Hello sirs and madams!
Below is the first edition in a series of articles written based upon my own personal experience. Keep reading and it might benefit you. Or at the very least entertain you! Let us begin this several part article with.... the first steps!
First Steps
It's really difficult to explain how to walk in these. You basically have to learn on your own. All I can basically tell you is ways I found to be easiest. First find something tall to sit on. Many people stress that you need to learn to get up from a fall right away. But I found that I needed to learn to stand and hold my balance before popping up to my feet from the ground. So I found something tall to sit on, put my bocks on and then stand. First it was difficult just to stand, so I held myself up on a nearby wall. What you need to do is just hold yourself there and get the feel of the stilts. Basically with these it's impossible to stay completely still. You need to stay constantly moving to keep balance. You'll learn in time to hold yourself without even thinking and remaining still longer and longer. But right off you're going to be all over the place. Just move one foot and then the other back and forth. Slowly getting to where you can take your hands from the wall. As you find you can do this longer and longer. Start slowly walking up and down the wall. DO NOT try and jump at this point. Just focus on staying upright. As you progress either get a friend to walk out with you. Or stay with the wall until you feel comfortable. Personally it took me a good 20 minutes to learn to stay up, and then half an hour to get to the point of walking unaided. Everybody differs though, don't worry about it and be safe. Please take a moment and observe the video below of me aiding my friend Jeff in his first steps on stilts. Please keep in mind that this video is not a reflection of the lessons DCPowerStilts offer. DCPowerStilts offer much gentler steps and require the proper safety gear. Falling rarely, if ever occurs.
Ouch right? Well there you have my first tips for newbies. Keep checking back here often for more!
2 comments:
I would like to add that the DC Power Stilts' official lesson offers a gentle progression into walking, and falls are very unusual. However, a fall with complete padding and a helmet isn't so bad.
David is very right. My method of making him walk was sink or swim. He would not have fallen if I did not walk away. Do not take my old video as an example of what DCpowerstilts offer.
I also highly recommend padding for everyone. As you can see in my video, jeff had pads on. Helmets are a plus which he unfortunately did not have on. But I'd seriously recommend for newbies.
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