The art of Slinky manipulation

There’s playing with a Slinky, which can be super fun, and then there’s slinky-ing—or slinking—which can flat-out dazzle. Slinky manipulation is a relatively new art form that began to spread around the globe in 2010. Like juggling, Slinky performances wow audiences with visually surprising tricks: twists, jumps, bounces, waves, and more.

This Wired: Obsessed video features Josh Jacobs, aka Slinky Josh, one of the best Slinky manipulators in the United States. In it, he shares how to do a few basic tricks, emphasizing that it’s practice, practice, practice that will make your slinking smooth. He also demonstrates what Slinkys work best for these kinds of moves.

Note: There’s a brief audience reaction bleeped at 2m06s.

“Within Slinky manipulation, there are a couple fundamental moves that almost all of the other tricks are built upon. First one of those is called the energy beam…”

“The other fundamental that you can build a ton of different tricks out of is called the basic bounce… I can make this harder by bouncing off of the ground, for instance. Another way I can make the bounce more difficult is by aiming for a target…”

“To any young people out there that want to get really good at Slinky manipulation, I love to see it. Wear your Slinky on your wrist. Practice everywhere you go because there is wide open, uncharted territory out there.

“We are only at the tip of the iceberg and there is so much more yet to be discovered, especially by the younger next generation.”

Find more from Slinky Josh on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Watch more slinky videos on TKSST, including:
• Ridiculous Tricks You Can Do With a Slinky (2017)
• What is the Slinky Drop? Watch in slow motion…
• The Slinky Machine: A hand-cranked, wooden Slinky escalator