need to use more strength to keep it since I have limited movement in my back.

To start to train it, it is good to have at least a back lever to be safe, as you are puting your shoulder in an extreme position. I usually go into it through a straddle back lever which I twist and bring both legs over to one side and arch as much as I can. In the begining I held the other arm(which you in time release and stretch horizontally)close to the chest for support. Gradually you will support less and less on the other arm. be very careful if you want to try this one since it can mess up your shoulder really bad if done wrong. try it with the rings really low,so you easily touch the ground with your legs if anything should go wrong. This position is also how you start out to learn 1 arm levers, by slowly controlling the body down to horizontal. The pulling into this position is extremely heavy as it becomes kind of like doing a twisted pull from german hang on 1 arm.

The changes between the positions can be done with tempo, which is less strength requiring, but needs excellent timing, or on brute strength when done slowly.

Handbalancer said:

The pike, or meathook, position is not so difficult actually. A good way to learn it is by first getting decent at the "windshield wipers" exercise(the one where you move your legs from side to side in a high pike hang), to build up and understand which muscles will be holding you.

The easiest way of executing the position is from an inverted hang in rings, slowly pike to one side. Try not to let your hips go too low, but let your legs move far over and pike actively. When you are there it is pretty easy, since you have even weight on both sides of the arm. In the begining you will probably feel your abs working hard, even in the position, and also the scapular muscles will be taxed heavily to keep the shoulder in place. Pulling into it on 1 arm is pretty hard. I am training it a lot and I can currently pull into on 1 arm about 4 times. Pulling into the back position i cant do yet.

I am curious about this position, what time in the video does he do what you are describing?

Thanks!

The position this guy does at the very begining of the clip(before he does a 1 arm front lever!): I really like his first sequence, but his act is too long. He is incredibly strong though. I think he is from a circus family as he is doing virtually everything in circus from being a top straps performer to doing double layout with double twist in flying trapeze!