Owning the Planche

Tonight was the first night of Dino and Jeff's new program at Streb called S.H.O.W. We set up goals for the next few months, and my first was to take the Planche out of lines. I decided on the Planche instead of my splits because the Planche is typically a guy trick, and I think there's a certain beauty in a woman's strength. Plus it suits my personality better.

Jeff, as usual, had tons of comments to make about my flying, from take off to force-out to the trick itself, but the one that resonated the most was about owning a trick -- making it mine, and so beautiful that people seeing it want to perform it. I've done the planche a gazillion times, and it is very decent. But tonight I focused on everything -- toes pointed, legs together and straight and extending every part of myself, and of course, the half turn to the mat.

At some point, about 3/4 way through the class, I managed to make it mine, and it felt like a completely different trick. Before, when Jeff told me to stay tight in the air, I'd try, but couldn't really feel it throughout. By the end of the class, I could totally feel the difference between absolute tightness and not.

Anyway, here's my last planche of the night -- sans lines. Not the best of the evening, but the only one caught on tape.

I'm looking forward to playing with it some more this weekend at Getaway, as well as working on the next trick that I'd like to own in the same way: the mod, which I've been struggling with lately. It feels like it is so close, yet so elusive.

(It was lovely seeing Elena again after the summer -- thanks for videotaping the planche for me, and your cutaway half is looking very nice!)