The Walkover Comes First
Front and back walkovers are where control is built: bridge strength, shoulder flexibility, single-leg push-through, and the split alignment that makes the skill look effortless on stage. Renee coaches walkovers as skills in their own right — for acro dancers, gymnasts, and anyone whose routine calls for them — and as the foundation the aerial sits on.
Then the Aerial
The side aerial is equal parts power and courage: a cartwheel with so much drive that the hands never need to touch. Renee builds it progressively — powerful cartwheels, dive cartwheels, cartwheels off elevation, spotted aerials — so the athlete's body learns the skill before their fear has anything to object to. Front aerials follow the same philosophy from the front walkover.
Common Sticking Points She Fixes
- Bridges that bend at the knees instead of pushing through the shoulders
- Walkovers that collapse on the landing leg
- Cartwheels with speed but no upward lift — the #1 aerial blocker
- Beautiful skills on the mat that vanish in choreography
Flexibility holding your athlete back? That's trainable too: see flexibility & strength training.
Related coaching: back handspring lessons · cheer tumbling lessons · acro lessons for dancers · standing back tuck lessons · flexibility & strength training · virtual & remote coaching · tumbling clinics (nationwide) · 7-week intensive clinic · tumbling & acrobatics (NCAA) · recruiting & NIL negotiations · college recruiting · NIL negotiations · adult gymnastics & pilates · mobile & in-home coaching · routine construction & judging.