Partner Acrobatics for Beginners
Everything you need to know to start partner acrobatics – safely and with fun.
What Is Partner Acrobatics?
Partner acrobatics (also known as adagio or Icarian acrobatics) is the art of performing acrobatic figures and lifts together with a partner. The 'base' carries and stabilises, the 'flyer' executes positions in the air. Both roles require strength, trust, and precise timing – and are incredibly fun.
Safety for Beginners – The Most Important Thing First
As a beginner, you always start with ground-level figures and simple lifts. Important: never start without qualified supervision, always work on soft surfaces or with mats, and agree on clear communication signals with your partner. I have been guiding beginners safely and progressively into the world of partner acrobatics for years.
From First Support to Acrobatic Figure
A typical beginner course starts with body tension, basic lifts, and simple balance figures. Coordination and muscle strength are built up step by step. After a few months of regular training in Berlin, impressive figures are possible – whether for sport, stage, or simply as a creative hobby for two.
How to Approach the Figures: Roles, Spotter, Mat
Before you build your first figure, settle three things. First, the roles: the base carries and provides the structure, the flyer holds body tension and makes themselves light – usually the stronger person takes the base, but try both roles, because knowing the other side makes you better at your own. Second, bring in a third person as a spotter for the early sessions: they stand beside the figure, keep an eye on the flyer’s hips and only support when something tips – for a moment, acrobatics for two becomes acrobatics for three, and that is exactly what makes the start relaxed. Third, you need a mat or at least a soft surface, plus ten minutes of warm-up for wrists, shoulders, hips and core. Agree on a stop signal that anyone may use at any time: a clear ‘down’ means the figure is dismantled immediately and under control, no discussion. If you have back or joint problems, check with a doctor first about what is suitable for you.
Figure 1: The Counterbalance (Standing Counterbalance)
The simplest partner figure needs no lift and still teaches what matters later: trust, tension, timing. Stand facing each other, toes to toes, and hold each other by the wrists, not the hands – that grip holds even with sweaty palms. Then lean back together with straight arms until both bodies form a straight line and each carries the other’s weight. From there, slowly squat down together and come back up. Both keep the arms long and avoid pushing the hips forward. Typical mistake: one partner leans back less than the other and the balance tips sideways. Safety: whoever wants to let go says so first. Dismount: straighten up together, and only then release the hands.
Figure 2: The Bench (Table Top)
The base goes onto all fours, back flat as a table, hands under the shoulders, knees under the hips. The flyer stands to the side, places both hands on the base’s shoulder blades and sets one knee after the other onto the pelvis. Weight goes only where the skeleton carries: pelvis and shoulder blades, never the middle of the back. The base braces the core and stays still; the flyer spreads their weight evenly across all four points. Typical mistake: the flyer climbs on with momentum instead of settling slowly. Safety: the spotter holds the flyer’s hand at first. Dismount: fold forward, one knee after the other onto the mat; the base stays put until the flyer is standing.
Figure 3: The Plank on the Feet (Front Plank)
The base lies on their back, legs vertical, knees slightly bent. The flyer stands at the base’s feet, and the base places the soles flat on the flyer’s hip bones – below the navel, toes turned slightly outwards. Both hold hands, arms straight. The flyer becomes a plank: belly firm, legs together, feet pointed, and leans fully forward while the base straightens the legs and lifts the flyer. The base keeps the legs vertical, not tilted towards the head. Typical mistake: the flyer bends at the hips and sits instead of hovering. Safety: the spotter stands at the side by the flyer’s hips. Dismount: the base bends the knees, the flyer sets the feet down one at a time.
Figure 4: The Bird (Front Bird)
The bird is the plank without hands – so it comes only once the plank holds still for a few seconds. Set up as for the plank, hands held. Then the flyer shifts the weight slightly forward, draws the shoulder blades together, lifts the chest and comes into a gentle arch, while the base releases one hand, then the other, until the flyer spreads the arms like wings. The base now steers with the feet alone, arms ready to catch. Typical mistake: the base lets go before the flyer is stable. Safety: on the first attempt the spotter keeps a hand on the flyer’s shoulder. Dismount: take the hands, the base bends the knees, the flyer lands on their feet.
Figure 5: The Throne on the Feet (Throne)
Here the flyer sits on the lying base’s feet – one of the most popular figures for two. The base lies on their back, knees above the hips, feet parallel. The flyer stands with their back to the base, takes their hands and slowly sits onto the soles, which rest flat under the thighs. Then the base straightens the legs to vertical; the flyer sits upright as if on a chair, hips centred over the base’s feet, which stay still. Typical mistake: the flyer sits on the toes rather than the whole sole. Safety: at first, keep the hands held throughout. Dismount: the base bends the knees, the flyer puts the feet down and stands up.
Figure 6: The Thigh Stand (Thigh Stand)
The first standing lift – deliberately no higher than hip height. The base stands in a deep lunge, front thigh as horizontal as possible, back upright. The flyer stands beside them, hands on the base’s shoulders, and steps with one foot onto the front thigh close to the hip, while the base grips the flyer firmly around the hips. The flyer pushes up, brings the second leg along and straightens up, body long, eyes forward. The base never releases the grip on the hips. Typical mistake: the flyer looks down and bends at the hips. Safety: practise only with a spotter on the flyer’s free side. Dismount: the flyer steps down backwards, the base guiding the hips to the floor.
How Often Should You Practise?
Partner acrobatics thrives on repetition, not on courage. In my experience two short sessions a week get you further than one long session every fortnight, because base and flyer first have to tune in to each other – the feel for one another grows with every repetition, not with intensity. Expect the first figures to be wobbly for a while before they hold still; how long exactly depends on your strength, your mobility and how regularly you actually practise, and that differs from pair to pair. Better to repeat one figure ten times cleanly than five figures half-heartedly. Build strength on the side: planks, squats and wrist conditioning help both roles. And stop while things are still going well – fatigue is the moment figures tip over, and one figure too many is the most common beginner mistake of all.
Learning Figures with Guidance: Acrobatics Training in Berlin
Everything written here you can try as a pair with a spotter and a mat. What a text cannot do is correct you in the moment: point out that the base’s foot sits two centimetres too high, that the flyer is letting the hips sag, or that a figure is still a step too far for you today. That is exactly what I am there for. I have been guiding beginners step by step into partner acrobatics for years – with a background in the German national sports acrobatics team and my own stage practice. My training in Berlin is designed for all levels, from the first support to advanced figures, one to one, as a pair or in a group; every session is matched to your level and your goal, and I provide mats and equipment. If you want to learn figures and lifts safely and with direct feedback, just get in touch – together we will look at where you stand and what comes next.
BerlinJohn
BerlinJohn – Stunt Actor · Coach · Trainer
