Slackline Literature Survey

This document aims to do an abstract level survey of the existing published research related to slacklining. It does not aim to be exhaustive of all papers, rather its purpose is to find representative papers for the different categories of paper, with a special emphasis on papers related to explaining how people balance on slacklines (as opposed to purported benefits of doing so).

Slackline Dynamics

Athanasiadis, Panos J. “Slackline Dynamics and the Helmholtz–Duffing Oscillator.” European Journal of Physics 39, no. 1 (December 2017): 014002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/aa9973. - Covers the standard dynamics of the slackline itself, with equations.

Athanasiadis, Panos J. “On the Behavior of Slackline Webbings under Dynamic Loads and the Simulation of Leash Falls.” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology 233, no. 1 (March 1, 2019): 75–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754337118794798. - Discusses slackline dynamics when subjected to fast, significant forces.

A Practical Analysis of Slackline Forces - William Conley, 2006 - unpublished - Derives ordinary differential equations for movement in line, solvable under a linearity assumption. Compare to Athanasiadis 2017 above.

Slackline Control Theory

Iqbal, Kamran. “An LMI Approach to Controller Design for Balancing over Slackline.” In 2019 IEEE 15th International Conference on Control and Automation (ICCA), 236–41, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCA.2019.8900024. - Makes a three degree of freedom model of a slackline and slackliner system, then designs a controller for it using linear matrix inequality.

Paoletti, P., and L. Mahadevan. “Balancing on Tightropes and Slacklines.” Journal of The Royal Society Interface 9, no. 74 (April 18, 2012): 2097–2108. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2012.0077. - Formulates a minimal model and develops a control strategy for it. However, it does not compare the control strategy to physiological movements (see Vallery, Neumann)

Gabel, Charles Philip, Bernard Guy, Hamid Reza Mokhtarinia, and Markus Melloh. “Slacklining: A Narrative Review on the Origins, Neuromechanical Models and Therapeutic Use.” World Journal of Orthopedics 12, no. 6 (June 18, 2021): 360–75. https://doi.org/10.5312/wjo.v12.i6.360. - Behavior based control. model with a lot of background, published in a questionable journal, generally seems fishy

Slacklining Balance Strategies

Vallery, Heike, and Julia Neumann. “Balancing on Slacklines: Modeling and Empirical Evaluation,” 2013. - Use a relatively sophisticated model of the slackliner, assuming minimal energy expenditure and maximal margin of stability, and compared model predictions to experimental data. Calculated measures for energy consumption, stability, and leg decoupling. Found skilled slackliners use less energy and decouple their stance leg from their upper body compared to less skilled slackliners, but found no evidence for arms as dominant producer of angular momentum.

Huber, Philipp, and Reinhard Kleindl. “A Case Study on Balance Recovery in Slacklining.” In Proc. of the Int. Conf. on Biomechanics in Sports, 2010. - Used a vicon motion capture system to record perturbations on the line, and then analyzed center of mass trajectory, energy contributions, and joint actuation patterns.

Mildren, R. L., M. Zaback, A. L. Adkin, L. R. Bent, and J. S. Frank. “Learning to Balance on a Slackline: Development of Coordinated Multi-Joint Synergies.” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 28, no. 9 (2018): 1996–2008. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13208. - Focused on the development of coordination during the learning process. Describes joint pairs moving either in or out of phase, indicating developed movement synergies.

Singh, Rajat Emanuel, Kamran Iqbal, and Gannon White. “Proficiency-Based Recruitment of Muscle Synergies in a Highly Perturbed Walking Task (Slackline).” Engineering Reports 2, no. 10 (2020): e12253. https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12253. - Used electromyography on three different skill levels of slackliner in order to investigate muscle synergies. Found different muscle symmetries across different skill levels.

