Slackline Tricks

Below is a description of a *few* of the various "tricks" that can be done. There are tons of common ones, but don't let that keep your from learning and making your own! Some are mundane, others are quite difficult. To contribute to this list, drop me an email and I'll add it and your description of the trick. I'll add photos and movies to the description as soon I get around to taking photos or videos of each.

Balancing with your feet sideways – very basic it’s a skill that is needed for most tricks. It changes your entire balance stance.

Turning around – being able to use your turn on your feet to do a pivot turn. Several techniques but the most common involves pausing with your feet sideways. After practice you can make it a seamless rotation or spin.

Walking backwards - one foot behind the other. It helps to keep your eyes focus while stepping back and aligning the ball of your foot on the webbing as you go backwards. Slowly transfer your weight back to your heel and repeat.

Jump mount – either jumping forward or backwards onto the webbing. Some find it easier to run/step forward and jump up with one foot or both and others find it easier to do a backwards hop onto the webbing. The backwards hope is usually better for a more stable landing since you can lean forwards to counteract your momentum while the forwards jump is better to reach higher line.

Bouncing - using your body weight to cause the webbing to bounce you like a trampoline.

Jumping – taking bouncing the next step to the point your feet leave the webbing in a vertical jump.

Toe touches - turn sideways and reach for your toes.

Surfing – turning your feet sideways and swaying the line really far out left and right and staying in a motion. The line needs to be really loose to get a big arch.

Folded arms – walk the line with your arms behind your back or folded in front of you. It makes balancing significantly more tricky but is still quiet doable.

Slackline jumping – jump from one slackline to another.

Posing - pick a yoga or similar pose. This can be graceful to downright contortionistic (is that a word?).

Sit start – with one foot on the webbing and the other hanging in mid air or both starting on the line, use your body weight to rock forward and stand up without using the ground to assist you. It’s much harder than it sounds as it demands a good deal of abs and leg finesse to control your standing movements.

 

Sitting down - going from walking, stop, crouch down and continue back until you are sitting on the webbing. From there do a sit start to get back up.

Laying down start – Balance yourself completely laying down on the line, then position yourself to rock forward and stand up just like in the sit start.

Kneeling - Dropping a knee to the line.

Knee Drop - Stopping on the line, and crouching dropping one knee below the line.

Blindfolded – learn to control your balance by using only your inner ear, rather than sight. Much harder than it sounds.

Hand Balancing - Balance sideways on the line using your hands.

Mantle start – Start below the line and perform a mantel move to raise your body on top of the line. You then start walking from a sit or laying down start.

Lie down start - Similar to a mantle start except your lying on the ground at the start.

The splits - self explanatory.

180 and 360 degree jumps - jump while turning in mid-air

Knee walking - going from walking on a line, down to your knees and walking it on your knees.

Knees offside - kneel down on your knees and pivot your feet completely off the line.

Back-flip dismount – while on the webbing, turn your feet sideways, lean forward and in a smooth bounce do a back-flip onto the ground.

Back-flip from the line onto the line - yes, it has been done.

Frisbee! - playing Frisbee with another person while both are on the slackline. Awesome fun, especially when you have to jump to catch it.

Juggling - with a bit of practice juggling on the line is very fun and impressive.

Big lines - keep pushing the length of line; it becomes a trick itself just to stay on :)

Take the sport up high - warning only experts need apply, rigging is complex and highlining adds significant risk of death and injury. (Photo submitted by John Borland)