A Stunt Guru Takes You Through The Stunts [Stunts]

In a Maxim article (May 2009) titled, Cool Stunt, Man!, stunt guru Darrin Prescott (photo is not of him), the man in charge of stunts for the Bourne trilogy and Spider-man 3, shows us the stuntman ropes.

How to take a punch

1. If a fist is flying toward your face, try to take the punch with your forehead, the body’s built-in battering ram.  It beats getting popped in the mouth or nose, and if you’re lucky, it may even break his hand.

2. Gut punch? Don’t hold your breath. Instead, try to relax your whole body and exhale as the blow hits your beer belly. […]

Parallel park… at 30 mph

1. Approach from the opposite direction, stomp the brakes, and pull the emergency brake making a quarter turn toward the space.

2.When you get to 90 degrees, release the emergency brake slightly and immediately reengage it. This will help you slide laterally into the space.

[…]

Fall from a roof

As soon as you begin to fall, spin around and pick your fall spot. Fall at a slightly forward-leaning angle so you can shoulder-roll as soon as the balls of your feet touch. If you’re a righty, roll right.

Light yourself on fire

1. Buy a CarbonX shirt ($85, stuntequipmentshop.com). The fire-resistant material will stop the hellish heat… sort of.

2. Over the CarbonX shirt, wear a natural-fiber shirt. “Fake fibers melt. Melting is bad on humans,” says Prescott. Good tip!

3. As it ignites on a candle, bolt to the shower. […]

Stay awake at work when you’re hung over

1. Eat protein, drink Gatorade, and, yes, take short walks (revving the old metabolism will boost your energy levels).

2. Resist naps with typeracer.com, where you challenge fellow cubicle monkey to typing races. You boss will think you’re working. […]

Bail out of a moving vehicle

1. […] First, roll down the window to lessen wind resistance when you swing the door open.

2. Dive out the open door, staying parallel to the ground. Do a quarter rotation in the air with your arms close to your body as your land on your shoulder and roll. […]

Here’s a bonus. In the same issue, this how-to was featured, with Mike Justus, the stunt double for Iron Man, showing you how to condition yourself to become a stuntman.

1. Prisoner Squat

With your hands behind your head, sit back at your hips and bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then press though your heels back to a standing position. Do 30 reps.

2. Dumbbell Swing

Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Grab a dumbbell with an overhand grip and swing between your legs as you bend at the knees. Swing it back up chest high, then back down. Pray your neighbors aren’t watching. Do 30 reps.

3. Swiss Ball Planks

Put your elbows on the ground and your shins on the top of a Swiss ball. Make your body rigid like you’re doing a push-up. Squeeze your abs. Hold this position for 60 seconds. Rest 60 seconds, weep quietly, and repeat!

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Photo: your_wht_knight