Gabel, Charles Philip, Bernard Guy, Hamid Reza Mokhtarinia, and Markus Melloh. “Slacklining: An Explanatory Multi-Dimensional Model Considering Classical Mechanics, Biopsychosocial Health and Time.” World Journal of Orthopedics 12, no. 3 (March 18, 2021): 102–18. https://doi.org/10.5312/wjo.v12.i3.102. - An all encompassing model of how people slackline, focused on a general conception of behavior studies

Kodama, Kentaro, Yusuke Kikuchi, and Hideo Yamagiwa. “Whole-Body Coordination Skill for Dynamic Balancing on a Slackline.” edited by Mihoko Otake, Setsuya Kurahashi, Yuiko Ota, Ken Satoh, and Daisuke Bekki, 10091:528–46. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50953-2_39. - Investigates fundamental skills used in slacklining

Serrien, Ben, Hohenauer, Erich, Clijsen, Ron, Baeyens, Jean-Pierre and Ursula Hohenauer-Küng. Balance Coordination Strategies on Slacklines: Analysis By Means of Self-Organizing Maps. In 5th Motor Control Conference (2016) - Uses self-organizing map analysis to investigate kinematic strategies of balance.

Slackline Performance Indicators and Measures of Stability

Stein, Kevin, and Katja Mombaur. “Performance Indicators for Stability of Slackline Balancing.” In 2019 IEEE-RAS 19th International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids), 469–76, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1109/Humanoids43949.2019.9035004. - Using motion capture recording, analyzes 11 subjects of various skill level to evaluate a variety of potential performance indicators

Stein, Kevin, and Katja Mombaur. “A Quantitative Comparison of Slackline Balancing Capabilities of Experts and Beginners.” Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 4 (March 10, 2022): 831362. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2022.831362. - Compared novice to professional slackliners to evaluate thirty balance metrics.

Kodama, Kentaro, Hideo Yamagiwa, and Yusuke Kikuchi. “Effects of Slackline Training on Dynamic Postural Balancing.” In Proceedings of Second International Workshop on Skill Science (SKL 2015), 48–49, 2015. - Describes limits of static balance parameters, uses non-linear time series analysis instead

Slacklining as Balance Training

Pfusterschmied, Jürgen, Michael Buchecker, Martin Keller, Herbert Wagner, Wolfgang Taube, and Erich Müller. “Supervised Slackline Training Improves Postural Stability.” European Journal of Sport Science 13, no. 1 (January 1, 2013): 49–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2011.583991. - Four weeks of slackline training improves postural stability in single leg stance on both stable surfaces and during perturbations.

Volery, Samuel, Navrag Singh, Eling D. de Bruin, Renate List, Marc Morten Jaeggi, Brigitte Mattli Baur, and Silvio Lorenzetti. “Traditional Balance and Slackline Training Are Associated with Task-Specific Adaptations as Assessed with Sensorimotor Tests.” European Journal of Sport Science 17, no. 7 (August 9, 2017): 838–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2017.1317833. - Slacklining is complimentary to, but not as effective as, conventional training for an MFT stability test, jump height, and leg press. Overall slackline training time was quite low.

Donath, Lars, Ralf Roth, Lukas Zahner, and Oliver Faude. “Slackline Training (Balancing Over Narrow Nylon Ribbons) and Balance Performance: A Meta-Analytical Review.” Sports Medicine 47, no. 6 (June 1, 2017): 1075–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0631-9. - Meta analysis of slackline balance training, shows large task specific benefits, only moderate transferred benefits. Recommends supplementing slackline training with other balance training.

Dordevic, Milos, Anita Hökelmann, Patrick Müller, Kathrin Rehfeld, and Notger G. Müller. “Improvements in Orientation and Balancing Abilities in Response to One Month of Intensive Slackline-Training. A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 11 (2017). https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00055. - One month of intensive slackline training had significant effects on the vestibular system function, resulting in significantly better closed eye balance.

Serrien, Ben, Erich Hohenauer, Ron Clijsen, Wolfgang Taube, Jean-Pierre Baeyens, and Ursula Küng. “Changes in Balance Coordination and Transfer to an Unlearned Balance Task after Slackline Training: A Self-Organizing Map Analysis.” Experimental Brain Research 235, no. 11 (November 1, 2017): 3427–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-017-5072-7. - Used a self organizing map analysis to visualize information about balance strategies before and after slackline training.

Granacher, U., N. Iten, R. Roth, and A. Gollhofer. “Slackline Training for Balance and Strength Promotion.” International Journal of Sports Medicine, July 30, 2010, 717–23. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0030-1261936. - Slackline training leads to improved rate of force developments, but disappear after training stops.

