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Who does not know them? The sport enthusiasts who stand on unsteady lines in the park and try breakneck tricks. Yet, for the so-called slacking you need more than just courage and a good sense of balance. In this article, you will learn more about this quite demanding sport.

The basics of slacking

The athlete still wiggles on the synthetic band, then he fixates a certain point at the end of the line and finally stands up. Slacking, how the professionals call it, is a balancing act. The athlete tries to walk on the strained rope and have a try at some of the many tricks you can do on the slackline. The problem: The rope is not completely strained. As soon as you try to get on the slackline, it gives in. Depending on your level, you span a line of three to five meters between two poles. What is important: The looser the line is strained the more difficult it is to control. This is how the rope got its name. Slackline literally means “slack rope”.

Source: YouTube / Zachary Kenney

Slackline for beginners

For beginners, it is advised to use tightly strained ropes. They firstly need to get a feeling for the line and can get used to the unsteady feeling. Advanced athletes or professionals can then try the five meter lines, which have to be hung quite high as they sag in the middle and otherwise might touch the floor.

Calmness is important

Next to a good sense of balance you definitely need to concentrate and stay calm to completely focus on the slackline. Even if you expect to find adrenaline junkies on the daring slacklines, you are disappointed in that assumption: Slacking requires mental strength. Without the necessary calmness, you will definitely fall of the rope. Moreover, this kind of calmness and concentration has a positive impact on your everyday life, just like yoga.

Apart from the mental challenge you use muscle groups which you don’t usually train in conventional training. You gain more strength, especially in your legs and upper body, to stay on the slackline. In many cities, the balance-enthusiastic athletes gather in parks to practice slacking together. Yet, some cities cross their plans: In Stuttgart, Germany, for example, it is forbidden to attach die slacklines to trees. The athletes then have to use their own poles or other constructions. However, since the sport has become very popular over the last years, Stuttgart thinks about putting up poles for the slackers.

Source: YouTube / Philip Bitnar

This article is partially based on an article by Stuttgarter Nachrichten.
Source title image: iStock / Mauricio Santanna

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