Arch Explanation: The arch is a method of reaching the opposite side of a small piece of land. You must release from the rope at a negative angle somewheres between -90 to 0 degrees; depending on your velocity and the size of the object you are arching over. Give a brief delay to fly over the object and then shoot the rope to catch the land on the opposite side. In most arch cases, you will get your needed velocity by bouncing against the object you plan on arching over. In this example I did a hard bounce against the object and continued to pull up and hold right until I released. I released at about a -80 to -70 degree angle. Arch Variations [Mexi} A mexi is the same as an arch except it requires that you fly over an entire object or island. (large-scale) [Arch} An Arch is the same as a mexi except it requires that you fly over a portion of an object or island. (small-scale) The arch really should have been named the mini-mexi like the other moves adopted the term "mini", but for some odd reason it was given a completely different name. [Flagpole Arch} Most arches require that you release at an angle close to -90 degrees, such as the one in the example. However, it is possible to perform arch by releasing at an angle closer to 0 degrees. This usually requires that you push down before releasing to reduce your horizontal velocity. This type of arch somewhat resembles a flagpole and works through the same principle as a flagpole. It is therefore fitting to refer to this type of arch as a flagpole arch. However, due to the arch momentum of the worm used in performing this move; it would not be fitting to refer to this move simply as a flagpole. (See rrkit) [Tapstart} This is an arch that relies upon the momentum of the backflip instead of upon roping momentum. You must stand fairly close to the object you wish to arch. Perform a backflip and quickly attach/release the rope to the small object. If done properly, the fling will give you enough forward momentum to lunge the worm over the tiny object. (See rrkit) Note: Do not confuse the arch with an inlaw. It is difficult to clearly define the two with words because players often mix together the properties of each move. However, there are a number of characteristics that can be used to help distinguish between the two. 1. With an inlaw, the angle of the rope upon the bounce will be somewhere's around -90 to 0 degrees. With an arch, the angle of the rope upon a bounce will be somewhere's below -90 degrees. 2. An inlaw requires that you bounce against land before release, while this is not a requirement of the arch. 3. An arch reqiuires that you fly over some sort of an object and catch to its opposite side (something that sticks out), while you are not required to fly over an object when inlawing. 4. With an arch, the rope cuff is generally attached to the same side of the object that you release on, while with an inlaw, the rope cuff is generally attached to the same side you catch on. Players tend to refer to a move as being an inlaw even if the angle of the initial bounce is below the -90 degree mark. This region overlaps the initial bounce angle of an arch, and therefore can make it impossible to properly distinguish the two apart. Personally, I feel the defining characteristic of an inlaw should be when the initial bounce angle is between >=-90 and <0 degrees (top left quadrant). The initial bounce angle for the arch should be defined as being between <-90 and >0 degrees (bottom left/right & top right quadrant). Back to index