Remember the movie ‘King and the Clown’ that sold over 10 million tickets?
The tightrope walking by the main character was surely enough to cause the heart-pounding excitement. Here is an extreme sport that is gaining huge popularity in Europe and the U.S. It is called ‘Slackline’. -Ed.


  Contrary to Namsadangpae’s tightrope walking, which is performed above the audience’s heads, slackline is a trick-performing sport on a 5 cm wide line that is installed 50 cm high from the ground. The pre-existing rope was round and was installed very tightly, but the slackline’s line is flat and is installed with a little more slack, so elasticity is added. The line’s surface is relatively wide, so it is easier to keep one’s balance than the pre-existing rope, and it has high elasticity, so people can see more splendid acrobatic movements, like full turns in the air.

Tightrope walking only by acrobats is no longer true
  As well as our tightrope walking history, Europe also has a history. In the middle ages, tightrope walking was a big attraction in festivals. Beginning from this time, tightrope walking was passed down by the acrobats and developed into a training program for rock-climbers later. 9 years ago, the Roberts brothers in Germany, who used to enjoy tightrope walking for rock-climbing training, once had a chance to watch a movie clip of Namsadangpae’s tightrope walking that was introduced by a Korean friend in the same college. They gained an idea and made a brand called ‘Gibbon’. Meaning a long-armed ape, Gibbon set the slackline trend after the launch. Later, it made a splendid achievement that has propagated to 43 countries in just 5 years.

Health and interest: chasing two hares at once!
  Some people might retort, “How could it be an exercise?” But slackline has a huge effect. Slackline is an exercise to maintain the body’s balance, so it helps to improve agility and flexibility. It strengthens the spinal and abdominal muscular systems, and it increases the bearing power of certain joints. Also, if you steadily enjoy slackline, it not only decreases the risk of injuries, but it also helps rehabilitation from injuries. Many people in the world can enjoy slackline easily because it is easy to transform any area into a slackline space, just with a line and some space.

Tightrope walking fever back in Korea again!
  The new leisure culture, slackline, is gaining continuous popularity. Slackline has gained popularity in the world’s biggest annual outdoor show ‘European Outdoor Trade Fair’ in Germany, and there is also a Slackline World Cup, touring around 5 countries in the world. Moreover, European countries, including Germany, adopted it as a school class and it also was introduced to junior high school textbooks in Korea in 2012.
  Enjoyed by lots of people in the world, slackline derived from our country’s Namsadangpae’s tightrope walking, but there are not many people who enjoy slackline in Korea in comparison with Europe, the U.S. and Japan. If you feel bored running on a treadmill, how about trying slackline, which is an aerobic, muscular and balance exercise combined with fun?

By Min Tae-kwan
tk36@cbnu.ac.kr