Have you ever done slacklining? It is a type of sport that enhances body balancing abilities. Many times people have seen a similar type of sport somewhere on the TV. It involves a person who attempts to walk on a rope tied tightly between two high points.

What is the point of slacklining? Slacklining helps you to develop a sense of balance. It is a great practice for learning how to adjust your body from one point. In this article, we will learn why slacklining is important to health and fitness and that we should practice it regularly.

What I loved about watching videos was the anticipation and anxiousness I built up for the slackliner. It was thrilling to watch them walk by from one end to the other. You can’t catch a breath, because you don’t want them to fall off the rope. Slacklining is something like that.

Many people question the importance of slacklining. However, slacklining has some benefits that cannot be ignored with naked eyes.

What is Slacklining?

So, we were talking about walking on a rope. Slacklining is similar to that. Instead of walking on a rope, the sport involves walking on nylon webbing.

The thread is usually one inch to two inches wide. It is attached to two points above the natural ground height. The height of this slackline can be from three inches to thousands of feet.

Another difference between slacklining and tightrope walking in the absence of a pole. A slackliner does not use a pole to balance himself on the thread. He uses his body muscles to gain control. That is why slacklining is an amazing sport and a workout.

What is the Point of Slacklining?

It teaches you to balance your body and focus only on one point. These are the two main reasons why you should practice slacklining.

In the following paragraphs, you will learn about the importance of slacklining in detail.

Reasons to go Slacklining

Slacklining is not a calorie-burning practice, but that does not mean it is not important. The training has a lot of benefits.

It improves your sense of balance and develops your core strength. After slacklining regularly, you will notice much control over your body than before.

Even when you stand up, your body will gain a posture. Another really important fact about it is, it helps you focus.

If you are a person who has a hard time focusing on one thing, slacklining is your key. You will find it easier to concentrate on one subject at a time after practice.

This happens because during walking and balancing your need to concentrate at the webbing only. Even a bit off focus and you will fall off the rope and have to start over again.

There are many benefits to slacklining practice. Letus point out some benefits of slacklining so it is clear why this sport is necessary.

Clearing Mental Stress and Fatigue

Do you have mental exhaustion, have you had any issues facing problems focusing on one topic? Why don’t you try to see how many thoughts bother you while you are trying to focus on only one thing?

It is more difficult than it sounds, isn’t it? Slacklining can help you to train your brain to hyperfocus, so you can zone in and focus completely on one subject only.

When you are outside and practicing your slackline skills, there is only a single webbing to focus on. During training, you have to walk on it and nothing else.

This singular focus allows your entire concentration to only fixate on the thread and nothing else. If and when you lose this focus, even for a moment, you will lose balance and fall off the track.

If you practice regularly, your ability to focus will improve. After all, that is what slacklining is all about, concentrating only on the line in front of you, focusing on control and motion. Once you learn how to focus in, you can use this to enhance yourself at other tasks.

Simply Portable and Can Be Practiced Anywhere

If you like sports then you should know how difficult it is to carry all the sports gear and necessary equipment. Any sport you name will have a ton of needed equipment for you to carry.

Now we can dive into a discussion about slacklining. What are the tools you need to carry for slacklining? You will only need to carry just your nylon webbing and tree cover and nothing else.

Amazing, isn’t it? This is why many call it the most portable sport. You can carry it anywhere with you with complete ease. The most important tool for this game can be folded up and placed in your pocket.

You Will Learn Something New Each Day

One of the best parts about slacklining is that there is always a chance to develop yourself. When you start slacklining, you can maybe walk for a short distance, then you will fall.

You will repeat this process many times while you put in hours of practice. What you will notice though is that each and every time, you will cover more distance. So, you are growing a bit with every practice.

Similarly, when you are done walking the distance, you can add additional challenges. There is also a great variety in types of slacklining. You can try those to develop yourself further.

Never be comfortable with your progress, you should continue to take on more challenges yourself. When you think you have learned all there is just think and be creative.

You can try out tricks while slacklining, it’s something which can help make practice more interesting. Most slackliners will use techniques like a vertical leap, drop knee, double drop knee, Lemur leaps, and much more.

Once you try each of them, you will want to master balancing each technique. Some of these tricks are really easy, while others are tough.

However, one interesting fact about these techniques is that it varies from person to person. You may like one trick, but others will hate it. There is no easy or hard trick for everyone.

It is a Good Physical Workout

Many may see this and think that making this claim is a bit odd, but it is true. Slacklining is a great workout for your muscles as it is much more functional.

When you are trying to balance your body on the webbing you will recruit your muscles and tendons to work together to maintain your balance. Hence all the muscles in your body get a workout.

After trying slacklining for the first time, you will notice your quads bursting, arms sagging, your lats aching, and your feet will be sore. If you were slacklining barefoot, a sore foot is a common symptom.

But can you imagine how many muscles in your body are working together to keep your balance? As you practice more, your body will get used to it.

So, it will be less likely to show any signs of a workout. This is similar to every other exercise. There is always a physical reaction the first few times.

Learning Balance Skills

This is one of the most important reasons to practice slacklining. When you start, it will be a difficult task, you may think impossible. Not because of the muscle pain and soreness, but your overall failure to balance.

It is like not like most other sports you have tried to play in your life. You don’t have to bend your body as much as say, on a skateboard, or balance sideways. Rather, you will have to walk on a straight line on a height.

The feeling of being in mid air and not on solid footing in weird itself. The lack of support your body feels in the air adds up to the awkwardness.

For most of the first thirty or so minutes, you will be fighting to maintain your position on the nylon. After that initial haywire period your body will adapt to the changes, and you will succeed a little in moving ahead. If you continue, it will become a natural exercise for you.

Fewer Chances of Injury

A person with a poor balance is likely to suffer from injuries more often than a person with more control over their body. There have been some studies conducted to find out the relationship, if any, between body balance and injury.

It was done among basketball players with poor balance and good balance. When compared, the result showed that players with poor balance are seven times more likely to suffer from injuries.

Acts as a Rehab From Previous Injury

Some physiotherapists, physicians, and chiropractors believe slacklining is a good way to heal injuries. Like we have said before, slacklining involves all the muscles of your body acting to maintain balance on a line.

During this time, a neuromuscular response is started by the body. Though it is not clearly understood yet, it generates reactions that lead to enhancing the muscle conditions. Hence it is practiced as rehab for injury.

Can Help Prevents Hip Fractures

There is no doubt about it that slacklining improves balance. If you look at the elderly, about 70 percent of them suffer from hip fractures. Sadly, data suggests that around 21 percent of seniors age sixty or above die from hip fractures.

The hip consists of one of the most important bones to maintain body balance. Hence, if you can improve body balance, you can avoid the chances of hip fracture in the coming days.

Slacklining has proven itself a worthy practice among the elderly for teaching them body balance. Along with that, it also showed improvements with the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, if you want to live well even in the old days, start practicing with a nylon webbing today.

Final Thoughts on Why Slacklining Is Amazing

As you can see, slacklining may seem like just a simple practice, but it has many benefits to your body. It is one of the very few exercises that put all the muscles you work.

Additionally, you can do slacklining almost anywhere. Taking the webbing is as easy as it is. So, there is no excuse for missing out on practice as well.

However, you need to be determined to keep growing as your practice. Keep track of much you have progressed each day. Also, target how much training you want to finish in a day. If you can do that, you will successfully learn to balance your body.

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