The Acro Forum

FAQ https://yogaslackers.com/teachertraining/

Here's a post Hobs pulished on FB some time ago. What is your opinion on the topic? Acro Public Service Announcement: (Long Post, feel free to Share) Some of us like to PLAY, some of us like to TRAIN, both are great, and both are OK! The above seems obvious, but there are many occasions that I have witnessed in my own community, and dozens of others that I've traveled to and heard from where conflicts arise because we have unequal desires to play and/or train. Most of us are somewhere on the spectrum. For example 80% play, and 20% training in Acro to get better at the play that we so love. The above sentence described me really well for the first few years of my Acro practice. For the last couple of years I've focused more on training, because I found a partner that really wanted to work on very hard and technical skills that I've always wanted to get good at too! They are still a ton of fun to try, but require so much work to practice safely. So now we Train. Probably 95% training and 5% play. When people like Play, it is really fun and rewarding to work more with others, and is inherently more of a community oriented approach. For Training, with the extra focus, people select one partner, or a small group so that they can get very calibrated with that person/group...maybe to perform, or to understand Acro better to teach, maybe just because they love training and being goal oriented in Acro. Again, I repeat, all of that is OK! As our community has grown, there has become more and more confusion about what is going on in an Acro space. Especially "Jams", park gatherings, open gyms etc. Some come with the expectation to play and interact a lot with others, some come with the expectation to only train with one partner, or just with their group. This is where confusion, conflict and hurt feelings often happen. When some people show up and their expectations aren't met by what's going on in the space. To the people wanting Play, the people wanting to train can appear very stand offish, cliquey and arrogant. To the people wanting to Train, the people wanting to Play can come across as very demanding of their time, selfish and unwilling to invest energy equal to their demands. I offer two solutions. One: Check yourself and your desires, expectations and needs. Are you wanting Play? Find others that have similar desires, ideally at a similar skill level and interested in similar types of Acro. That way you can enjoy Play in a similar way! If you are newer, ask questions and seek guidance, but also understand that asking someone to give you a half hour of their time and explain everything that you want to know is a big thing to ask, and not everyone will want to do this for you. And if you're that curious, you might be better served taking a few classes first, then having more "vocabulary" in your play-box for your desire to play with others. Are you wanting to Train? Take classes, level up your skills and find others that have similar desires. Finding a partner or group to train with can be difficult at first, but it's like finding a relationship. Long investment process, big payoff if it works. If you do want to train, don't expect a partner to be provided for you at a jam or class. It might happen, it might not. Have a plan if there is no appropriate partner (handstand training, offer yourself as a spotter to help, or suggest group Acro skills where you can fit in). But also, be understanding if a pair that is there to train just wants to be focused on their practice and can't find a way to include you. Remember with all of the above, enthusiastic consent is very important! If people are happily saying yes to your desires, great! Go and have fun  If people seem wary or unwilling, that is their choice, don't be too pushy and learn to hear/accept/welcome "no". If you invest in yourself and learn to become a better base/flyer/spotter/partner through classes, and other ways of educating yourself, you WILL find more opportunity. Two: Be clear about the expectations around what's happening in the space. Want community, playfulness and fun? Name your Acro gathering something like this: "Acro (AcroYoga) community Jam: Everyone welcome!" This gets the message across pretty clearly. Or this: "Acrobatic Training Collective" clearly this is focused on training. Things like Acro Jam can have a few too many meanings, and if not facilitated well can result in a lot of unmet expectations and hurt feelings. A lot of problems that can come up can easily be avoided by naming things appropriately and having a facilitator explain what the intention of the gathering is and what the experience will be like. In Conclusion: Don't take things personally! Not everyone is going to want to play/train with you and that's OK. We can't all be fast friends, we can't all agree on everything. If you're patient you will find people who are the right fit for you and do want to be your Acro friends and teammates! So please, go out there and enjoy Acro in any way that you like and allow others to do the same. There is room for all of it. The more the merrier! If there's more people doing Acro, we all will have more opportunity to find the ideal playmates or training friends! So stay kind, stay positive, build people up, build yourself up, build your community up, and we all profit together 😊 FB link: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10223133360226080&set=a.1584978628080

Tell us the name, size, location, and dates of your event, as well as it's price range and the public it is aiming for (advanced standing, beginner acroyoga, etc).