Tag Archives: coaching

Making the Most of your Private Lesson

Privates are my very favorite method of teaching! The one-on-one time allows me to truly focus on my student and how to best help them reach their goals. If you are interested in taking a private lesson with me, here are some things you can do before and after to get the most out of our time together.

Days/Weeks Before Your Lesson:

Once you have decided to take a private lesson with me, the first step will be to send me a Direct-Message on Instagram, or if you prefer, an email. In this initial message, give me a few options of dates and times that would work for you. Upon receiving this, I will work out the best of those times with my own schedule and the hosting studio, and then get back to you asap with a confirmation.

After getting confirmed for our lesson, it is time for you to decide what you would like to work on with me! My recommendation is to choose 1 topic per half-hour we have scheduled together. To help make my lesson planning efficient, you can also send me some videos of where you are presently with those skills you want to work on, or tell me what components are currently giving you the most trouble.

You may also choose to use your lesson to work on, or pass the requirements for my @coachbrandonscott instagram page. If you’d like to read more about what it takes to become a virtual student of mine, you can read my blog post about it here.

Finally, consider inviting a friend or two to form a semi-private lesson! Some benefits of semi-privates include getting a discount on your fee, and having another person to watch and take turns with. Just make sure that you discuss and agree on what skills y’all want to work on beforehand.

Day of/Minutes Before Your Lesson:

On the day of your lesson, please prepare by bringing something with which to record what you learn. You can go old school with a pad of paper and a pencil so you can write down sequencing, tips and tricks, and epiphanies you have during our session. But also, know you are welcome to use your phone in our lesson to visually record yourself.

(Please note that every coach has different levels of comfort with phones in their classes, so while I happen to be pretty lenient, please be courteous and ask each coach you work with for their personal rules.)

Then, plan ahead, and get to our lesson early! This is especially important if you are going to a new studio for our lesson, as you’ll most likely need to fill out new waivers, sign in somewhere online, or make a payment. Once you are finished with housekeeping, it’s time to warm yourself up. I may have a few targeted warmups planned to begin our curriculum, but being already warm when we begin will save us a lot of time, perhaps enough to include an extra skill at the end!

After Your Lesson:

After we’ve parted, and you are home recovering (maybe before bed), take some time to review your notes and videos about what we worked on together. Think about the things that really worked well, as well as the things that challenged you. Try and visualize yourself performing the sequencing at your highest level. All these exercises will help you retain and make the most of what you learned.

The very next time you have the chance to train a bit on your own, go over everything you can remember from our private lesson. If you have a breakthrough or run into issues, please feel free to message me! I am happy to continue assisting you in getting over roadblocks as you get to them, and I love to see your progress!

Lastly, don’t forget to tag me in posts you make on instagram! You’re likely to find yourself in my BSA instagram story! I’ll see you in the air, hopefully in a private lesson soon!

-Coach B

How to Follow @coachbrandonscott

My Dearest Aerialists,

For the past several few years as I have traveled around the world, I have met students in far off places who have each found a place close to my heart. In my desire to continue my relationships with them, I have often pondered about how to best bring my coaching abilities to the place that connects us all, no matter where we are on the planet: the internet! Not only have my thoughts gone toward the best formats for getting my coaching accessible on the virtual plane, but I have also thought intensely about how to do it in a way that promotes safety even as I am not there to personally watch over each student.

In regards to the first, I have decided to begin in the same place where the majority of my performing content resides: Instagram! On @coachbrandonscott page, I will be uploading more intentional videos breaking down technique, as well doing classes and Q&As over livestream, and utilizing the new IGTV feature. In the near future, as the ball gets rolling, I will also expand to create a secret facebook group where students will have better access to me with their questions, as well as other formats of teaching (including youtube videos, skype lessons, etc).

In regards to my other thoughts about safety, I have decided that I will only be accepting students at an intermediate level or higher, as well as other coaches and performers who would like to be part of my community. To show this level of proficiency, students will be required to DM videos to the @coachbrandonscott page for the 6 areas listed below. These have been determined to be the mark of intermediate students by my own judgement, and are subject to change. However, I truly believe they are each attainable movements, and their mastery will give me the confidence to trust that aerialists will be safe when following my instructions from a distance.

