Train and Pain
by: Amy Tang, 1/8/16, Digital Literacy, Period 6
Introduction
Have you ever been to a Chinese acrobatics show? You might have been amazed at all of the tricks they did. But, although the acrobatic shows are beautiful, the training behind the scenes is really ugly. How can I create a presentation that will make people realize just how brutally Chinese acrobats are being trained?
I chose this topic because I'd heard about how hard the Chinese acrobats were being trained and I wanted to inform others about it.
A peek into the training of Chinese acrobats
For the acrobats, their training schedules begin at 6:30 am. They train for 6 days a week and 8 hours a day. Children no older than six are required to swing on beams and hang from bars and rings. If they don't do one thing right, the children are punished by doing exercises that will "toughen them up". The children work endlessly on their routines, practicing for months, or even years!
"Contorting her tiny body into all manner of excruciating shapes, this Chinese girl endures an agonizing training regime in the hope of becoming the next star of the acrobatics world." That is how the Chinese train their acrobats? I think that the training of Chinese acrobats is cruel and brutal. In the training room, you can often hear little kids crying because the trainers are pushing their little bodies to the limit. They put the children's bodies into painful shapes. Treating children, especially young children like this, is just cold-hearted!
Check out how these Chinese acrobats are being trained
Headstand
This sure looks like a strange headstand. Although their hands are supporting them, instead of the top of their heads touching the ground, their chins touch it.
Bridge
Imagine how painful it would be to hold a bridge for a long time. Now imagine doing it with your face inward!
Splits
Most people might find it hard to splits. This girl is, not only doing the splits, but, bending backwards to touch her body to her back leg too.
Video: Tough life for young acrobats
Tough life for young acrobats
This video is important to my topic because it shows the acrobats training. It also gives really good information about how they train and what the acrobats feel. From this video, I learned that the acrobat trainees are deprived of a fun, cheerful childhood. They leave their parents at an early age to come here and train. Many children quit early on because they feel intimidated by the long hours of training. They practice the same stunt for years, to get it to perfection.
Chinese acrobats give away their childhood to train. Imagine that, no play dates, no sleepovers, no toys, no fun. They train more days than we have to go to school. And their training is nothing like what we do in P.E. class. They push their bodies to the limit and do stunts that are practically impossible. So, next time you complain, think about these acrobats and all that they have gone through.