You can learn all about Yuri at http://www.yuri-mar.com/yuri/
The weekend will be divided up into 4 three hour workshops .
Saturday
Workshop #1 9am-12pm
Beginner Hand Balance
Prerequisites: none
This class is geared for practitioners who are relatively new to the art of hand balance, or those who want more ideas on how to further refine their basics to lead up to more advanced skills. Advanced practitioners may also find the class useful as far as learning different techniques for teaching the basics.
This workshop will cover physical preparation for handstand training, basic concepts and drills leading up to the handstand, how to overcome restrictions(physical and psychological) that hold people back, and finally how to train for the freestanding handstand.
Topics covered will be:
-Physical preparation for the skill work to help tune your body to the practice and aid in injury prevention and longevity
-“Proper” Handstand alignment, what attributes are needed to achieve it, and how to improve it
-Arm support: learning how to use the body’s skeletal structure as a solid base to help understand the handstand as a resting position
-Inversion. Introducing the concept to to adults and how to separately build comfort in being upside down before attempting the handstand.
-How to perform the wall handstand in a way that directly progresses towards freestanding balance.
-Methods to bail the handstand safely on any surface. This is the number one thing that adults who want to learn handstand need to grasp. Once you know how to bail safely, it greatly reduces risk of injury and opens up new possibilities in the practice that otherwise would have been blocked by fear or psychological barrier.
-Progressions to cultivate the sensation of what it is to actually balance the handstand.
-Methods and details of the handstand entry to build confidence and consistency.
-Concepts behind spotting a freestanding handstand to help promote balance and independence.
-How to develop a solid freestanding handstand
Workshop #2 2-5pm
Flexibility Development for Hand Balance and Acrobatics
Prerequisites: none
This is an area where many people are lacking. To not be able to express the appropriate range of motion can hinder people from learning or progressing in many acrobatic related skills.
This class will discuss flexibility work as a general concept for broader understanding, and how to develop specific flexibility to help with the skill elements covered in the weekend workshop and beyond.
We will talk about the difference between several different expressions of flexibility: passive, resisted, active, dynamic, and ballistic, and how they can differ from but also complement each other.
The practical portion of the class will be based upon the participants needs and interests. General positions I was planning to cover will be: pancake, pike/forward fold, bridge and general shoulder work, middle split and front split depending on time constraints.
We will talk about the physical and mental connection to the flexibility work, and certain lead-up drills and release techniques to help get further into the positions and increase range of motion.
Sunday
Workshop #3 9am-12pm
Intermediate/Advanced Hand Balance
Prerequisites: at least 10 seconds consistent freestanding handstand with decent form, 30 seconds recommended
This class will focus on building upon the base freestanding handstand, first on detailed refinement of the basics then following progressions of the skill tree all the way up to one arm work depending on the level of the group.
Possible topics include:
-Physical preparation for shoulders, wrist, and lower body specific to handstands.
-Tuning and calibrating the base handstand to help address and correct asymmetries
-Advanced wall work to not only reinforce alignment, but also help build strength, endurance, and flexibility.
-Refining of the basic handstand to make it as effortless as possible.
-Adding complexity in the balance with basic shapes and movement patterns.
-Chaotic movement patterns while maintaining focus on balance
-Dynamic handstand work including walking and jumping
-Progressions towards the press handstand and stalder press
-Progressions towards handstand pushups, or even more advanced variations like tiger bends or 90 degree pushups
-Planche development progressions and concepts
-Progressions towards the mexican handstand or hollowback
-One arm handstand work: a lot goes into this topic, so that depends on the level of the group how far we will get
Workshop #4 2-5pm
Floor Acrobatics
Prerequisites: none. Recommended: be able to cartwheel
This class will explore the art of floor acrobatics from the perspective of learning as an adult. We will go over the necessary physical and mental preparations to help promote a safe and injury-free practice.
Before any skill work the class will first go over how to properly and safely jump, land, and fall on different surfaces(an invaluable ability for anyone, acrobat or not). Once the preparation work has been completed, we will explore skill development from two main perspectives: classic gymnastics/tumbling and tricking/capoeira/street acrobatics.
The two perspectives differ greatly but can complement each other quite well once they have been developed.
The important thing in this art is to be aware of the details. It is very easy in the beginning to build bad habits that set you back for later progressions. This is why it is important to learn solid basics from the beginning.
The idea is not to learn handstands or acrobatics over a weekend, these are skills that take years to understand. The idea behind the weekend is for the participants to be able to see the skills from a different perspective and learn concepts that they can take home and add into their own practice to help further their development.
I see handstands and acrobatics not as something absolute, but a fun and valuable tool towards developing greater self-awareness.
Tuition:
Single Session
100 Before December 15th,
125 Before January 15th,
150 After January 15th
Full Day
175 Before December 15th,
200 Before January 15th,
225 After January 15th
Full Weekend
300 Before December 15th,
350 Before January 15th,
400 After January 15th,