In slacklining, humping describes a back and forth movement of the line. This mainly occurs in a long and stretchy highline. The word “humping” literally means “having sex”. And when the movement occurs, the slackliner will understand where this expression comes from…
Why does highline humping occur?
The reason for highline humping is simple physics. When a forces is applied in direction of the slackline, this one will stretch to one side and shrink to the other. And a split second later, the effect will turn around as the system is seeking to redress the balance. The force is initiated by the mass inertia of the slackliner who is acceleration or going for a sudden stop.
On what kind of slackline does humping occur?
Humping can be felt on nylon lines of 150m+, polyester lines of 400m+ and Dyneema lines of 800m+. The longer and stretchier the highline, the more you can feel it. It basically happens also on short lines, but the movements are just too small to be felt.
Is it fun or annoying?
If you are just out there on the slackline to enjoy yourself, then you can play with humping. You could even “side-surf” the line if there is enough stretch in the system. In the video you can see Samuel Volery play on a 400m long pinkTube. This leads to a crazy feeling of a 3D-movement.
However, if you want to send a line and should not fall, then humping can be pretty annoying as it makes the line more difficult. If you get off-balance and have to balance on one leg only, then huping might be the thing that throws you down. Samuel Volery actually fell due to humping on a Highline World Record attempt. On a 1’150m long polyester line rigged on halfMarathon, he was walking steadily when wind came in. Sam had to kick one leg out to keep his balance. But then the line moved backwards, causing Sam to fall. Not to the side but to the front, onto the line.
Written By:
SLACKTIVITY Slacklines co-founder, managing partner and team athlete, Samuel Volery olds multiple highline world records (1900m – September 2019) and has a spectacular and versatile style when performing highline-shows.