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 Explanation: A blitz is not so much a rope move as it is a motion. This term refers to the horizontal movement of a worm across a passage via use of repeated swings of the rope. Mastering the blitz is very important because you do it so often while roping. However, new ropers tend to have trouble performing a controlled, high speed blitz. (Examine the roping concepts for speed and timing.) The following are tips that may help you improve you blitzing skills. 1. To maintain high speed while blitzing you will need to hold down the arrow in the direction you are moving and pull up on the rope slightly on each connection you make before releasing again. Do hard bounces off objects/walls you encounter. 2. It is best to try keep as straight of line as possible while blitzing to help avoid losing control. By straight line I mean that the rope is the same length on each connection. You can keep a fairly straight line by making minor corrections on each connection you make. If you find your rope is getting longer on each swing, you can correct this by pulling up more than you usually do. If the length seems to keep getting shorter, you can correct it by pushing down briefly instead of up. A word of caution though, do NOT wait too long to make corrections. Making a large correction in a single swing will throw off your fluency and possibly make things difficult for you to control. 3. You should have an angle somewheres between 135 to 175 degrees on each release while blitzing. Let's consider the pros and cons of the two extremes. A. It is much easier to control. Cons: A. It requires a fairly long rope so that you don't plung yourself into the roof. This means it cannot be done in narrow passages. B. The increase in vertical fling results in slower speeds. C. It makes you look more noobie. D. It decreases some of your precise control. This means you are not being able to make quick changes as easily. A. It grants you the ability to have more precise control in your roping. B. You can blitz with either a short to long rope; although a short or medium length is easier. C. It looks cool and adds to your style. D. If done properly, you can reach the maximum possible blitzing speed. Cons: A. It is difficult to control and requires more precise timing. The slightest error will plunge you into disaster. B. It requires increased hand movement which can cause your hands to cramp up. =[ 4. Stay in control. Don't try to go faster than you can handle. You will get faster with practice, don't worry. Until then, do your best; which means not launching yourself into the roof or ground every turn you take. 5. When going from wall to wall (w2w), try to make the rope attach as close to the wall as possible (while still attaching to the roof). This increases your speed and control, and looks a lot better... believe me. Case Examination: Viewing my blitz example, I can spot a number of flaws... can you? That's right! I released at a good time on my first swing, about a 165 degree angle. On my second swing it's not so good, about a +/-180 degree angle. My third swing is the worst, about a -170 degree angle. This caused my rope to keep getting longer and longer, which I did not correct like I should have. (although I did compensate a little bit by decreasing the intervals between my rope connections). I also did not attach as close to the right wall as I would have liked to. It might be hard to tell from the video because some frames are missing, but you can view the replay if you wish. Well, you now know my flaws... do you know your own? Practice blitzing and take note of any flaws you notice; then work to correct them. Back to index |
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