Purpose
Explores hanging part or most of one's weight off a partner's stable frame — traction, grip, and the delicious length of a hung spine. A lower-risk cousin of lifts: no flight, but real weight-bearing and trust.
Setup
Pairs, roughly matched or strong base. Warm.
Play
- "Base: make a strong, grounded frame — a wide stable stance, a braced offered arm or shoulder or hip."
- "Hanger: give your weight down through a grip — hang from the offered frame, letting your spine and limbs lengthen. Feet stay light, or briefly leave the floor."
- "Explore different hangs — from clasped hands, from the shoulders, draped over a hip. Feel the traction."
- Switch roles.
Cues
"Hang from the strong bones." · "Base: root and brace." · "Let the weight lengthen you."
Variations
- Easier: feet stay grounded; partial hang only.
- Harder: fuller hangs with feet off; moving while one hangs.
Debrief
"What did it feel like to fully commit your weight to a grip? Base — where did you have to be strong?"
Watch For
Base keeps a neutral, braced spine and never hangs weight off their own lumbar; grip must be secure (dry hands); build gradually and release gradually. Not a yank — a settle.