jealous

i think ifi changed careers right now i would want to be a professional stilt walker. she's awesome! i particularly like the butt squat.

Remember kids: Keep your Hands here!

Thanks!

I am having to learn to walk on stilts for a theatre performance, and your videos have helped SO much!

alternate fall

For an experienced stilt walker, I believe this is good advice. However, I would caution any novice stilt walker about landing anywhere on your back if you were to fall. Unless you landed exactly the right way, you could mess up your back pretty bad. I would advise to ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear large, hard knee pads (like the kind skateboarders use) while stilt walking. I was a bit surprised the young lady in the safety video above wasn't wearing any. If you start to fall, definitely try to crouch as she instructed... but then land on your knee pads. They will absorb most of the fall and protect your knees at the same time (this is what they are made for). However, if you are not wearing hard knee pads, DO NOT EVER TRY THIS. YOU WILL SCREW UP YOUR KNEES BIG TIME!!! http://www.stiltfun.com

Safer way to fall when on stilts

If your knees are protected, AND you learn AND practice to fall properly, then you are more likely to land on your knees safely and lessen your chances of injury if/when you fall unexpectedly. NOTE: PegStilts.com recommends knee pads with the plastic cup on the outside. Follow link at bottom for a list of recommended safety gear, surfaces for walking, learning to walk info, and more. Stilts Safety Precautions: Falling from stilts CAN be dangerous. Remember, safety first! WEAR YOUR SAFETY GEAR, ESPECIALLY KNEE PADS, no matter what your skill level is! Practice how to fall safely (using knee pads) like this: **Practice this off stilts first! Then do it with a spotter and gymnastics mats (or soft grass at a minimum) the first time or two, once you're up on the stilts** Basic Idea: -Drop forward to your knees (meanwhile leaning your chest back), sit your bottom onto your feet heels. Technique: -When you lean your chest back, you are trying to make a straight line from your knees, through your hips, chest and up to your head. -Do not to bend forward at all -Do not to use your hands to "catch" yourself, hands should be a last resort. -Think "rock-n-roll guitarist slide" Physics: -By sitting your bottom on your heels and leaning back you decrease the amount of pressure and impact onto your knees -By leaning your chest back you slow down the velocity of the fall and likelihood of needing to use your hands DO NOT land straight up (vertically) on your knees, you will send shock and pressure into knees, hips, back, and further up your spine, also you are more likely to have to use your hands (which could result in injury to arms, hands, fingers, elbows, etc.) DO NOT make strap adjustments while standing. Sit down on a stable elevated surface, make the adjustments and then try again. ALL activities, including Stilt Walking, DO have risks. Please read PegStilts.com safety disclaimer here: http://shop.pegstilts.com/disclaimer.aspx