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Sphere on Spiral Stairs
Kaley Willekes

How to Master the Side Aerial: A Step-by-Step Mini Guide

Updated: Oct 9

The side aerial is a powerful and elegant skill that every dancer dreams of nailing. With no hands touching the floor and an impressive display of agility and strength, the side aerial looks like pure magic! But don’t worry—it’s not just for the pros. With the right steps, you can learn how to do a side aerial too.


In this guide, I’ll break down the key phases of the side aerial and provide tips to help you land it successfully.


What Is a Side Aerial?

A side aerial is essentially a cartwheel with no hands, where you rotate in a sideways motion through the air and land back on your feet. It requires strength, flexibility, and a lot of practice, but once you get the hang of it, it feels amazing.


Step-by-Step Guide to the Side Aerial

1. Build Strength and Flexibility

Before diving into the aerial itself, it's important to develop the necessary strength and flexibility. You’ll need strong legs for takeoff, core strength for balance, and flexibility in your hips and shoulders to make the move smooth.

Drills to help:

  • Lunges and squat jumps to build leg power

  • Core exercises like planks and V-ups for mid-air control

  • Shoulder stretches and hip flexibility drills to help with the range of motion


Sure! Here's a blog post on how to do a side aerial:

How to Master the Side Aerial: A Step-by-Step Guide

The side aerial is a powerful and elegant skill that every dancer dreams of nailing. With no hands touching the floor and an impressive display of agility and strength, the side aerial looks like pure magic! But don’t worry—it’s not just for the pros. With the right steps, you can learn how to do a side aerial too.

In this guide, I’ll break down the key phases of the side aerial and provide tips to help you land it successfully.

What Is a Side Aerial?

A side aerial is essentially a cartwheel with no hands, where you rotate in a sideways motion through the air and land back on your feet. It requires strength, flexibility, and a lot of practice, but once you get the hang of it, it feels amazing.


Step-by-Step Guide to the Side Aerial


1. Build Strength and Flexibility

Before diving into the aerial itself, it's important to develop the necessary strength and flexibility. You’ll need strong legs for takeoff, core strength for balance, and flexibility in your hips and shoulders to make the move smooth.

Drills to help:

  • Lunges and squat jumps to build leg power

  • Core exercises like planks and V-ups for mid-air control

  • Shoulder stretches and hip flexibility drills to help with the range of motion



2. Perfect Your Cartwheel

A strong cartwheel is the foundation of your side aerial. The aerial is basically a cartwheel with more power and no hands, so you’ll want to make sure your cartwheel is flawless. Work on:

  • Straight leg cartwheels for clean form

  • Controlled landings to practice balance and alignment


3. Get Comfortable With One-Handed Cartwheels

One-handed cartwheels are the perfect transition drill before attempting a no-hand aerial. Start with a far arm cartwheel (the hand furthest from your leading leg), then try a near arm cartwheel (the hand closest to your leading leg). This will help you get used to supporting less weight with your hands.




4. Practice Pushing Off One Foot

Your aerial will take off from one leg, so it’s important to work on explosive power from a single leg. You can do drills like:

  • Hop cartwheels: Add a hop before your cartwheel to practice generating height

  • Lunge to jump: Step into a lunge and explode upward from one foot

  • Lunge jumps: Lunge then jump into the air and switch legs landing in another lunge

  • Lunge skips: Add a skip after doing a lunge




5. Commit to the Takeoff

This is where your side aerial starts! When you're ready to attempt it, you'll begin by taking a one step into a hurdle or you can start in a lunge to build momentum. As you kick your back leg up, push off your front leg with power to lift yourself into the air.


Key focus: Pushing off hard with your front leg while driving your back leg quickly will help you generate height and rotation.


6. Rotate Your Body Through the Air

Once you’re in the air, the rotation part comes naturally. It’s important to keep your body in a straight line and engage your core muscles to control the motion. Your legs should scissor over your body in mid-air, similar to how they do in a regular cartwheel.


Pro Tip: Keep your eyes focused forward instead of looking down at the ground. This will help you stay balanced and avoid early rotations.



7. Prepare for the Landing

The landing phase of the aerial happens quickly. As your second leg (the kicking leg) comes down, you’ll want to aim for a soft, controlled landing on both feet. Keep your chest up and arms out to help maintain balance as you finish the skill.


Drill to help: Practice pop cartwheels (cartwheels where you quickly push your hands from the ground), which will help you develop the speed and rotation necessary to stick the landing.




Tips for Success

  • Don’t rush: Take your time perfecting each phase before moving on to the next.

  • Stay consistent with practice: Set aside regular training time to work on your aerial drills.

  • Confidence is key: The mental side of the side aerial is huge. Trust your strength, stay focused, and commit to the takeoff.

  • Have a strong hop & pop cartwheel: Make sure you work on these two very important skills before attempting your side aerial


Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Not getting enough height: Without enough height, it’s hard to complete the rotation in the air. Focus on powerful hop cartwheels to get the height needed.

  • Bending your legs mid-air: Keeping your legs straight will help with balance and control.

  • Not looking at the ground: Make sure to watch the ground as your first foot comes down.

  • Making the aerial long: The Aerial is supposed to be a short skill


Want More Help? Get Your Free Side Aerial Starter Guide!

Ready to take your training to the next level? Sign up today and receive my Free Side Aerial Starter Guide! This exclusive guide is packed with tips, exercises, and drills designed to fast-track your progress and help you land your side aerial sooner than you think.

Click here to get your free guide and join the aerial journey!






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