American Circus Educators Magazine Spring 2018 (Issue 1, Volume 12) | Page 26

Point of
V i e w :
M AT T F I E L D S - J O H N S O N
I absolutely love it when I
see comments like “I can’t
wait to train this!” or “I can’t
wait to learn from them!” on
videos. This awareness of the
process of training is the kind
of maturity Liz and I want to
promote and encourage.
Most of our teaching and training journey has been
shared over social media. Instagram especially has
been a fantastic tool for us as teachers. Not only has it
been a platform to share ideas and get inspired, it has
allowed us to build a following to fill workshops as we’ve
travelled. We definitely would not have come as far as
we have without social media, and it has been a blast to
have friends from all over the world cheering us on and
giving us ideas. However, there is one major concern I
would like to address about acro on social media.
A lot of people are like me in that when they first start
learning, there is not always someone to learn from,
so we do our best to teach ourselves because we want
to learn. When it comes to acro yoga and L-basing, it
has become common to see something online, tag your
partner, and comment “let’s try this!” It’s possible to get
away with this attitude to a certain extent when things
are low to the ground, but standing acrobatics and hand
to hand skills carry much greater risk and need to be
properly trained.
Many acro enthusiasts don’t have a good barometer for
the skills and approaches that are appropriate for their
level. Certain skills you can try casually, but other skills
you have to train carefully before attempting. Some
of our own skills have been in development for years,
and it is only recently that we have gotten comfortable
doing them without lines or spotters. I get worried when
I see someone tagging a friend in a comment on our
26
MATT FIELDS-JOHNSON has cultivated
a following of over 26,000 Instagram
followers for his acro work along with
his partner Elizabeth Overton (@
theacrosquirrel). In addition to posting
acrobatic content, they have travelled
the world teaching acrobatic workshops.
more advanced posts. The problem is that people who
train acrobatics recreationally will try to bring the same
playful approach they have in acro yoga to professional-
level skills, and it leads to a lot of accidents. Many of
these skills require a strong foundation built over time
with one dedicated partner. This doesn’t mean you
cannot have fun or experiment in training; it just means
that every skill that is attempted has its own set of
prerequisites that need to be mastered before it can be
attempted safely.
Of course, this foundation is relative. It’s possible for
skilled acrobats to “play” at a high level with someone
they’ve just met while a beginner may struggle with
basics even with their dedicated partner, so it’s
impossible for a single teaching policy to apply to all
combinations of partners in acro. My best advice for
anyone wanting to practice acrobatics more seriously is
to learn from a coach. Spend some time with someone
who has been doing this for decades, not just a year or
two. There is no substitute for experience to guide you
so that you know the difference between a skill that is
tried versus a skill that is trained. Training is something
that is done over years, not just a weekend, so be
patient and seek out knowledgeable people.
Liz and I have made it our goal as teachers to spread
proper training techniques so that aspiring acrobats
know how to train safely and effectively. We do not
consider ourselves to be su