Jumping stilts, bounce stilts or spring stilts are special stilts that allow the user to run, jump and perform various acrobatics. Spring stilts using fiberglass leaf springs were patented in the United States in 2004 under the trademark "PowerSkip", marketed for recreational and extreme sports use.[Alexander Böck (13 April 2004) "Device for helping a person to walk".] Spring stilts are often mostly made of aluminium. Using these stilts is also called "bocking" or "powerbocking", derived from Alexander Böck, the stilts' inventor.
Powerbocking
The act of "bocking" or "powerbocking" includes jumping, running, and performing acrobatics with elastic-like spring-loaded
stilts.
They can be used to jump great distances and allow the user to bounce over people and cars and to perform backflips. For some, it is an
extreme sport; for others, it is a form of exercise, artistic expression and a form of entertainment.
The stilts are often referred to generically as bocks or powerbocks; as power stilts, jumping stilts, bounce stilts or spring stilts; or by their brand name.
Description
Each boot consists of a foot-plate with
snowboard type locking straps, rubber foot pad which is also commonly called a hoof, and a
fibreglass leaf spring. Using only their weight, and few movements, the user is generally able to
jumping 3–5 ft (1–1.5 metres) off the ground and
running up to 20 mph (32 km/h). They also give the ability to take up to 9-foot (2.7 metres) strides.
Jumping stilts were used in the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.
Brands
They were originally patented by Alexander Böck, from Germany (European Patent EP 1 196 220 B1 on 2 July 2003, US Patent No. 6,719,671 B1 on 13 April 2004, both with a priority date of 20 July 1999), as "Powerskip". Many people also use common brand names to refer to them generically.
[See introduction on the forum: ] Common brand names are 7 League Boots, Air-Trekkers, Powerizers, Pro-Jump, and Powerskips.
Risks
On 4 December 2010
Samuel Koch was heavily injured during the show
Wetten, dass..? during a stunt where he attempted to jump over multiple moving cars in succession. He failed to clear one of the moving vehicles and was left
tetraplegia after suffering severe injuries to his neck and spine.
Competition
Two competitions exist in France: the Nancy Power Days (since 2009) in Nancy
and the Riser Winter Cup (since 2015) in Lille.
Similar devices
Though similar in appearance, jumping stilts are not to be confused with the use of prosthetic devices such as those used by paralympic runners
Oscar Pistorius or
Jonnie Peacock.
Moon shoes and PyonPyon jumpers
Similar devices appear in the Portal video game series, allowing the protagonist, Chell, to survive falls from great height unharmed. Though, they do not affect her ability to walk or jump.
An English folklore figure spring-heeled Jack has been conjectured by some investigators to have been a prankster using spring-loaded leaping aids as early as 1837.
Spring stilts using steel coil springs, an antecedent of the pogo stick, were attempted in the 19th century.[George H. Heerington (22 February 1881) "Spring-stilt".][Nicholas Yagn (21 October 1890) "Apparatus for facilitating walking".]
External links
