WAG Best side aerial drills?

[CanGymCoach]

I keep getting calls to do private lessons with dancers who have a side aerial choreographed into their solos, yet can't do it yet. I always feel a ton of pressure with these privates. So, what are your favourite side aerial drills? I usually teach them to my gymnasts slowly, over time. However, I obviously don't have that time!

 

[flipsandgrips15]

I have kids do them off of a panel mat or small block with a spot until they can do it there w/o a spot. I also have them do them on tumble track and into the pit (first into blocks then onto a mat). It seems to get their confidence up.

 

[azara]

One drill our gym uses is taking several blocks, about knee-height or a bit higher, to create an elevated runway which ends in a soft crash mat. Start just by doing cartwheels and round-offs to get the feel of it, then they can start working on aerials. (This is a great drill for front handsprings and front aerials too, by the way). Then they can do them onto a crash mat in a foam pit. Panel mats, etc. as everyone else suggested are also great ideas!

Two more boring but perhaps still helpful drills:
1) Raise good leg to L, hold position for a moment. Drop down to knee, quickly but with control. Then kick the back leg up into a needle. This helps with strength and technique for the takeoff.
2) You can also add a slider to this drill. The back foot is placed on a slider. When the gymnast kicks their back leg into the needle, they push the slider backwards (make sure there's nobody even close behind, it can go all over the place). The aim is to make the slider fly backwards quickly, but in a straight line, so this drill is best performed next to/on a line. This is a good way to tell if the gymnast's aerial is going to have a wonky takeoff.

The biggest drawback with this drill is that you'll have to constantly collect the slider, and make sure nobody in the gym will get hit. At my gym, we do the about 5m from the wall, so it doesn't careening across the gym and just hits the wall instead.

Hope these suggestions are helpful.