The above image was reviewed and created with a licensed physical therapist, to help identify places where nerves are close to the surface and rope might be placed. The most common nerve injuries from rope are “handcuff thumb” and Ulnar nerve Damage. Nerve Damage can be sensory (hot/cold/tingly/buzzing) or functional (affecting motor coordination). Because nerve […]
Many people think of partials as being only used for predicaments or making your bottom wobble around on their toes. However partials can be used for many other things. Allow tops to practice uplines in a low stress environment Introduce a bottom to the sensation of suspension Allow for longer more sustainable scenes than a […]
The Gravity Boot Obviously the most common use we see of the gravity boot is for single ankle inversions however it can also be great for assisting in transitions into hip inversions.We like the gravity boot because it’s pretty and super sustainable. How to Tie a gravity boot. Step 1: using a 15ft length (30 […]
Suspension is a dangerous activity and your first year or two of tying or being tied are the time when you’re most likely to make mistakes. Here’s some of my suggested risk mitigations Only suspend with people you know (or experienced bottoms) You may ask why, there’s the thing, when you first start suspending you’re […]
The standard way of tying off an upline is to use a Munter hitch which allows us to easily hoist up, once the person is in position we tie it off with two half hitches. To see animated versions of the munter half hitch combo check out animated knots.
Or a guide to slings, rings and more. What you put between your bottom and the hard point is a critical point of failure. We most commonly see people not understanding their equipment and using it incorrectly, however thankfully most equipment we use was intended for climbing and so is over engineered for us. The […]
Rope types Synthetic rope (especially nylon) can be very slippery and may not work with frictions, it also requires you tie bulletproof knots which can be helpful for beginners but also frustrating. They also have a high burn rate on skin. Twisted Nylon 6mm 223-372 lbs. Braided Nylon 6mm 198-331 lbs working load, 1325 tensile […]
So I went to SCRUE the other day and had a really good conversation with GrayDancer and Provocations about rope skill levels and the issues around what is intermediate, but one of the things that really jumped out to me Gray’s comment that we treat suspension as a monolith, you turn on or off the […]
One of the biggest mistakes I see inexperienced riggers making besides rigging above their own skill level is tying beyond their bottoms skill level. While it might be easy to tie a person by only their ankles and wrists it’s extremely challenging for the bottom and unsafe to tie on inexperienced bottoms. Easy for most […]
