Acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics encompasses the ability to perform extraordinary feats of balance, agility, or motor coordination. Acrobatics is most commonly used for performance-based entertainment, such a dance, but can be used in other athletic activities or in combat at higher levels. Some common acrobatic abilities include contortionism, trapeze, tightrope walking, aerial performances, and complex flips and jumps.
Related Skills
- Dance – The most common skill paired with acrobatics, dance can help enhance fine motor control, aid in energy conservation by learning how to do certain movements efficiently, and help make acrobatic movements appear more elegant in appearance.
- Endurance – Endurance paired with acrobatics can allow one to be able to perform acrobatic feats for longer and also aid in increasing acrobatic ability in areas that require great strength or flexibility, such as contortionism or aerial dance.
- Unarmed Combat – While acrobatics is mostly used for performative arts, acrobatics can aid in certain combat maneuvers and styles, especially with certain martial arts.
- Stealth – Acrobatics can aid in certain maneuvers for one to remain stealthy or to give one alternative paths of travel that may not be possible for someone who does not have any acrobatic capability.
- Anatomy – Knowledge of anatomy can help one understand acrobatic techniques better due to an in-depth understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the body’s structure, particularly the muscular structure.
Related Equipment
- Silk Rope – Silk rope is most commonly used in aerial dancing routines which require a significant amount of acrobatics to achieve safely and elegantly. This can also be replaced with normal rope, or even metal poles to achieve similar effects. These poles or ropes are usually over 10 ft in length to allow for the height required to do certain maneuvers safely. But shorter ropes or even simple fabric strands could also be used to help performers stretch important areas for their performance.
- Trapeze – A trapeze is a popular piece of equipment in acrobatic performances that allows performers to swing in large, horizontal bars and perform varying tricks. Trapeze is mostly used by advanced acrobats to create a different, more momentum-based performance compared to other aerial activities, like silk rope dancing.
- Tight Rope – Tight ropes or slacklines can be used both performatively and in practice. Tight rope acts can be a thrilling performance addition to any show, while also being used to actively enhance balancing capabilities.
Skills Levels
1-25 Apprentice
Acrobats in this stage of learning are just getting a grasp of their capabilities. They have a basic understanding of their balance, agility, and flexibility and can start taking steps to improve it. Apprentice level acrobats can perform slightly more intensive stretches than the average person, can perform basic rolls and tumbles without injuring themselves, and can balance on narrow platforms easier as long as they are focused on the task. It is extremely difficult at this level to successfully perform acrobatic feats when not in an optimal environment, so combat or stealth related acrobatics in times other than practice is nearly impossible.
26-50 Journeyman
An acrobat at this stage has a much better understanding of their own body and has more control over it than an apprentice. As long as they are focused, a journeyman acrobat can perform tumbles, rolls, flips, spins, etc consistently and has increased flexibility to the point where feats such as the splits come naturally. Their balance has also improved and they can balance on ledges that are slightly smaller than the width of their feet consistently and for longer distances. Acrobats at this stage can start learning advanced acrobatic performance types, such as trapeze (with a safety net), without as much risk of getting hurt due to their basic fundamental knowledge of the skill. Journeymen can also begin to apply their acrobatic knowledge to the real world and use basic movements like rolls, flips, tumbles, etc for stealth and while in combat if they had been practicing the maneuvers for combat purposes.
51-75 Expert
Expert acrobats have much experience in their field and are capable of performing varying types of acrobatic feats. Their flexibility has significantly improved and they can now perform feats of contortion. Their balance has been honed to where they can walk steadily on a ledge half the size of the width of their foot with relative ease, and their basic rolls, tumbles, and flips are almost perfect. Experts due to their many hours of practice can transfer more of their acrobatic capabilities to other sections of their life easier, allowing for more acrobatics in combat and to remain stealthy. Many expert acrobats either perform in shows for a living or become martial artists, and a select few have used their abilities to become well-known cat burglars. Expert acrobats can also more effectively teach lower-level acrobats due to their advanced knowledge on the subject.
76-100 Master
Master acrobats are the best in their field. Masters no longer have to think when performing basic maneuvers such as flips, rolls, tumbles, balancing on ledges, or performing contortion. Masters are the best performers of acts such as the trapeze, silk dance, contortion, and the tightrope walk, and they are able to elegantly include their acrobatics in other areas such as combat and in stealth. All of the biggest names in both the performing arts and in the martial arts are master acrobats. Master acrobats can also teach younger acrobats with much more ease due to their vast knowledge of the subject and years of practice.