Get with the Lingo!

Phrases and Terms:

1. Knee Hang-When a flyer hooks their knees on the bar and hangs upside down with no hands (this is a beginning trick) Knee Hang-When a flyer hooks their knees on the bar and hangs upside down with no hands (this is a beginning trick)

2.   Back Swing and Back End-The swing is the basis of all advanced flying trapeze tricks. It allows you to maintain the height of your swing on your own as you start to fly out of lines. Your swing will evolve and improve as you continue to practice it, and there is always something you could do better. A basic swing (called a 'tic toc') differs from an advanced swing in that it does not contain a force out. As you leave the platform, sweep your legs backwards underneath it, then kick them forwards. For a basic swing, when you arrive at the peak of the swing at the front, push your hips forwards to bring your whole body straight (and lined up with the cables). As you fall away from the peak with your body straight, relax slightly and bring your legs in front of you (a little). This is called a 'hollow'. Then sweep back hard and as you arrive at the platform, bring your legs back in front of you, pull your hips up towards the bar and look over the top. This is the stand or the seven shape (body is like a 7). Now start all over again.3. Making a Catch - When a flyer successfully performs a skill on the trapeze, releases from the trapeze bar and is caught in mid-air by one of our professionally trained Catchers.

4.   Safety Belt - The safety belt is the two point safety harness (AKA double belay) that every flyer wears while they fly. The safety belt is cinched tightly around the flyers waist so they can be kept safe the entire time they leave the ground.

5.  Straddle and Whip-Swing out with your hands close together. At the frontend, lift your legs up in front of you and place the soles of your feet on the bar, either side of your hands with your butt up close to the bar. At the backend, straighten both legs, keeping them apart and fold your body with your head forwards. At the frontend, let go and unfold to catch.

6.   Backend Gazelle-Swing out and back. At the backend, hook one knee onto the bar and keep your other leg straight with your head back. As you reach the frontend, release your hands and lift your head to make the catch. A variation of this trick involves opening into a split position just before making the catch.

7.   Set Pike Whip-Leave the platform with your hands closer than for a normal swing. At the frontend, bring your legs up in front of you, pass them through your hands place the soles of your feet on the bar in between your hands*. At the backend, straighten your legs, so your legs are together in front of your head. Head should be tucked in. At the front end, unfold your body to catch.

8.   Set Spilt-Swing out from the platform. At the frontend, lift your legs towards the bar and pass a single leg through your hands, placing the sole of that foot on the bar. The other leg should be held straight with the front of the thigh against the bar. At the backend, push your head back and your hips forward and keeping the bar on the thigh of the straight leg, straighten the other leg. At the peak, let go and drop to the catcher.

9.   Set Hocks Off-This trick is very similar to the Knee Hang, with a different timing to let go of the bar. Swing out with your hands close together in a Close Grip. At the frontend, lift your legs up and around the bar and hook them on. Keep your head tucked in. Wait until you swing back to the frontend again and release in two movements, the first unfolding your body (letting go of the bar) so your chest rises towards the sky, and the second releasing your legs. This trick can be performed in two ways: the legs can be hooked outside of the hands (Straddle Hocks - more common) or between the hands like a Knee Hang (Hocks).

10.   Penny Roll-Most common: Full-Time
Swing out from the platform, bring your legs up at the front end, pass them under the bar and hold them straight in front of your face in a whip position. At the backend, push your straight legs over the top of the bar and follow with your body. Let go of the bar and grab the trapeze cables. Pull yourself quickly into a sitting position. Just before the peak at the front end, drive your feet up towards the sky, lean backwards with your hips in line with your body and let go of the cables. Rotate backwards around the bar until the catcher is in front of you.

12.  Backend Pullover Shoot-Swing out and back. At the platform, pull your legs up over the back and roll up to an Uprise position. As you swing forward, pump and shoot over the bar to catch.

13.  Seats Off-Swing out from the platform, bring your legs up at the front end, pass them under the bar and hold them straight in front of your face in a whip position. At the backend, push your straight legs over the top of the bar and follow with your body. Let go of the bar and grab the trapeze cables. Pull yourself quickly into a sitting position. At the front end, jump off forwards and straighten body to catch. Beginners may find it easier to hook their knees on the bar in the first position before pulling themselves up to sitting. Equally, if the sitting position cannot be achieved in the first swing (it's easy to get stuck with the bar at your knees) the timing can be changed so the catch occurs on the third swing. If this trick is being attempted with safety lines, they need to be  passed in between the cables before leaving the platform.

14.   One Hand Takeoff-Hold the bar with one hand and put the other on the platform support. With both arms straight, lift the bar, make a little jump and at the top of your jump, take the bar with the other hand before swinging down.

15.   Full Swing-Swinging trapeze (or swinging single trapeze) refers to an act performed on a trapeze swinging in a forward–backward motion. The performer builds up swing from a still position, and uses the momentum of the swing to execute the tricks.

16.   Full Turnaround-A full twist on the bar at the frontend. There are several ways to achieve this, see the videos to understand how. The first is by changing your hand at the platform: During a swing, turn your hand on the bar as you arrive at the platform (try on the ground first!) then let go of one hand, make a full turn on the bar at the frontend and take the bar again.

17.   Half Turnout (without force out)-Swing out with one hand turned the other way (fingers up). If you turn left, then the right hand is turned. Kicks your legs like for a straight jump (forwards backwards then forwards again so that your body starts to rise up vertically. As this is happening, turn around on the bar and change your hands at the peak so you are then in a '7' position and facing the platform. Continue your swing in the other direction.

18.   Cutaway-Swing out and turn around at the front end. Over the platform, bring your feet up in front of you and place the front of your feet against the bar. You can either bend your legs or keep them straight (you may find you can achieve more rotation with bent legs). Before you reach the peak at the front end 'break' from your folded position and sweep your legs back behind you until they are above your head and your body has risen over the bar. Let go of the bar and continue the front somersault in a straight position until the catcher is in front of you. Grab the catcher's stick that they will be holding in front of you. This trick can also be performed with the bottom of the feet on the bar, and the legs straight. This prevents the legs from falling out of the position.

19.   Uprise Shoot-Swing out. As you come back to the platform, sweep back hard and as you rise into your set, rise up into an Uprise position on the bar. As you approach the peak at the front end, bend your arms and legs ('pump') and then straighten them suddenly ('shoot') to propel yourself up and over the bar to catch.

20.   Forward Over-Swing out and rise into a front balance (uprise) position at the backend. At the frontend, shoot high over the bar, kicking your feet out behind you. Tuck for a single front somersault and open out to catch.

21.   Double Back Tuck-Start the trick like a Layout. Set at the platform and break hard at the poles. As you let go of the bar, tuck tight into a double back somersault and open out for the  catch.This trick can also be executed in a Piked, rather than a Tucked position. See 'Double Pike’.

"Follow your passion,

be prepared to work hard

And sacrifice, and above all,

don’t let anyone

Limit your dream."

-Donovan Bailey