Lower Body Harness Variety Pack Options
This is intended to accompany Shay's Lower Body Harness Variety Pack class and is not stand-alone material.
Depending on the size and skill level of the class, we will likely get to do two or three of these. Which ones we cover will be decided based on popular demand (we’ll take a vote at the beginning of the hands-on portion of the class). Your vote counts!
Prereq reminder: Anyone is welcome to observe. The hands-on portions of the class are fast-paced and require a strong knowledge of floorwork basics such as tension, placement, negotiation, and consent, as well as techniques including lark's head, half hitch, and combining rope. Body and health awareness to participate safely at a level appropriate for your body. If you lose us, I hope you can switch gears, observe, and build skills for next time!
There are dozens of popular lower body harnesses and infinite variations within these! Many factors influence which harnesses will work best for a particular person, in a specific suspension, at a certain time. These can include individual differences in nerve vulnerability, placement preferences, priorities, intention, experience/habituation, etc.
Harness selection tends to involve trade-offs – for example, hip harnesses with a lot more structure and support tend to limit leg movement.
My primary focuses are mobility and self-suspension, so the harnesses I teach are better for self-tying and moving around in the air.
These ties are based on commonly taught patterns and techniques (for example, weaving is one of the oldest surviving crafts in the world, tracing back to Neolithic times). Where I can, I've credited where I originally learned these patterns. The way I tie them has evolved over the years, often with modifications my partner Angel comes up with. Ultimately, there's nothing new under the sun…
Difficulties are rated according to my subjective judgments, where 1 is the easiest (think a reverse tension and half hitch single column) and 5 is the most difficult (I've learned lower body harnesses I'd rate as a 5, and then promptly forgot them, because…well, they were very complex. Nothing in this class exceeds a 4).
I timed myself while self-tying the harnesses for the photos that follow – this number (rounded up to the nearest 30 seconds) is provided to give a feel for how long it takes to tie these relative to each other.
1) Swiss Seat (with added butt wrap)
Features: Stem across the front, hip band secured directly to thigh bands. Here I’ve done two wraps per band, but you could do three (or more). I like very low placement for my hip wrap, but this could be placed higher if desired.
Difficulty (partnered tying): 2
Difficulty (self-tying): 2
Time to tie: 3 minutes
Best position(s): Face up (including positions like bridge)
Potential pitfalls: Not as good for face-down or inversion (nerve exposure, less sustainable). If you prefer both hip and waist loading, other hip harness designs are a better fit.
2) Woven hip harness
Features: Three-wrap bands around the thighs and bilateral hips. While there is a waist wrap, it is an anchor and does not significantly load when hangers are attached as shown.
Difficulty (partnered tying): 3
Difficulty (self-tying): 3.5
Time to tie: 5 minutes
Best position(s): 2-point, face up, face down, inversion
Potential pitfalls: Tension can be tricky. Attaching to the center, while very tempting, is generally full of sadness and fail.
3) Drum harness reinforcement (builds from any of the hip harnesses)
Features: Adds support and comfort to different hip harness designs. Anchors the hip line to the thigh lines to prevent the hip line from riding up or thigh lines from riding down.
Difficulty (partnered tying): 2
Difficulty (self-tie): 3.5
Time to tie (only the time of adding this to an existing harness): 4 minutes
Best position(s): Face up
Pitfalls: Time-consuming, busy aesthetics, and it can be challenging to get the correct tension.
4) Gunslinger
Features: A single hip and thigh band connected at the lateral hip.
Difficulty (partnered tying): 2.5
Difficulty (self-tie): 2.5
Time to tie: 1.5 minutes
Best position(s): Side
Potential pitfalls: Due to the minimal structure, it tends to distort and move out of place. Not good for single-point suspension.
5) Leg ladder harness with thigh anchor
(Note that for class purposes, this leg ladder builds on the gunslinger. Therefore, I generally show them together. The numbers below are for the full leg ladder)
Features: Hip and thigh bands anchored to a stem that runs laterally along the leg, with bands going down the thigh.
Difficulty (partnered tying): 3
Difficulty (self-tie): 3
Time to tie (full harness): 5 minutes
Best position(s): Side, inversion/torsion
Pitfalls: Consistent tension can be difficult to achieve. Depending on the PIR’s leg structure, rope used, etc., it can be very difficult to keep this from sliding down (nylon over slick leggings = maximum difficulty).
6) Mermaid tie
Features: Broad support across the thighs, binding the legs together.
Difficulty (partnered tying): 3
Difficulty (self-tie): 3
Time to tie: 5.5 minutes
Best position(s): Face up, side
Potential pitfalls: Limits mobility, which can increase safety concerns (especially for self-tiers). Difficult to maintain consistent tension. It can be difficult to get between the legs for the frapping turns.
7) Butt Rainbow Thigh Tie of Doom
Features: Bands around each thigh, anchored with a waist wrap (which does not significantly load). Allows excellent mobility.
Difficulty (partnered tying): 3
Difficulty (self-tie): 3.5
Time to tie: 1.5 minutes
Best position(s): Inversion, face up, face down
Potential pitfalls: Nerve vulnerability, especially LFCN. Intense on front of thighs. Doesn't work well for folks with very firm/cylindrical thighs.
8) Bent leg tie/Futomomo
Features: Restrains the leg in a bent position. Pupper is an optional feature and not included in class.
Difficulty (partnered tying): 3
Difficulty (self-tie): 2.5
Time to tie: 3 minutes
Best position(s): Side, inversion, torsions
Pitfalls: Can be intense/painful. Nerve vulnerability and potential for knee damage. Some folks are into it and some really, really aren’t.
