Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of some resources or suggestions on upper-body chain escapes that can be used in conjunction with a straitjacket.

I regularly perform the straitjacket and chains but am looking for some suggestions for different configurations for the chaining. At the moment the punters chain me however they like around my upper body. I'm looking for something a bit more structured in the chaining up, that will make the procedure a bit more interesting and predictable and look better than just having the chain wrapped around the torso.

Thanks in advance!

Tim

You can only structure a precise chain wrap by using your own assistants.
Using your own assistants will take away from the authenticity, usually.

The only person who knows that you’re not being completely secured is you. The volunteers think they are doing a good job.
I personally feel you might be overthinking.

Thanks for the comments Jay.

Perhaps I'm not explaining myself properly. I've seen several different ways of having spectators chain the performer up using a single chain (50ft, for example). There's letting them go for it however they wish, with little instruction, and then there's giving them specific, structured instructions about how to do the chaining. Both ends of a wide spectrum with quite a lot in between, in my opinion. I have seen the latter performed extremely well without it detracting from the escape - in fact I've seen it lead to the performer looking as if they're far more securely chained. I just wondered if anyone had any thoughts on specific configurations/patterns they've used or seen published.

My philosophy is to continue thinking about a routine even when it's working well, and to continue refining it where possible until I think it's as strong as it can possibly be (and consistently so). This is one of the refinements I'm keen to experiment with.

Just call out directions as you would on the rope tie.
"Don't forget to get my shoulder"
"You can go up and down, you don't have to go in a circle"
"Anywhere but around my neck. It's not a rope you can cut"
"Its OK to thread the chain through itself / that makes it harder for me"