FLARES
animation by aquarius
THE FLARE...
THE TRUE HOW TO!
By Matthew Sparks
About this Article;
As I sit down to write this article to the world of BBoys I realize that it is going to seem too long to read. To that end I've decided to break it down into manageable chunks by labelling each section. If you are only interested in a certain area I hope that I've made the information easy to find. This entire article will be written from the perspective of a clockwise Flare (if viewed from above). If you are performing your Flare in a counter-clockwise direction simply reverse right and left in all descriptions.
About me and the Canadian Floor Masters;
Some of you may want to know who it is that is giving you this beta, so here
is a little preamble on me.
I was a core member of the Canadian Floor Masters until the group disbanded
in 1990 due to outside influences (ie. education, jobs, family commitments).
For some background info on C.F.M. check out the Articles section of Bboy.com.
Buddha wrote a letter a couple of years ago that is posted there.
After C.F.M. disbanded I moved to Toronto to finish my education in coaching, biomechanics, and exercise physiology and paid my way through school by working as a dancer doing club shows and music video's.
I am a former competitive gymnast, something I always used to my advantage as a BBoy, and I am currently one of Canada's National Gymnastics Team Coaches. I have coached National Gymnastics Champions, and International Medalists and Major Games Finalists. I have travelled all over the world as a gymnastics coach, and always try to check out the scene where ever I travel.
I've never abandon BBoying in over 15 years, but only recently began getting more heavily involved as the interest seems to be increasing. I'm in awe of some of the New Skool power moves and sweet styles that abound these days. Props too all who love our dance, New and Old Skool. The originality we as a group possess is unparalleled in the history of dance, except possibly in the early days of tap.
Now without further unneeded chat...on to Flares...
The Origin of the Flare
The first Flare was done by Canadian gymnast Phillip Delassal in the mid-1970's.
It was seen and bit by American Kurt Thomas and competed at the World Gymnastics
Championships. The skill is often referred to as a Thomas, or a Thomas Flare
because he was the first to use the skill at the World Championships, but props
need to be given where they are due and Delassal was the innovator of this now
common trick.
The Flare is a modification of the most basic element on Pommel Horse, the Double
Leg Circle. Often Breakers will refer to the D.L.C. as a legs together flare,
but this is a mistake since the Circle has existed for well over a century!
The Flare is a straddled Double Leg Circle.
The Flare was first done on the Pommel Horse, then taken to the Floor Exercise
by gymnasts and then to the dance floor by Bboys. No Bboy should ever be ashamed
of the origin of any of our moves. We have borrowed moves from many styles of
human movement and other forms of dance. A perfect example is "the Swipe"
which is borrowed from an African tribal dance. Bboys have done things with
these moves that never occurred to those at the source, and this originality
is the heart of Bboying.
Terminology
1. The Double Leg Circle (D.L.C.): The Double Leg Circle is the basic gymnastics element performed on Pommel Horse and it this movement on which the Flare is based. The legs are together and straight as they perform an elevated circle in the horizontal plane. During the entire performance of the skill the body is suspended on the hands.
2. The Delassal or Thomas Flare: A D.L.C. performed in the straddle position.
3. Front Support: Front Support is the start of a push up position. Imagine prone position with the arms straight and the body tight.
4. Rear Support: The opposite of Front Support. Imagine sitting down in a Pike position with your hands on the floor beside you. Now lift your bottom off the floor so that the body is held tight and straight. Your fingers should be pointing either towards the toes or out to the side. All that is touching the floor is your hands and your heels.
5. Side Support: With your body out to one side hold yourself in Support. Only one hand and the outside of one foot should be touching the floor. The body should be held straight and tight.
6. Flanking Forwards: When you are moving from Front Support through Side Support to Rear Support.
7. Flanking Backwards: When you are moving from Rear Support through Side Support to Rear Support.
8. Planche: The word Planche is french for board. It is a strength hold move where you hold your body parallel to the floor. Imagine front support with your feet off the floor or a handstand with the body parallel to the floor. It can be done tucked, Straddled or for the most advanced, with the legs together.
9. Centre of Gravity (C.O.G.): The Centre of Gravity is the point around which the body rotates. It is also the balance point of the body. Every object has a Centre of gravity for humans it is located close to the belly button. Think of a handspin and you can get the concept of the C.O.G. being both the Balance Point and the Centre of Rotation.
10. Base of Support (B.O.S.): The name is self explanatory. Any object resting on another has a B.O.S. A object (or person) is stable if the C.O.G. is over the B.O.S. If the C.O.G. is located outside the B.O.S. the object will fall. The wider the base of support the easier it is for the C.O.G. to be within the base and therefor the more stable the object.
