Breaking
Breaking
Learn how to perform the airbaby, a useful freeze in breaking
B-Boy Tornado explains a step-by-step approach on how you can practice the airbaby freeze and a few extra tips to help you learn it quickly.
The airbaby, also called the airbaby freeze, is a move in breaking that combines strength, balance and skill.
It is a favourite for Red Bull BC One Cypher India 2019 Champion B-Boy Tornado.
It is a freeze that looks great if performed well, but can be mastered by a beginner in the matter of a few weeks or months.
Tornado puts it simply: the airbaby is a freeze in which you support your entire body while balanced on your right hand with your right knee resting on your right elbow (or left hand, left elbow and left knee, if that is your stronger side).
Tornado was recently part of the Red Bull BC One Local Hero Tour, conducting workshops in cities across India. Here he explains what it takes to perfect the airbaby with some tips on how you can practice it quickly.
Tornado conducting a workshop in Jalandhar
© Focus Sports
01
The basics before the airbaby
Tornado suggests you start by strengthening your core and learning how to do handstands before practicing the airbaby.
“I recommend doing a handstand against a wall for two-three minutes, and gradually increase the duration of the exercise. Then start improvising by shifting your bodyweight off the wall and balancing by yourself,” he says.
Tornado also suggests practicing the frog stand before learning the airbaby since it is the starting point to performing the freeze.
5 min
Airbaby fundamentals
B-Boy Thesis from The Knuckleheads gives advice on how to best do airbabies.
02
Step 1
The starting position to practice is the frog stand; balancing your bodyweight on your hands with your knees pressed into your bent elbows.
03
Step 2
Slowly shift the weight of your body onto your right hand. While doing this, slowly lift your left hand off the ground.
04
Step 3
Begin to spread your left arm and left leg away from your body to help balance. At this point, your right knee should be completely bent and pushing into your right elbow. When the knee is completely bent, the knee cap slides down and you get a flat cavity between your muscles and knee cap. This flat cavity should be pushed into the back of your elbow, which also has a flat surface when the elbow is fully bent.
Miracle Smile hits an Airbaby Freeze
© Markus Berger
05
Step 4
If you are having difficulty balancing, crunch your torso tight. This is when a strong core helps with practicing this freeze. Also remember to keep your head tilted downwards and left arm and leg bent at a comfortable angle to help you balance.
06
Pro tip for the airbaby
When you are balancing on your right hand while performing this move, remember that your right hand, right elbow, right knee and right foot should be in a straight line. If they aren’t, chances are that your knee isn’t bent properly or you are using strength instead of balance.
Tornado conducting a workshop in Bhopal
© Focus Sports
07
Common mistakes to avoid
Not folding your knee completely can be a common mistake. The move is not about strength but about balance. Folding your knee completely will give it a stable point for you to balance your weight.
Another common mistake is your left leg and left arm being in different awkward positions. Not only does this not look good aesthetically, it also makes the move tougher to execute. If your left leg is straight, then your left arm should also be straight. If your left knee is bent at 45 degrees, then your left elbow should also be bent at 45 degrees.
