I hope this is the best place to post this, apologies if it's not.
So I've been searching everywhere on the net trying to find more info on schools I could learn to tightrope at, more specifically a place near Michigan. I've had horrible luck in my searches and was hoping someone here would have some good recomendations of either places or perhaps even people to learn from. Right now I'm just looking for tightrope training specifically. Also any good resources on the subject would be appreciated.

I taught myself...with a bit of guidence from my mentor Dextre Tripp.

Get a couple 2-ton comealongs from Lowes or Home Depot and some rope...then find two trees or strong posts and set everything up.

PM me for more specific info.


Brett.

If you use trees for anchoring, put some pieces of 2x4 between the anchor ropes and the trees, or you'll destroy the bark and the next couple of layers, which is not good for the tree.

Start a couple of feet from the ground, so you can jump off when necessary. If you have to jump, just do it. If you try to stay on, you'll end up hurting yourself worse, when you fall, because you will fall.

Different people have different ideas of what the rope itself should be. Some like 1/2" steel cable. Some like 1" nautical ropes, or heavier. Put eyes into the ends, so that the rope isn't ripped up by the come-alongs.

Practice.

Well...there ya go...


Brett.

I will see if I can dig out some plans I have for a low practise rig. I did have two sets of plans, one for wood, one for metal (welded). Both about 12 feet long, 18 inchs high.

The heavy duty webbing tensioners (as used for tightening webbing on trunk loads) are perfect for tensioning smaller low rigs and slack ropes.

You can teach yourself, I did, and I ended up walking the wire in the circus for a while. I miss it now

I'm definetely interested in obtaining some plans. I have some great show ideas with this skill and plan on possibly only doing it a 4-6 feet off the ground. I found a portable one for sale but would like to build one if it's cheaper.
I don't have a backyard with trees so that method won't work, and I don't want to hurt them. So a portable practice tightrope would be ideal for me.

You could plant some trees and aim to be the oldest person tightrope walking in their own back yard when they are ready.

If anyone gets you some plans for a portable rig could you pass them on to me? I am a committee member for a juggling club and it is something we might look at later in the year.

Thanks Dave

The only place I saw some stuff was on circusnews.com

shouldn't be too hard to reverse engineer up a heavy duity rig for higher use.

I did do searching on circusnews.com and found plans for one but would like to compair it to others to find the best (and cheapest) way to build one.
For anyone interested heres the link for those plans:
http://www.circusnews.com/modules.php?na......;tid=386
But if anyone has better plans I'd appreciate it!

When you start, a balancing hint...

imagine a string, from somewhere up there, to the top of your head, holding you up. Adjust your head and posture, to maximize the benefit of the string.

If you look down, you'll overbalance, so don't. It's a thing you do, by feel.

Also, do yoga.

Sounds like my years of Ballet training will help with this... I had a teacher that would wack the back of our calves with a pointer if we looked down at our feet... Man it would hurt after a few times!

I appreciate the words of advice! Thank you Harley!