Reyes Ferrada, Waleska, Paula Plaza, Daniel Jerez Mayorga, Luis Javier Chirosa Ríos, and Luis Peñailillo. “Effects of Slackline Training on Core Endurance and Dynamic Balance,” 2021. https://digibug.ugr.es/handle/10481/67820. - Regular slackliners perform similarly on the star balance test stable condition to active individuals, but significantly better in the unstable condition

Slacklining and General Fitness

Wachowicz, Bartłomiej, and Sebastian Rutkowski. “Effects of Slackline Training on Elements of Physical Fitness: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis” 7, no. 1 (July 20, 2021). https://ojs.umb.sk/index.php/sjss/article/view/509. - Slacklining improves jump performance in healthy adults

Pfusterschmied, Jürgen, Thomas Stöggl, Michael Buchecker, Stefan Lindinger, Herbert Wagner, and Erich Müller. “Effects of 4-Week Slackline Training on Lower Limb Joint Motion and Muscle Activation.” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 16, no. 6 (November 1, 2013): 562–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2012.12.006. - Slacklining increases postural control and rectus femoris activation

Plaza, Paula, Paula Bustamente, Valentina Ramírez, Ricardo Ghiorzi, Paula Concha, and Oscar Achiardi. “Improvement of Attention and Memory in Slackline Practitioners: A Descriptive Study.” Challenges: New Trends in Physical Education, Sports and Recreation, 2023. - Slackline practice leads to increased memory and attention

Slackline Training Apparatus

Forystek, Kristina. “LED Slackline.” Senior Project for the Electrical Engineering Department, California Polytechnic State University, 2016. - Makes LEDs suspended from the line react to movement of the line by using an accelerometer

Felix Kosmalla, Christian Murlowski, Florian Daiber, and Antonio Krüger. 2018. Slackliner - An Interactive Slackline Training Assistant. In "Proceedings of the 26th ACM international conference on Multimedia (MM '18)". Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 154–162. https://doi.org/10.1145/3240508.3240537 - Used Microsoft Kinect for visual feedback on slackline performance

Slacklining and Balance Deficiencies

Santos, Luis, Javier Fernandez-Rio, Kristian Winge, Beatriz Barragán-Pérez, Vicente Rodríguez-Pérez, Vicente González-Díez, Miguel Blanco-Traba, Oscar E. Suman, Charles Philip Gabel, and Javier Rodríguez-Gómez. “Effects of Supervised Slackline Training on Postural Instability, Freezing of Gait, and Falls Efficacy in People with Parkinson’s Disease.” Disability and Rehabilitation 39, no. 16 (July 31, 2017): 1573–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2016.1207104. - "Slacklining is a simple, safe, and challenging training and rehabilitation tool for PD patients. It could be introduced into their physical activity routine to reduce the risk of falls and improve confidence related to fear of falling."

Slacklining and Age

Schärli, Andrea, Melanie Keller, Silvio Lorenzetti, Kurt Murer, and Rolf van de Langenberg. “Balancing on a Slackline: 8-Year-Olds vs. Adults.” Frontiers in Psychology 4 (2013). https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00208. - Compared 8-year olds to young adults in a variety of measures while slacklining. The 8 year olds had lower postural stability, due in part to lower head and gaze stability. Measures were: "time on the slackline, stability on the slackline (calculated from slackline reaction force), gaze movement, head-in-space rotation and translation, trunk-in-space rotation, and head-on-trunk rotation."

Donath, L., R. Roth, L. Zahner, and O. Faude. “Slackline Training and Neuromuscular Performance in Seniors: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 26, no. 3 (2016): 275–83. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12423. - Slackline training with median age of 65. "Slackline training induced large task-specific improvements of slackline standing performance accompanied with reductions of lower limb and trunk muscle activity. Transfer effects to static balance and strength measures seem limited."

Slacklining and Other Sports

Athos Trecroci, Luca Cavaggioni, Michele Lastella, Marco Broggi, Enrico Perri, F. Marcello Iaia & Giampietro Alberti (2018) Effects of traditional balance and slackline training on physical performance and perceived enjoyment in young soccer players, Research in Sports Medicine, 26:4, 450-461, DOI: 10.1080/15438627.2018.1492392