What is slacklining?
Written by William Fuenmayor, Si Ambassador Slacklining is a discipline that basically consists of keeping balance on a line that is suspended over the ground between two fixed points. There are many forms of slacklining,...
Getting into trickline
The trickline is only one of the disciplines of the slackline and although it is not written nor is it known exactly when or how it began, it is known as the first videos of people balancing on tightropes between two fixed points and executing certain postures and body positions that today are basic tricks and keys to the tricklining even to worldwide competitive levels.
Most people think that bouncing on the line is easy as they have seen someone doing it with ease. We often noticed that people trying tricklining for the first time tend to emulate these dynamic movements when, in fact, the most important thing to start doing tricks is to be able to master the walk and the basic slacklining positions.
So, you are probably asking yourself, how to start doing tricks? The answer is: Mastering the walk.
Step 1: Set up a low line and start walking and improving your balance. Practice, practice and practice. Did I say ‘practice’?
Step 2: Now that you have mastered the walk, you will realize that you could already be doing some basic tricks like turning 180 degrees in order to turn around when you reach one end of the line or even bending down completely when you are looking for balance.
Step 3: The fun begins. The first trick you'll love to learn is the lemur jump, which basically consists of jumping forward, not up.
Step 4: Check out The Ultimate Database of Slackline Tricks and start with the beginner tricks. Then, move up from there.
Tip: If you're learning on a Play Line, you can try to place it a little higher, longer and tighter than usual to make sure you have a good bounce and that your feet won't’ reach the ground below you when you jump. When you will be ready for the next real challenge, I highly recommend to use the Trick Line Kit. It is the perfect slackline kit to start bouncing because it features a trampoline-style webbing, giving great bounces for dynamic air moves. The height and length will depend on how comfortable and secure you feel, but an average setup would be around 40 to 45 feet long and 1 to 2 feet off the ground depending on the height and weight of the slackliner.
