Come to find out, stilt walking is an ancient art form. You have probably seen someone walking on stilts at the circus or in a Mardi Gras parade yet archaeological ruins and written texts show stilt walking was practiced in Greece as far back as the 6th century BC. There are many different styles yet basically stilts are poles, posts or pillars used to allow a person or structure to stand at a height above the ground. Today stilts can be used for various purposes: as a prop in entertainment, as a tool to enable other types of work to be achieved such as work in an orchard, window washing, ceiling painting or drywall hanging. In fact, shepherds in the Gascony area of south-western France use stilts to oversee their flocks and fishermen in Sri Lanka still use stilts to perch above the surf. Stilts are also often used as part of a hobby or recreation. You know, just plain ol’ smiling and having fun.
I remember when I was growing up I had some walking stilts. Actually they were these plastic cups with a rope attached to each cup which where long enough I could hold in my hands. I would place a foot on top of each cup and pull each rope tight and walk about as if on stilts. Good times.
They looked something like this-
They were good for me then though they sure have evolved over the years.
If you decide to get some stilts there are many resources on the Internet to teach you how to use them. Afterdark Productions has a fine page you can read here describing how to use stilts. They suggest finding an area you can fix a rope between two points like two trees or two lamp posts. Later you will use this rope to sort of help you maintain your balance as you learn to use your stilts. the interesting thing I learned from their page was “You can’t stand still until you are a master stilt walker!” They suggest first learning to use your stilts by “marking time” which is the name for walking in one spot.
My friend Little Woo had a curiosity about stilt walking and when given the opportunity to learn she did noting less than jump at the chance. The learning became a part of her Follow Your Fetish series and you can read about it here. She even posted a really cool video of her learning to use the stilts and then using them at Burning Man. Be sure to check it out here.
Dr. Seuss even wrote a book about stilt walking called “The King’s Stilts
What ever you use stilts for, if I see it chances are I will be smiling. I have not tried stilt walking since I was a child yet today I am seriously thinking about giving it a try. Why not right? Could be a lot of fun! And what is wrong with that?
Are you interested in learning to walk on stilts and relive those childhood smiles? Why not pick up a set of Air-Trekker Jumping Stilts CZ70 Adult Edition from Amazon today?
Have you ever used stilts? Do you still use them today? Click here to leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.
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great page, love the line keeping your head in the clowds.