This is some experimental ropes stuff I haven’t played with since this video. It is ripe for further exploration — I hope some of you will give it a go! (It is also ripe for a deep dive, or several, cause there are lots of interesting things going on here. Stay tuned!)
- 0:00 Straddle invert, crochet
- 0:04 Spin backward around rope (aka en dehor, aka let free leg lead you around in an arabesque)
- 0:07 Knee hook free leg from the outside, as if you were doing a catcher’s lock
- 0:09 Grab opposite rope and wrap ankle: Free hand grabs the far rope and that ankle threads forward and around to hook the foot around the rope
- 0:13: Lay back: Lay back and straighten both arms, then release the far rope and arch
- 0:20 Grab rope and pull to straddle: Free hand grabs the far rope again, and the other hand releases its rope and comes over, reaching high in a flamenco grip, allowing head and shoulders to come forward through the ropes. Then I release my bottom hand to grab the rope under my body, and hook my top elbow around the rope for security.
- 0:28 Release top foot and rotate hips toward the floor: I end up moving the bottom hand to the bar for stability, then unhook the top foot so I could rotate my hips toward the floor (not sure this shape is very satisfying yet, but worth playing with!). Then I bring that top foot forward through the ropes, leading with my heel, so I can free that leg.
- 0:37 Spiral to amazon: Lift the free leg up and behind the bar, then spiral to amazon like you’d usually do from a dead hang
- 0:46 Lay back to gazelle: I seem unhappy in this amazon, haha, so I slide the bar hand forward to give me space to lay back, pushing with the top hand on the rope, and finish my hooking my free leg. This is probably more of a back balance with a knee hook than a true gazelle.
You may also be interested in these related videos… (OK at the moment they’re just random blog post placeholders, but I have plans!)
