Weekend Course in San Diego on hand balance, acrobatics, and flexibility development.
This course will be a mix of theory and practice and will be focused on offering different perspectives towards helping learn acrobatic skills as an adult.
Please note that the topics listed below are only general guidelines. Each course that I teach is unique as the content is ultimately governed by the group and the type of facility we have available.

The course will run two days with each day consisting of 2 3-hour sessions with a 2-hour lunch break in between. This course is welcome to all levels of ability.

Saturday

10-1
Basic Hand Balance
Topics covered:
-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

3-6
Flexibility Development for Hand Balance and Acrobatics
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

10-1
Intermediate/Advanced Hand Balance
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

3-6
Floor Acrobatics
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.
Topics Covered:
-Physical preparation to maintain joint health and help reduce injury throughout the practice
-Specific Jumping/landing technique for skill progressions and air awareness
-Methods of falling safely to help avoid potential for injury.
-Creating/dissipating momentum as well as learning orientation and spatial awareness for acrobatic movements
-Basic acrobatic moves: rolls and cartwheel variations
-Further progression of movements of gymnastics, capoeira, and tricking
-Performing movements in sequence and combination.



The intention is not to learn handstands or acrobatics over a weekend as these are skills that take years to understand and develop. 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. After this, they can develop a better understanding of their own physical practice.
I see handstands and acrobatics not as something absolute, but a fun and valuable tool towards developing greater self-awareness.

Cost
$325 for registration before July 10
$400 regular price
Discounts available for previous seminar attendees


About Yuri:
Yuri is a professional acrobat based out of Las Vegas who originally came from a self-taught background and only started training as an adult. He has performed on the Las Vegas Strip and on Broadway. In addition, he is the author of the ebook "Balancing the Equation"; a full breakdown of the process of learning how to perform a handstand as an adult.
Over the years, Yuri's training has included martial arts, gymnastics, circus arts, capoeira, weightlifting, and dance among other disciplines. This gives him a unique perspective on how to teach the skills to anyone regardless of level, age or background. The last few years Yuri has been traveling the world teaching and sharing his knowledge with different communities.