Paradigm Signature Freestyle Kit

Paradigm Signature, based on our Paradigm webbing, was built from the very beginning to be optimized for freestyle. What does that mean exactly? A good freestyle webbing has a number of characteristics that set it apart from off-the-shelf webbings:

1.) Stretch

The first spec that most people look at when considering which freestyle webbing to buy is the raw stretch of the webbing. However, there is much more to stretch than just % of elongation at a given tension. In freestyle, a highliner will typically bounce the line many times over and over, increasing and decreasing the tension of the line as they push into each bounce. At critical moments within the bounce, stability and power are needed. To achieve this ideal line behavior, we need a steep stretch curve - The change in stretch as the tension changes. Bouncing on a webbing with a less-steep stretch curve, we experience a hard "floor", or resistance at the bottom, causing shakiness and instability. With a steep curve, the entire range of motion within the bounce is fluid, and it never really feels like there is a bottom.

Paradigm brings that feature straight to the front. The stretch curve is very steep in the critical tensions that freestylers use (2 - 5 kN), resulting in a super-stable, yet deep and powerful bounce.

Throughout the journey of designing a freestyle webbing with Eisenberg, it was very clear that his style demanded the utmost performance from the webbing he was using. However, there seemed to be no combination of weight, elasticity, and durability that remained within the ISA Class C webbing specifications, that was enough to meet Ian's needs and propel him forward on his journey to continually innovate on the line. So, we decided to split Paradigm into 2 different webbing categories.

Below, we will look at the differences between the two webbings:

MBS

Paradigm - 22.2 kN (5,000 lbf)
Paradigm Signature - 20.0 kN (4,496 lbf)

Weight

Paradigm - 44 g/m (2.96 lbs/100 feet)
Paradigm Signature - 40 g/m (2.69 lbs/100 feet)

As we can see from the above, Paradigm Signature is essentially Paradigm with 10% of the fibers removed. This gives the webbing a lighter form, a higher stretch, and more performance focus. However, this comes at the expense of strength and durability. The result is a webbing that, while being ultra-high performance, is also more susceptible to abrasion. For this reason, we do not recommend Paradigm Signature to anyone but those at the cutting edge who are at the top of their freestyle and, more importantly, rigging game.

As we discussed briefly above, freestyle highlines have a ton of interaction between the highliner and the highline, as well as between the leash + ring and the highline. For this reason, we made durability an absolute priority in the design of Paradigm Signature.

It starts at the weave itself. The general style of weave that Paradigm Signature uses is similar to most other freestyle webbings - a plain tubular weave with colored marker yarns somewhere on one or both faces of the webbing. However, if we look closer at the building blocks of that weave, Paradigm Signature goes a step further. We use twisted yarns in the construction of Paradigm Signature. This means that every single strand of yarn in the weave is twisted together with another yarn of the same size and type. This limits the surface exposure of each individual yarn, giving it a much better resistance to abrasion damage.

One of the defining traits of a freestyle highline is that the highliner typically stays in one area of the line for the duration of the session. This is usually just a few meters right in the middle of the line. This results in a huge amount of leash falls and a LOT of abrasion concentrated in one small section of the line.

To combat this, freestyle highliners have begun using tubular "sleeves" in the middle of their lines to protect their webbing. With these things in mind, we have developed our own version of this sleeve. The Freestyle kits that we offer on Paradigm Signature come with a 5m sleeve that is threaded over a pair of 6m long Venom Green Paradigm pieces that have an X-Stitch in the middle. This threaded 6m long segment is then sewn to a Paradigm Signature on each end with a strong join stitch. This gives your freestyle rig 3 distinct zones:

2x Stretch Zones

The stretch zones are made up from Paradigm Signature strands. This zone is meant to be the part of the line that does the majority of the stretching. For this reason, we wanted to use the highest elongation webbing we could while still maintaining the safety in the line. Enter Paradigm Signature, with an astonishing amount of stretch in the window of tensions used by most freestylers.

Trick Zone

The trick zone is meant to be as durable as possible since this is the location on the line where most of the time is spent and tricks are done. This area of the line will see the most abrasion risk and thus needs to be burly without taking away the feel of the line. We opted to use a pair of our Paradigm webbing strands that are each 6m long. We put an X-stitch right in the middle of them, then thread it through a 5m long tubular protective sleeve. We then sew all four ends to the stretch zone Paradigm Signature pieces. This gives us a flippable, protected, extreme stretch freestyle rig that will launch you to new heights in your freestyle game.

Freestyle webbing stretches a LOT, particularly modern tubular freestyle webbings. For this reason, the backup line needs to be considerably longer than the mainline, especially since it acts as further stabilization for the highliner during these massive dynamic tricks.

With such a long backup, often times 18 - 20% longer than the mainline, the risk for a massive fall in the event of a mainline failure is quite large. For this reason, we have opted to add a middle stitch in our Paradigm freestyle kits. This "X-Stitch" provides a hard point between the mainline and backup line, positioned directly in the center of the two lengths of webbings. This hard point acts as an absorption of fall distance, drastically reducing it compared to a non-stitched line.

Do not use MightyLocks on the Mainline!

The high frequency oscillations that are a large part of the freestyle discipline causes the mainline webbing to stretch and unstretch within your webbing anchor. When using a MightyLock, this stretch can cause major abrasions to the webbing over a very short period of time. It is recommended to use weblocks on both ends of the mainline to prevent this issue.

Inspect Your Rig EVERY SESSION

There is a LOT of potential to damage your line during a freestyle session. It is imperative that you check every meter of your line before AND after each and every session. Retire if there is ANY doubt of safety. Paradigm is a low strength nylon webbing that is tubular in structure, giving it less durability than a multi-layered flat webbing.

Limit UV Exposure

UV and Nylon do not mix. There is a very steep decline in the strength of nylon tubular webbings after prolonged exposure to UV. Do not leave Paradigm perma-rigged or rigged for longer than a few days at a time.

Only trick in the Trick Zone

Freestyling on your line causes significant abrasion and can lead to mainline failures if done outside of the Trick Zone. Keep your freestyling on the tubular sleeve. This is particularly true of Paradigm Signature. Do not, under any circumstances, bounce or trick outside of the sleeved Paradigm section on your Paradigm Signature kit.

Do not remove the tubular protective sleeve

The protective sleeve that is meant for the trick zone is there to protect your webbing. Removing it will expose the delicate nylon tubular webbing beneath, subjecting it to further risk of damage. Do not remove the sleeve - doing so will void the warranty on your freestyle kit.

Retire your rig if any of these things are true:

• Obvious fading from prolonged UV exposure
• Damage to any of the warp yarns (fibers going along the length of the webbing)
• Excessive fuzziness on the face or edges of either webbings
• Stiffness when not rigged. If you can hold up a foot or two of webbing without it falling over, it's time to retire this rig.

This is not an exhaustive list. Please use your better judgement on deciding when to retire your rig and take the above precautions to extend the lifespan as much as possible.

"After nearly a year of studying webbing behavior and testing various prototypes with Balance Community, I am very happy to present Paradigm, a next-gen freestyle webbing that I'm proud to put my name behind. Effortless Yoda Rolls, huge, stable bounces, and insane 'pop', this truly is 'The Cheater Line'. Get ready to take your freestyle game to the next level with Paradigm."

- Ian Eisenberg