In recent years, Jumping Stilts have become very popular and are usually used to perform incredible stunts. They have even been used in the ceremonies of some major sporting events. This is not surprising since jumping stilts are fun to use and enable their users to perform incredible acrobatics and tricks.
Although watching people perform on jumping stilts is amazing to do, most people have reservations when it comes to trying it out themselves. The few I have talked to have expressed fears that jumping stilts may not be able to support their weight. Do you have such fears or have questions concerning how much weight jumping stilts can hold? If so, you need to read this article to the end.
The maximum weight a jumping stilt can hold varies from one jumping stilt to the other. This is because there are different jumping stilts available for various age groups and skill levels. Thus, the amount of weight every jumping stilt model can hold depends on the model and manufacturer. However, in general, the amount of weight jumping stilts can hold ranges from 40 to 250 pounds.
What Are Jumping Stilts?
Jumping stilts are also known as spring stilts or bounce stilts. They are basically a type of stilt that is spring-loaded and strapped onto each leg of the rider. The springs incorporated in jumping stilts are what enable you to jump great heights and perform acrobatics. These springs may be made from either aluminum, carbon fiber, or fiberglass. Jumping stilts enable wearers to walk, jump, run and even perform some acrobatic movements.
Jumping stilts come with a strap for bracing the leg and foot-plates where the wearer can place their foot. These foot-plates come with straps that are used to attach the feet of the rider firmly to the stilt. Some jumping stilts come with extra padding on the calf and foot rests that provide extra comfort to riders. They also prevent riders from sustaining bruises and blisters after riding for long periods.
Standing on a jumping stilt will make you taller. This is because, when you wear a jumping stilt, you are automatically elevated to a height of about 16-20 inches off the ground.
As you may be aware, the term stilt is used to refer to any mechanism you can stand on to become taller. Thus, jumping stilts are just one out of the many different stilts used all over the world. If you are interested in learning about other forms of stilts used in various parts of the world, you should read this article.
Is It Hard To Walk On Jumping Stilts
Using a jumping stilt can be likened to using a trampoline. However, with jumping stilts, you get to move from one place to the other. Before you get started on jumping stilts, you need to choose jumping stilts that will be perfect and safe for you to use. When starting out as a beginner, you need to set up your stilts to a reasonable height. After you have mastered shorter stilts, you can then move on to taller stilts.
On top of that, it is best to start out in areas with level floors and enough room for movement, with walls to serve as support. You can use railings or high fences for support as well if that’s what is available.
The truth is, it can take time before you get used to moving on jumping stilts. In the early stages, it might be quite awkward and exhausting to walk on jumping stilts. Therefore, in case your legs start to feel wobbly after attempting for the first few times, you should not be surprised. You should also be prepared to fall a couple of times. Thus, starting out in soft grass or sand will be ideal.
Ultimately, the only thing that will set you on the way to mastery is practice. Therefore, before you can walk and run effortless whiles wearing jumping stilts you need to spend lots of time practicing. I will leave you with a short video below that will provide you with some tips that will be useful if you intend to try out jumping stilts.
How High Can You Jump On Jumping Stilts?
On average, jumping stilt users can jump to heights of about 1-2 meters off the ground. However, the highest jump ever recorded on a jumping stilt is 2.76 m. This was attained by a German by name Lars Oetken in 2013.
The truth is, the heights you can reach on jumping stilts are dependent on your level of skill. How high you can jump on jumping stilts depends on how hard the stilts are pushed into the ground by the wearer. This is because, whenever the wearer of a jumping stilt jumps up and lands on the ground, the springs in the stilts compress and recoil upwards. This causes the wearer to spring and fly high into the air.
One thing you should note is that the type of stilt you use also plays a role in how high you can jump. Some jumping stilts come with a softer bounce. Others come with a bounce that is relatively harder. Jumping stilts with harder bounces are able to achieve faster speeds and greater heights than those with softer bounces. As I mentioned earlier, jumping stilt springs can be made from either carbon fiber or fiberglass. The springs made from carbon fiber tend to be stronger and spongier thus producing higher jumps.
In summary, how high you can jump on a jumping stilt depends on your skill level and the type of stilt you have.
Do Jumping Stilts Make You Walk/Run Faster?
Yes, jumping stilts make you walk and run relatively faster. This is because wearing a jumping stilt automatically increases the distance of your stride when walking. In fact, some stilt wearers can cover up to 2.7 meters per stride. Technically, walking in a jumping stilt increases your walking speed more than what normal walking does. This increase in walking speed can be attributed to the increase in distance per stride or pace length. However, with jumping stilts, there is a reduction in step rate as compared to normal walking.
Jumping stilts also allow you to run faster than you normally can. This is because when you land on the ground whiles running, jumping stilts spring you up and propel you forward. Therefore, by pushing down more on the feet when landing, you can make your stilts jump even higher whiles increasing the distance between steps as well. Thus, with jumping stilts, you can attain speeds of up to 40 Km/h.
However, due to the weight of jumping stilts, when used for long-distance walking or running, they tend to tire wearers faster.
Are Jumping Stilts Safe?
Yes, jumping stilts are safe to use. However, due to the fact that jumping stilts enable you to perform crazy tricks and jump great heights, there will always be some degree of risk associated with it. Particularly, there is always the risk of getting injured due to falling off. That notwithstanding, there are safety measures that can be adhered to ensure that you jump stilts without getting injured.
One important thing you need to do is, you should always make sure your weight falls within the weight classification range of the jumping stilt you intend to wear. This is because mounting and using a stilt whose weight classification is not ideal for your weight can be quite risky to do and may increase your risk of falling and getting injured.
When you have the perfect jumping stilts, you need to make sure your legs are firmly strapped and fitted onto the stilt when wearing them. This will eliminate the possibility of your legs getting accidentally detached from the stilt. In addition to this, no matter your level of skill, you should only attempt moves and stunts that are reasonably practicable to avoid putting yourself in harm’s way.
Apart from all these, it is advisable to put on protective gadgets whenever you intend to jump stilts. One of the most important safety gadgets you should make a habit of wearing when jumping stilts is a helmet. You should make sure the helmet you wear has a strap on it. Aside from a helmet, you need to invest in knee and elbow pads as well as shin and wrist guards if available. However, aside from the helmet, these are optional.
Can Jumping Stilts Be Used for Exercising?
In short yes, jumping stilts can be used for exercising. Walking, jogging, and running, are all forms of exercise most people engage in. Jumping stilts are a great way of achieving fitness, and can be used for these activities as well. Thus, you can use your stilts for jogging and running. In fact, going jogging on a pair of jumping stilts is a great way of developing core strength and strong legs.
Overall, jumping stilts are a great way of building up cardiovascular fitness. They are a great way of improving body coordination whiles exercising the entire body. Therefore, though using jumping stilts can be fun to do, it can be used for exercising as well.
Apart from jumping stilts, another device that allows you to have fun jumping around whiles getting some much-needed exercise is a pogo stick. To learn why this is so, read this article.
Conclusion
Every jumping stilt is designed to support a particular range of weight and is available for all skill levels and individuals of all ages. Thus, how much weight a jumping stilt can hold will depend on the particular jumping stilt in question. Jumping stilts also vary significantly when it comes to building quality. Build quality also influences the amount of weight a jumping stilt can hold. Therefore, I would advise you to check the manufacturer’s recommendation of any jumping stilt you intend to purchase.
The post How Much Weight Do Jumping Stilts Hold? (Important!) first appeared on Vehicle College.
