Suspension

by Gryphon
used by permission

I frequently employ suspension techniques to great advantage but there are some concerns. First of all, a good pair of suspension cuffs is a must. I currently make two styles, one semi-traditional and one not. I do not use the traditional 'T' style of suspension cuff, which wraps around the wrist with a tongue leading up between thumb and fingers to the D-Ring. If you think about that design, it forces the subject to bend his/her wrist when grasping the tongue, moving his/her wrist out of its natural position of function, and then you PUT WEIGHT ON THAT? Wrists are only meant to take so much... instead I use a 'Y' shape where the tongue comes up from the band at an angle, allowing it to be grasped in a 'natural position'. The end result is no numbness in the hands or parasthesia (pins and needles) after a few minutes of hanging. In fact, for ANY sustained frame play where weight may be placed upon the wrists for any length of time, I use these.

For more serious suspension work, I use a mitten design, a new style of suspension cuff, fitted around the wrist and over the back of the hand and fingers as they curl naturally around a reinforced bar. Grasping the bar distributes a lot of the weight usually placed on the wrists, allowing for a more comfortable session devoid of most numbness and strain from suspension. I have found an interesting side market for these... Several professional Subs in NYC have bought these from me... You see, if you bend your wrist as you grasp the bar inside, the person tightening it may THINK the wrist is fastened tight but in fact, relaxing the wrist achieves a loose fit... so if one of these subs has a problem, the sub need only release the bar and he/she is out. The other benefit is they look big and ominous

Other considerations in Suspension include the suspension rigging itself... You don't hang a 125# body from a plant hook screwed into the plaster of a ceiling... you need to suspend from proper hardware fixed to supporting members of a frame or structure. The other consideration is 'load bearing weight'... Without getting into physics or structural strengths of materials, if a rope says 200 lb test, consider that that is 200 lbs. of 'dead weight'. People wriggle and jiggle... 'Active weight' is considered usually to be FIVE TIMES the 'dead weight... So if you have a 200lb suspendee, you need something calculated out to 1000 lbs test.

When suspending someone, always consider safety aspects... are they strong enough to be suspended... if they can't hold themselves up for thirty seconds, I wouldn't suspend them longer than that... they're not built for it... Folks with shoulder and rotator cuff problems are Right Out. And consider your 'out'... keep a chair or stool handy so that they can stand... sometimes they just need a sec, sometimes they need Down Right Now. And if they are completely lost to you? Invest in some Harness (Breakaway) Clips from your local tack shop. These are designed to release if 500 or 1000 lbs are placed on them (ie A horse suddenly panicking trying to bolt...). The nice thing about these, as opposed to boathooks which are weaker than they seem, is that they do not require you to lift a sagging form to release him/her... They open right up and you can safely take them down.

Finally, let's be realistic folks... We're not suspending someone over the Grand Canyon or a bed of spikes... we're creating a Scene here... a foot or two off the ground should be more than sufficient to create the illusion and sensations desired here, especially if your subject is blindfolded... Start slowly, test your equipment and remember 'Gryphon's Golden Rule: Don't Be Stupid, Don't Be a Jerk '. As with any new play, approach it slowly, intelligently, and cautiously... and enjoy your introduction to Swinging in a more literal sense!