What the Heck is Slack Lining? Why Do It?

In my last post discussed the numerous benefits of MMA fighting and how I got started. In this post I want to do the same thing but for slack lining. If you've never heard of slack lining you should definitely read this post!

Slack What?

Slack lining is literally one of the neatest things I've ever had the opportunity to experience and I hope this article will help you have that same opportunity.

Some of you might be thinking "slack lining?" "What the heck is that?" Maybe some of you have heard the word or seen someone doing it in the park but you don't know exactly what it entails. A lot of you probably saw Andy Lewis' stellar slack lining performance in the Super Bowel a couple of years ago without realizing what it was.

The basic premise of slack lining is you take a 1-2 inch piece of webbing, similar to what's used for truck tie downs, and you string it tightly between 2 points and try to walk across it. It's very similar to tight rope walking except the line is "slack" hence the name. 

Different Types of Slacking

Now there can be a lot more to slack lining then what I just described above. There is numerous different styles of slacking that can all be combined or performed al la carte. These styles can include, 

• Traditional Slack Lining This what I just described above and is usually performed close to the ground. Usually you use 2 trees as the anchor points and use what's called a primitive set up to tension the line just a couple of feet off of the ground. This is how most people are introduced to the sport and is the best starting point in my opinion. You're close to the ground so you have a pretty small chance of hurting yourself which makes it the perfect way to learn. I do have a friend that actually got interested in slack lining through high lining though.

• High Lining The name really says it all for this one. You take your webbing and put it between 2 anchor points way up in the air. This style has really progressed and become more popular. People have high lined all over the world including The Swiss Alps and Yosemite Falls. There's even a new type of high lining called sky lining which is when you take your webbing to the highest possible altitude you can. Some people also choose to combine high lining with other disciplines such as long lining.

• Long Lining This is exactly what it sounds like. You try still have your webbing between 2 anchor points but you try and have the anchor points as far away from each other as possible. The current record for the longest line walked is 1000+ feet and was performed by Lukas Irmler. Check out this video of the craziness.

   

• Trick Lining Because walking around on a piece of 1 inch webbing that keeps moving around and bouncing wasn't hard enough people began to add tricks. Some simple tricks include walking backwards, turning around at the end, starting from a sitting position, and jump starting onto the line. Some more complicated tricks include doing flips off of the line, holding yoga poses on the line, doing flips and landing on the line, juggling, and all sorts of other things that shouldn't be possible. You're only truly limited by your imagination when it comes to trick lining. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the types of slack lining that are out there and as the sport progresses there where only be more to come. You may be asking yourself "Dallas, why for the love of God and all that is holy would I possibly want to walk across a 1 inch piece of webbing? That's not even a challenge!" To those of you that don't understand why people would possibly do this for one I only have one thing to say. Try it! Just try it at least 1 time, please, for me! 

Once you try it once and inevitably fall off you will become trapped in addictive black hole. I remember when I was learning how to slack line on dirt bike tie downs that were chained together and tied between two trees. It wasn't a great set up but it worked, don't judge me! I fell once and tried to grab the line but missed and instead slid my arm down the line and got the worse rope burn I've ever had in my life. It burned horribly but guess what I did. I got back up and tried again. That's how addictive this sport is! 

For those of you who are thinking, "I've been walking every day of my life since I was 2! How hard could it possibly to walk a couple feet off the ground!?" I once again say try it! It is not nearly as easy or graceful as some people make it look. Also it's not like walking a tight rope where the line does not move and you're holding a bar trying to stay in a more static position. The line shakes as well as bounces, and it's slack which means that it sags and stretches as you walk on it. 

You're entire body is involved in trying to maintain your balance as you move across the line. You flail your arms and legs and gyrate your hips just to keep from falling off. While that might sound and look absolutely ridiculous to some there is a silver lining. It is incredibly good for your body! All that movement and focus do amazing things for a person and that's what we're going to go over next time. So, don't forget to check back in and find out just how good for you slack lining really is!