11. Torque: Torque is a force applied at a point away from an objects C.O.G. This off centre force causes rotation. The same example from #9 of a handspin is a good example of torque. When you push off the floor with your free hand in order to initiate rotation in a handspin that is Torque.
Understand the Flare
The Flare is a variation of the D.L.C. on Pommel Horse. Mechanically it represents
a combination of pendulum and circumpendulum actions. Wide spread of legs during
rotation of C.O.G. along an elliptical trajectory allow the performer to reach
maximum amplitude with relatively small efforts.
Every one got that? Here comes the regular English version...
1. While flanking forward the left leg must drive towards the left ear. The
driving of this leg elevates the hips and causes a reaction which effectively
pulls the right leg under the left towards rear support.
2. While in side support flanking forward the shoulders must lean to the right
in order to keep the C.O.G. over the B.O.S. This theme of leaning your shoulders
in order to remain stable occurs in every phase of your Flare. While doing a
Flare you must always lean your shoulders in the direction opposite from your
extended swinging leg.
3. While in rear support the body should be as stretched as possible. A common
mistake is to pike the body in the front of the Flare. Do not pike! Stretch
as big as possible, imagine trying to paint as large a circle as possible with
your Flare. A common misconception is that the Flare should be high in the front,
but going too high in the front will cause you to go too low in the back. A
well done Flare appears to be high in front because of extended hips and the
wide spread of the legs.
4. While flanking backwards it is extremely important that you drive your right
leg to your right ear. The driving of this leg elevates the hips and causes
a reaction which effectively pulls the left leg under the right leg towards
front support (If this sound similar to #1 it should, the two sides of the Flare
are essentially mirror images of each other).
5. While in the side support flanking backwards you should use active flexibility
to try and hold your right leg up a little moment longer (Active flexibility
is using your muscular strength to hold a stretching position). This extra effort
will help to decelerate your Flare and allow the performer arrive in the back
of the Flare (front support) with both a high back and wide spread of legs.
6. You should arrive in front support (the back of your flare) in a Planche
or high Planche position with the legs wide spread. From this position you are
ready to drive your left leg up again to begin another Flare (See step #1).
The Start Position
A Flare is generally started from a front support position. Even if you are starting standing up as soon as you place a hand on the floor in front of you, you are starting in a modified front support. Flares can be done from rear support, but it is best learnt from front support. Also most combinations into Flares are started in some modified form of front support.
Most gymnasts start in a typical front support. They then modify the front support
by stepping their right leg off to their right hand side. They then use this
off centre position and their hands on the floor in order to Torque and begin
their Flare. With both hands on the floor you can cause Torque by trying to
turn the floor as though it was a giant steering wheel.
Most Bboys start in a modified front support. From a stand they step their right
leg off to their right hand side and probably slightly to their rear. The left
leg bends in order to lower the C.O.G. to a more appropriate level. The right
hand is then placed on the floor in front of the performer and the straight
right leg then swings low to the floor in a clockwise direction until it virtually
knocks the left leg out from underneath.
In either case the directions from above in "Understand the Flare"
are accurate.
Tips to Learn a Flare
1. Improving your flexibility will assist the learning process greatly. Work your splits in all three directions (middle, left leg forward, and right leg forward). Hold every stretch for 30 seconds or more to achieve maximum benefit.
2. Improve your strength. developing general upper body strength through a conditioning
program will help, but specific conditioning will be helpful also. One example
of a specific conditioning element you can do is to develop your Planche strength
(see "Terminology").
You can begin to learn a tucked Planche with relative ease by starting in a
squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you. Keeping your elbows
straight and knees together and tucked close to your chest, lean your shoulders
forward until all of your weight comes off of your feet and you are actually
able to lift your feet off the ground. Build up to being able to hold this position
for 10 seconds.
Once this position has been mastered practice opening your tucked Planche to
a 90 degree opening in the hips. Build up to being able to hold this position
for 10 seconds.
Once this position has been mastered practice opening into a straddle Planche
with your hips open. The wider you are able to straddle your legs the easier
it is to hold. This position looks virtually identical to the back of a Flare.
3. Put your belly button over your hands. Remember from the "Terminology"
section that your C.O.G. is very close to your belly button. If you can always
shift your weight so that your belly button is over your support hand (or in
the middle of your two hands when they are both on the floor) you will remain
stable in your Flare. A training partner can watch you for this error.
