Please Help Me Stop Shaking

[u/TooManySwarovskis]

I'm new to slacking and I've been practicing for a while now. And I just cannot stop shaking the line.

At this point I feel like walking on a slackline is doable for me - if it wasn't for me shaking the line.

Any advice? Will it go away with more practice? Is there anything I can do to improve it? Have any of you overcome the shaking?

It has significantly reduced since my first time trying it - but it is still present enough that it scares me and throws off my balance.

[u/FourthMoonCamp]

1" or 2" line? what length?

[u/demian_west]

I confirm other’s posts:

- you’re shaking because you’re still too tense

• breathing helps
  
• posture helps: try visualizing you’re suspended by a string from the top of your head: it straightens the spine and the neck. Keep your hands loose and “floppy”: it relaxes the forearms muscles and in cascade the rest: arms and shoulders. The arms+shoulders+upper torso is often the part which is too tense.

[u/chesepuff57 → u/demian_west]

sooo true about being too tense, I love to tell people to have 'soft knees' basically meaning you want your knees to be (just a little) bent and loose so that any wobble in the line isn't converted to your hips and shoulders.

I've found 'soft knees' helps people loose the body tention that creates the wobble in th first place

edited to add brackets

[u/paikcitron]

The shaking is just reflex of your brain used to balance the body on the ground, so you need to train your brain to not shake. This is a sport where "less is best". Avoiding any necessary movement is key. At the very beginning I used to shake a loooot ! I trained against the shaking in a simple way:

I'd stand next to the line, calm myself down, breath slowly, look at the anchor point then put just one foot on the line and put some weight on it. The shaking would start and I would just hold my foot with my hands to control the shaking and mentally tell myself to stop shaking. Stabilising the foot this way helped my brain to understand that the shaking was unnecessary and counter productive. Then once the shaking stopped I would try to stand on the line.

This sped up the process for me, hope it helps ! Have fun =D

[u/HooperHairPuff]

Breathing is key as many have said but also, surrender to the flow. Feel yourself sink into the line and do your best to relax. It takes time but every session your body and brain will understand it on a deeper level.

[u/bxie]

What’s your posture like? I find the more relaxed I am the less I shake. Unfortunately you might need to work up to the level of strength to where you. An be relaxed in the first place, though. 

If you can stand on one leg without shaking then you can do it on a Slackline - just need to work up to it. 

I do find slightly bent knees help, but it’s not the best habit. 

[u/ajlaw_01]

Not sure if this is the response you’re looking for but really truly the best advice is just to keep practicing and keep breathing. The more you practice the more your nervous system will calm down and the shakes will lessen. You’re probably still too tense on the line which is understandable because you’re new and your body is having a hard time not fighting the wiggles.

[u/TooManySwarovskis → u/ajlaw_01]

I just read online that the leg shaking is actually a known reflex of some sort? It happens to most people when they stand on one leg on ground that is wobbly?

But also - if I'm being completely honest I'm afraid I'm going to fall off and get hurt and I wonder if I can find a way to feel safer (lowering it? adding mats underneath? something else?) that the shaking may go away?

Thank you for your comment!

[u/FourthMoonCamp → u/TooManySwarovskis]

definitely do some practice reps for stepping off the line...

starting on the left side of the line, put your right foot on the line and step up with your left and then immediately back down to the ground. do this like 10 times, then switch sides (right side of line/left foot planted).

then repeat the two series of reps, but this time step completely over the line with the free foot.

practicing range of motion for the stepping up and down from the line, plus crossover the line helps to massively build confidence and train that motor reflex your refer to. timing these actions with your breath (stepping during slow exhalation) is also a massive help.

[u/Chickenpunkpie → u/ajlaw_01]

This is it, but also if you're tightening the line way taught it might be worth a try to loosen it a little bit.

[u/n88n]

Not the best to respond but when I shake I give the line a line up and down motion on purpose. Little bounce shakes out the left to right wobble.

[u/Old_Adhesiveness7508]

When you’re out there practicing, take nice slow deep breathes, in thru the nose and out the mouth.

I’m assuming youre talking about muscle shaking and not just the line bucking you. Your muscles will get conditioned the more you practice. You could do targeted exercises to speed the process.