Intermediate Aerial Sling

You will need:

• to hold a Spin City Beginners Aerial Sling Instructor Course certificate, or equivalent certificate
• a minimum of 2 years’ aerial sling experience (recommended)
• access to the internet via a PC, laptop, or mobile device
• access to at least aerial sling
• a minimum of 2 hours’ study/training time per week (to complete the course within the 1-year deadline)
• a device to film videos on (mobile phones are allowed)
• at least 1 student for the teaching assessment

MOUNTS AND CLIMB OVERS

• Straddle Under the Sling
• Side Straddle
• Crochet Climb Over to Goddess
• Gazelle Climb Over to Hiplock
• Thread the Needle

POSES

• Catchers
• Seatbelt (entry from Catchers and from Horse)
• Bow Pose (closed and partially open fabric)
• Peacock
• Lotus and Inverted Lotus
• Single Hocks Hang (with and without thigh loop)
• Bird Cage
• Standing Arabesque with Pike Fold and Open Split variations
• Shoulder Stands
• Pedal Wrap to Seahorse
• Ankle Wraps – Pencil, Warrior, Splits

DYNAMIC MOVEMENT (ROLLS AND SOMERSAULTS)

• Thigh Roll Up – Over Post and Under Post, Closed Fabric
• Full Leg Roll Up – Over Post and Under Post, Open Fabric 
• Standing Roll Up – Over Post and Under Post, Closed Fabric
• Forwards Roll (from Standing to Sitting)
• Star Rolls
• Inside Star to Hiplock
• Gazelle Roll Up with Scissor Leg variation
• Swiss Roll
• Basic Cartwheel to Straddle Sit
• Seatbelt Somersault (Backwards and Forwards)
• Plinko

INTRODUCTION TO DROPS

• Straddle Tip to Crucifix
• Invert and Slide into Loop (from sitting)
• Falling Butterfly Drop
• Reverse Salto with Assisted Planche
• Forwards Salto (from Goddess)

Compulsory moves required for technical assessment

1. Crucifix Mount
2. Crochet Climb Over to Goddess
3. Gazelle Climb Over to Hiplock
4. Seatbelt – entry of choice from options shown in course
5. Single Hocks Hang
6. Ankle Wrap of your choice from options shown in course
7. 1 x Roll Up of your choice from options shown in course
8. 1 x Dynamic Movement of your choice from options shown in course (excluding Roll Ups)
9. 1 x Drop of your choice from options shown in course

This course has two main parts to the assessment; a theory assessment and a practical assessment.

At this point in your instructor training, we start increasing your knowledge of core concepts such as training lifting, execution and clean movement. We will then expand your instructional toolbox, giving you a range of teaching methods that work effectively when students are at height and inverted. We will discuss class planning in the context of progress chains and how you can use combinations and sequences to both challenge your students, avoid them hitting move plateaus and also ensure safe progression to an advanced level.

This course is highly physical in nature as this is the point where we will cover how to introduce dynamic movement to your students through our five stage plan preparing students for the advanced syllabus. This leads us to an in-depth discussion on static and dynamic spotting techniques, which are paramount at an intermediate level. You can expect to leave this course with a wealth of new moves, skills and techniques to reinvigorate your aerial sling classes allowing you to take your students to the next level.

UNIT 1 – INTRODUCTION TO INTERMEDIATE SLING

This unit examines what constitutes an intermediate move and how to decide whether students are ready to progress onto the intermediate syllabus. We will cover a series of markers which will help you assess your students and techniques to introduce more challenging moves.

UNIT 2 – INTERMEDIATE SLING MOVES

Unit 2 starts with a progression of the core concepts. We will look at different techniques to introduce lifting into your classes and how you can encourage your students to execute moves more efficiently and move cleanly between positions. Muscular balance and bi-lateral training is covered before we go onto introduce the core intermediate syllabus moves, looking at each move in detail, from the teaching and safety points to progressions and regressions, also touching upon common problems.

UNIT 3 – INTRODUCTION TO DYNAMIC MOVEMENT

To begin this unit, we will recap the core concepts of creating momentum on a sling; spinning and rolling. This will be progressed onto somersaulting further rolling movements and introducing the technique for basic drops.

UNIT 4 – STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY AND ENDURANCE

When teaching at an Intermediate level there is a greater requirement for students to develop their strength, flexibility and endurance to achieve more technical moves safely and effectively. This is the focus of unit 4. We look at a range of strength and conditioning exercises, areas of flexibility that need to be trained to progress on to an advanced level, and methods of increasing sling stamina and endurance.

UNIT 5 – PROGRESSIVE TEACHING AND COACHING

Unit 5 looks at ways to adapt your teaching methods to enable you to coach students working at height and inverted. We will cover how to progress towards a more student-led system of coaching, look at how you can effectively use progress chains to build lesson plans and how combinations and sequences will allow you to both challenge your students, avoid them hitting plateaus and also ensure safe progression to an advanced level.

UNIT 6 – INTERMEDIATE HEALTH AND SAFETY

Our final unit will look at ways you will need to adapt the health and safety information covered in your beginners’ course to make it relevant for an intermediate group. Again, our main focus at this point is spotting, where we go into the different methods in more detail, progressing to cover spotting dynamic movement and partner spotting.