The Wrong Body
Over the last couple of years I’ve been thinking about SRT (okay, for the last thirty-odd…) but in this case I’ve been considering how the standard set up of Sit Stand is optimised for a particular body type. With the more diverse demographic venturing into the vertical world, it has become increasingly clear to me that the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t actually work.
I’ll try to bring some conclusions out on here over the next bit of time.
Because there are many different body types, there are many different issues with a corresponding number of potential solutions. Please NB that if I ever call these ‘hacks’ you’re welcome to shoot me.
It might be a bit of a suggestions splurge, but with luck there’ll be something in there for enough people to be worth doing. Keep an eye out.
Comments (3)
There isn’t any such thing as a wrong body – but there is wrong SRT gear!
OMG! Yes!
– The “neutral hang” position can vary in the extreme from sitting to lying flat – this is usually described as people being “top-heavy” but many factors can be at play.
– People with poor upper body & core strength may not be physically able to pass a hanging rebelay, or unhook a poorly-placed deviation, which requires holding body weight with one arm while unhooking a carabiner with the other. If they are not shown some alternative/additional tricks they may avoid SRT altogether.
– The “correct” length of the safety cord and foot loop needs to take into account the persons flexibility / active reach (eg when tired) not just the “theoretical” correct length based on their height/arm length etc.
– I think it’s a shame that “Frog” is really the only SRT setup encountered in the UK.
– With kit being really expensive it’s not easy to try different options to find kit that works best for YOU!
I think it would be really cool if you put the same person in different harnesses (or adjusted them differently) and took pictures of their rope position…
Brilliant idea Joanna, we will start thinking about your photo suggestion.