Struggling to get more height in your side aerial? You’re not alone! One of the biggest problems I see in athletes working on their aerials is that they’re barely skimming the ground—or worse, touching it. If you want that high, floaty aerial, you need to work on power. Here’s how you can build the explosive strength and technique to get more height in your aerial.
Train for Power: Explosive Leg Strength
Height comes from power, and power comes from strong, explosive legs. If you’re just going through the motions and not actually pushing off the ground with force, your aerial is going to stay low. Here are a few exercises to help build that explosive strength:
Jump squats – Focus on getting as high as possible, not just going through the motion. Think about pushing the floor away as hard as you can.
Lunge jumps – Switch legs in the air and explode upward each time. This helps build the power you need for an aggressive aerial takeoff.
Lunge skips – Drive your knee up with force and push through your toes. This mimics the leg drive needed to get your aerial higher.
Frog jumps – Squat down, explode up, and jump forward. This helps train the full-body power you need to launch yourself off the ground in your aerial.
Cartwheels Uphill: The Secret to More Height
If you want to force your body to jump higher, start training your cartwheels uphill. Doing aerial drills on a slight incline helps you learn how to push harder because the ground is quite literally higher. If you don’t push enough, you’ll feel yourself getting stuck mid-air.
Start with uphill cartwheels – This builds strength and muscle memory for getting your hips over.
Progress to hop cartwheels uphill – This is the real game-changer. Adding that hop forces you to push even harder, so when you go back to a flat surface, you’ll feel like you’re flying.
Fix Your Technique
Even if you have all the power in the world, your technique still matters. Make sure you’re:
✔️ Keeping your chest lifted in the takeoff
✔️ Pushing through your toes, not just your heels
✔️ Driving your back leg up aggressively
✔️ Staying tight through your core to control the height
Put It All Together
If you train explosive leg strength, practice uphill cartwheels, and fine-tune your technique, you’ll start seeing major improvements in your aerial height. Remember, progress takes time, but the more power you build, the more effortless your aerial will feel.
Now get to work and start flying! 🚀
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