UKC

I have now mastered walking (most of the time), jumping on and bouncing since i got my webbing last week.

How is the best way to turn around? lots of little steps? a few big steps? or twisting your foot around?

Also how do you tension your slackline? I started with a 3-1 pulley, but tried using a ratchet as used to tie loads on to lorries. It worked really well as you can do it with one person and easily get a tight line.

In reply to Oli:

I no longer have facilities for slacklining, as I now live in a second floor flat but truck cargo straps were what I used to use @ my old place. Worked fine.
As for turning, try a 180deg jump, a single foot pirrouette or a balanced move using one or other leg as a counterwieght.

Good luck & enjoy!

In reply to wizz walker: Thanks. It's a great way to relax. Have had very very strange looks from people walking past. They tend to keep walking but with their head turning to gawp. i usually then fall off laughing

In reply to Oli:

I must have a crack at this slacklining lark

In reply to brothersoulshine:

For balance & co-ordination I can recomend it.
Gotta get back into it myself!

In reply to wizz walker:


Dont you need some of this to start with though? :oS

I only have to watch people slacklining to start feeling unsteady...

In reply to marie: probably helps slightly. Initially i found the hard bit was stopping the line wobbling when i put weight on it, but have solved that now.

In reply to Oli:
It`s a bit like the spinning dancer thing, look down to where feet are going & then look up & focus your eyes on where you are heading. Feel the line, not look @ it. Balance is co-ordinated in your inner ear & through your eyes, so keep your head still & your eyes foccussed & you should be fine.

In reply to Oli: if you use a ratchet strap (that lorry cargo thingy) to take the slack out of your slack-line is it cheating? does using these turn your slack-line into a tight-rope? obv the more slack you have the harder balancing is but is that not half the fun?

In reply to kateonfire: Well its not especially tight,as in rigid. and it has a fair amount of flex in the line, still bout 2-3 feet of vertical movement. But then again, i'm not sure how tight it is supposed to be. It just saves the hassle of playing about with pulleys to get it 'tight'

In reply to Oli:

Single foot pivot. Use bare feet or flat soled shoes ie skate shoes so the tread doesnt catch.

Do it before a climbing/training sesh as its a great wasy of warming up your core muscles.

Enjoy!

In reply to Oli:

I set one up this afternoon in the back garden using some old 9mm climbing rope. What a buzz! Standing still and walking along is not as hard as I thought it would be. I wonder if the climbing rope damps down the excessive movement a bit more than static webbing would. I didn't manage to turn around on it though.

I think I'll go and buy some webbing tomorrow. The rope kept stretching and I kept having to tighten it. I'd made a 3:1 thing kind of locked off with a clove hitch. How does this ratchet thing work? I haven't seen anything about ratchets on any websites. Where can I get one from?

In reply to brothersoulshine: and rope hurts your feet too!

In reply to brothersoulshine: Something along the lines of http://www.lifting-safety.co.uk/e3.php

my dad is a farmer so i 'borrowed' mine of him. It's rated to 40Kn so i was quite reassured.

Good fun though isn't it?

In reply to Oli:

Ahh... yes, they look handy. I guess if they'll hold those huge tube things on that ship then they should be ok for slacklining.

And yes, it is fun - much more fun than I would have thought. I still can't really believe that it's quite possible for mortals to balance like this. I'll be doing some more tomorrow.

In reply to Oli:

My slackline pulley setup - self locks as well, so kinda cool
I do about 3-4 loops between the crabs
http://paddy.woollyfoot.org/Slackline.jpg

As for turning I lean forward onto the next foot while turning - works quite well

mate used to do a bounce turn - twisting 180° at the apex of a bouce.

Have fun!

In reply to LankyPaddy: How tight do you tension your line? Obviously it depends on the length of the line, but how much sag do you have and how high above the ground are the ends?

In reply to Oli:


I have one end tied to an old tree stump in the garden and the other to my car and just drive the car away to get the tension (use a yoke I made for cutting up logs to get the line higher - ie it runs over this before attaching to car).

Works a treat.

Neighbours all think I'm mad as well.

Can manage the odd 180 - do it fast with flat shoes!

In reply to Oli:

I bought some 25mm webbing today and did a proper slackline. At least I think it's a proper slackline, it's just I don't think it's as hard as people make out. Either I have an innate talent for these things or I've found a way of setting them up to suit beginners. I do suspect it's the latter.

The line is probably only about 15-20 feet long. It's about 3 feet high at each end and sags down to within about 6 inches of the ground when you walk on it.

It's seems pretty easy to stand in one place, walk along it, turn around and squat down low on it.

I'd like to sit on it but I feel the need to drop one knee really low and the line isn't high enough. I think I'll make it a bit higher next time.

It can't be as hard as tight-rope walking, because even if you balls up and manage to make it so that your centre of gravity isn't between your feet, the line will soon wiggle to a position where all is good again.

In reply to brothersoulshine:

I know it's a bit lazy to ask this, but i have 2 trees in my garden that will be perfect for setting a slackline accross, I would really appreciate it if someone who knew a good (and cheap) way of setting one up to e-mail me some advice.

If anyone can help me out my e-mail is [email protected]

Cheers if you can, been wanting to set one up for ages now.

In reply to Jamie monks:
picture showing how to set one up in my post above ^^^

How I set it up varies with what trees are around - its all a bit trial and error but:

about 15' long, each anchor about 4' off the ground and tightend so my 75kg lump rests about 8-12" off the desk when standing

all varies though - experiement is my only advice

In reply to Oli:

Wish I could set one up, though would almost certainly end up pulling the entire terrace of fences and half the wall of the house down if I tried.

In reply to brothersoulshine: apparently tightrope walking is easier as the line doesn't move! - Got this froma friend who's a gymnast working in the circus of a US summer camp who happens to be rather handy on a line.

If you want more of a challenge, let the slack out and then start working on tricks.

In reply to Oli:

Pick a point about head height to focus on on your tree. Before turning turn your back foot so it is perpendicular to the line, forming a T with your feet. Then in one movement swivel your body and swivel both feet a quarter turn. You're now facing the other direction with your feet in a T. Don't look at your feet and just focus like mad on your point. Works for me.

In reply to Oli:

Turning on a slackline?

You could start by buying it a drink and see how you get on from there. I've heard foreplay is a good idea too.

In reply to catbaiter: oh dear...

I managed to do a few turns yesterday that i was pleased with.

sharket: Have you got any handy telegraph poles or lamp posts?

In reply to Oli:

sorry.