When Maya first came to class, she had a natural flow on aerial silks, but something was off...

She struggled with landings, often locking her knees into hyperextension without realizing it. During foot locks and climbs, her knees would wobble slightly, making it harder for her to stay controlled in the air. She was strong, but without stability, her strength wasn’t working in her favor - leaving her prone to injury.

During conditioning, we introduced Terminal Knee Extensions (TKEs) to help her build awareness and control in her quads. At first, she barely felt the engagement—her knee would extend, but instead of activating her quads, she was relying on her joint’s natural hypermobility. She needed to learn how to contract the muscle without snapping into hyperextension.

We slowed things down. Instead of pushing all the way back into a locked-out knee, I had her focus on stopping just short of full extension, keeping a slight micro-bend while actively tightening her quad. At first, it felt strange—like she wasn’t fully finishing the movement—but after a few sets, she started to notice the difference. Her quads were firing, her knee felt more stable, and over time, the shaky landings and wobbly foot locks improved.

Maya’s biggest shift wasn’t just in strength—it was in awareness. She learned that stability isn’t about restriction; it’s about control. With consistent training, she now moves through her aerial practice more fluidly, knowing her knees are supported not just by flexibility, but by strength.

Knee hypermobility is something a lot of aerialists deal with, whether they realize it or not. While having extra flexibility can be useful in certain movements, relying on it without proper strength and control can lead to instability, pain, and long-term issues. In aerial arts, where balance, engagement, and controlled movement are key, understanding how to work with hypermobile knees is essential.

What Is Knee Hypermobility?

Hypermobility happens when a joint moves beyond its normal range due to lax ligaments or genetic factors like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). In the knees, this often shows up as hyperextension, where the knee bends backward past its natural straight position of around 180 degrees. Without proper engagement, this can lead to:

• Joint instability and an increased risk of injury
• Over-reliance on flexibility instead of muscular strength
• Extra strain on surrounding muscles and joints
• Knee pain, ligament stress, and long-term wear

Why Stability Matters in Aerial Training

Aerial training requires dynamic control, whether you’re climbing, inverting, or landing a drop. If the knees hyperextend, they’re more vulnerable to buckling or overloading under force. This can affect:

• Landings – High-impact moves, like beats and drops, require solid knee engagement to absorb force.
• Foot Locks & Climbs – Standing in wraps or foot locks without active engagement can strain the knee.
• Transitions & Hanging Shapes – Knees play a bigger role in movements than most people realize, especially when using the lower body for stability.

Strength & Stability Training for Hypermobile Knees

Building control and awareness is the best way to prevent issues and improve performance. Here’s where to focus:

1. Isometric Training (Holding positions to activate stabilizing muscles)

• Wall sits – Keeps the quads engaged without excessive movement
• Straight-leg lifts with a band – Helps stabilize the knee joint
• Single-leg balance work – Trains proprioception and control

2. Eccentric & Resisted Strengthening

Slow, controlled movement under resistance builds knee stability over time.

• Slow step-downs – Focuses on lowering with control
• Hamstring curls with a stability ball – Strengthens the back of the knee
• Banded terminal knee extensions – Reinforces proper knee alignment

3. Stability & Proprioception Training

Training knee awareness improves response time and control in movement.

• Single-leg balance drills on an unstable surface – Helps strengthen stabilizing muscles
• Deep squats with controlled engagement – Builds stability through full range of motion
• Step-ups with resistance bands – Strengthens knee support muscles

4. Aerial-Specific Conditioning

Ground-based training directly improves performance in the air.

• Floor-based inversion drills – Reinforces lower-body control
• Engagement drills before foot locks – Helps prevent passive hyperextension
• Controlled landings in low-height drills – Builds impact awareness before progressing to full drops

Training Smarter for Longevity in Aerial

Hypermobile knees require intentional engagement and strength training to stay stable under aerial demands.

The stronger they are on the ground, the more controlled and powerful movement becomes in the air.

For guided training designed specifically for aerialists with hypermobility, visit www.motionvirtuesaerial.com to book an online or in person coaching session.

<3 Leah

Motion Virtues

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