Prerequisites to following @coachbrandonscott are as follows:

Flexibility

Balance Splits:

Simple, iconic, the split is THE fundamental line of a silk artist. Not only for the many shapes and sequences that include them, but more generally, the split represents a degree of hip and leg mobility necessary for keeping any acrobatic body safe. As an intermediate+ student, mobility must also be coupled with strength, and the active-flexibility of the balance split is a wonderful cue for showing this.

For this category, I am looking for:

  • Clean Egg-beaters
  • Front Split
  • Flat Splits (180˚ or larger)
  • 10-Second Balance
  • Level 2 (triple-wrap cinched to achilles) or higher (footlocks)
  • Extra Credit: Arm-ography

Scorpion:

Unlike other kinds of flexibility, backbending involves the spine, resulting in a much different approach and practise. The ability to backbend for the intermediate student shows a patience and dedication to the slow road to flexibility, and a healthy mid-body.

For this category, I am looking for:

  • Clean Entrance/Exit
  • Toe-to-head or further
  • Moderate Spin (so I can see angles)
  • Tail assist is OK
  • Extra Credit: Both feet to head, hand-assist or no assist (gravity)

Strength

Single-Arm Meathook:

You may think of Meathooks as a straps skill, but they truly are one of the universal circus movements. Silks, Rope, Trapeze, Lyra, Sling, Cube, unlocking and leveling up your meathook makes you immediately more proficient across the aerial world. While it may be an intimidating skill for a beginner, intermediate students should absolutely be including meathooks and other single-arm work into their practise.

For this category, I am looking for:

  • Hanging from single-arm, free arm overhead
  • Good compression, head and feet toward the floor
  • Controlled exit to single-arm hang
  • Extra Credit: Reverse Meathook/Back Flag

No -Leg Climb:

Unlike Meathooks, the No-Leg Climb is more specific to us as vertical apparatus acrobats, but just as important! This climb is amazing conditioning, and it’s mastery shows well developed bent-arm and core strength, as well as endurance. Intermediate students should be incorporating this exercise into their regular practise, and should be able to achieve a good amount of steps up their apparatus, as well as make their way back to the floor.

For this category I am looking for:

  • At least 8 steps up, plus a full descent
  • Straight Legs
  • Feet at hip-level or higher
  • Consistent lift (no bobbing)
  • Extra Credit: Starting from a sit, pike position, fast ascent & slow descent

Artistry

Your Favorite Drop:

Getting into the more fun section (though strength, flex, and sequencing are fun too!), I would like to see you perform your favorite drop. Just to show an intermediate level, I would prefer the drop to be multi-rotational, whether that is forward, back, or horizontal. Think a double-star as the minimum. I’ve spoken myself on the precautions one should take when posting drops on the internet, and in that case I do not need to see a full clean entry for the drop, but I would like to see at least one step before the drop execution, as well as a clean and creative exit.

For this category I am looking for:

  • At least one step/movement before the drop
  • At least 2 rotations in the drop of choice
  • Good body position and control during execution
  • Clean and creative exit
  • Extra Credit: Spinning while dropping, multi-directional drops

1 -minute Choreography:

The beauty of Aerial isn’t just the super-human physical capabilities of the athletes, but that movement combined with their personal expression as an artist. As a final video, I would like to see the aerialist perform a one-minute sequence of their choosing to a piece of music. They should demonstrate an ability to match both to the rhythm & beats of the music, as well as the feeling and attitude. This is a chance to show your creativity, so make the most of it and show me what you’ve got!

For this category I am looking for:

  • 1-minute long choreography by the student themself
  • Creativity
  • Musical Interpretation and Integration
  • Obviously rehearsed, good flow of chosen sequence

Please note: only DM’d videos will be accepted; no pictures, no comments, or mentions in your video posts on IG. DMs will help me keep track of your completed requirements, and videos will give me a better idea of your proficiency in each category. If you would like a visual demonstration of each of these elements, I have made a Youtube video with a few additional tips that you can view here. You can impress me in any of these categories by including the required elements as part of a longer sequence, as well as by doing the extra credit.

If you are not yet to the level of these categories, don’t worry! Whether you are having trouble in your flexibility, strength, or silk technique, there are many, many qualified instructors around the world who can safely coach you to this level in-person. Once you have mastered these requirements, get them on video and send them over! Please however BE AWARE, wasting my time by sending over videos that quite obviously do not meet the requirements, or spamming me with questions will get you blocked from the CBS account. Please take your questions to your own coach, and send in your DM’s once they are ready.

I love all of you in the aerial community, and can’t wait to explore this art with you on a deeper level.

Love, Coach B.