4. Don't try to go high in the front. Stretch in the front and work on getting
high in the back by driving your leg to your ear and trying to hold it there
for a moment as you pass around to front support. Too high in the front means
too low in the back.
5. Have fast hands. Having slow hands, especially a slow hand while flanking
backwards to front support is a common problem. Focus on hand speed and do not
allow yourself to Czech. A Czech is when your Flare turns in the direction opposite
of a Spindle (see below). Your Flare is doing a Czech if you begin a Clockwise
Flare facing the wall in front of you and begin to turn to face the wall to
your right hand side.
6. If you work and work and work and still can't learn a Flare, join your local
mens gymnastics club and practice on their "mushroom". If you are
a handy Bboy, you could build one yourself. A mushroom is a elevated platform
approximately three feet around that looks like, well, like a giant mushroom!
It is usually padded on top and can be at any number of heights (in fact most
are adjustable). A Mushroom allows you to perform multiple Flares and to get
the feel of the action even if your feet dip below floor level.
Tips to Improve your Flare
1. Hand speed is of extreme importance. An excellent drill for hand speed is
to practice a Spindle. A Spindle is a where your body is turning in the direction
opposite your Circle. For example if your Flare is a Clockwise Flare (viewed
from above) then your body rotates in a Counter-Clockwise direction.
This sounds very confusing so here is a simple way to practice a Spindle. Put
two strips of masking tape on the floor crossing each other in the middle to
form a big plus sign (+). Call the top left hand corner "1", the top
right hand corner "2", the bottom left hand corner "3",
and the bottom right hand corner "4".
Begin performing Flares with your hands in three and four. Then while flanking
backwards turn your right shoulder forwards with extra speed to try and arrive
in front support with your left hand still in three, but now your right hand
in one. As your Flare continues by flanking forwards pull your left shoulder
back with extra speed to try to arrive in rear support with your right hand
still in one, but now your left hand in two. Now continue to Flare. You will
have just performed a half spindle.
Flare to Handstand
The prerequisites for performing a Flare to Handstand are, of course, good consecutive
Flares and a good handstand pirouette. Make certain that your handstand pirouette
and your Flare are in the same direction (ie. If viewed from above they must
either both be clockwise, or both counter-clockwise). Here are some drills to
help you learn a Flare Handstand.
1. Practice a press to handstand with your legs flanked off to one side. Your
legs should be off to the side that will be your flanking backwards phase of
the Flare.
2. From the same position as drill #1 bend your top leg (the one that would be driving to your ear) and put your foot flat on the floor. Use the bent leg to push off the floor and jump towards handstand. Your other leg, which should remain straight, may drag slightly along the floor on your way to handstand.
3. In drill #2 and in the actual performance of a Flare to Handstand it is imperative
to backwards pirouette. To understand the backwards pirouette I will use the
masking tape example from the Spindle description in "How to Improve your
Flare". Imagine starting your Clockwise Flare with your left hand in one
and your right hand in two. As you flank backwards your right hand must reach
under your body so that you arrive in handstand with your left hand still in
one, but your right hand now in three. This encourages the correct lean of the
shoulders necessary to arrive in handstand and develops a smooth turn in handstand
for combinations like Flare to 1990.
4. Perform a Flare that is very stretched in the front. While flanking backwards
really drive your leg towards your ear and try to hold it there for a moment.
These two things will help decelerate your Flare and allow you to lift your
back in front support. Make certain that you do the backwards pirouette described
in #3. If done correctly the Flare to Handstand can be done without the feet
dragging on the floor and into a very fast turning handstand.
Great Combo's I've Seen...
A 1988 Olympian from the Soviet Union named Gogoladse was the first person to perform a Flare to Handstand Pirouette back into Flares. This Combo is called a "Gogoladse".
Chris from the Canadian Floor Masters was the first person I ever saw do a Flare
to Headspin in the Mid 80's.
A former gymnast I used to coach named Ben Potvin became Canadian Floor Champion
in 1997 with the following Flare Combo after one of his tumbling lines...Full
Spindle to Handstand Pirouette back to Flares into a Gogoladse into another
Gogoladse into a Full Spindle into a Windmill. Ben is now a performing artist
with Cirque du Soleil in Los Vegas.
Trevor from the Canadian Floor Masters was the first person I ever saw do Flare to Turtle to Flare in the Mid 80's
All the common ones like; Flare to Swipes
Swipes to Flare
Flare to Windmill
Windmill to Flare
Flare to 1990
And Variations on the Above...ie. Flare to Halo instead of Windmill