Stunt School Day 12 – Flying through the Air, Falling Down the Stairs

We started on the trampoline – practicing falling positions for headers and suicides.  Then we tried some back tucks.  I could do them, but I still have my bad habit of throwing myself back (instead of setting straight up, then tucking).  Ah well – need more practice.  Will be heading back to gymnastics after I recover from stunt school.

Then we tried some wire work.  First, some back tucks using wires.  It’s as much for the person on the wires (figuring out how the harness changes how you move), as for the safety team (figuring how to take the weight and go with the movements of the guy on the wires).  Then we took turns jumping from a ladder while harnessed, swooping through the air like Superman… until we awkwardly land, or swing back and forth until the safety team let us down.  Bob asked me to do the swoop, then do a front tuck at the end.  But turns out that since there’s nothing to push against once you’re in the air, it’s really hard to change your body position and do a tuck.  I suggested maybe if you do the front tuck first, then the swoop (but made it clear that the ladder shouldn’t be so rickety).

We did a quick review/overview of bulldogging – tackles, cross-body, etc.  But then it’s onto the main event – stair falls.

Oh boy. We were not looking forward to this.  Everybody has told us that stair falls suck.  And they do. We padded up as much as we can – arms, legs, elbows, knees, back protection, helmet.  It still is falling down the stairs – bumping and hitting along the way.  You try to keep as close to the stairs as possible, so that you’re not falling as far down with each roll.  But it’s miraculous how you still hit wherever your pads aren’t.

Like everyone else, I started a few steps up, and then worked my way up to the top of the stairs – about 10 or 11 steps.  It felt ok, for the most part, except that I tended to extend a bit too much, risking getting my feet or head caught by the railings.  I did it a bunch of times – was just glad to finish without getting banged up too much.

 

 

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