The fundamentals of loryu come from the things I learned along the way. It is a core concept of interaction between people with rope. It is not so much a riggers credo but more some general values i try to hold myself and my partners accountable to. None of them where something I did at the beginning and they all evolved over the years, some quicker then others and if you see something new you feel attached to and are still on an early stage be assured I would have liked to hear that same value and understood its meaning when I was younger. I cannot fulfill all those values all the time, but that is what the process of growing is for.

Value the process and the journey

Rope is like any other skill or relationship something prone to change an development. There is no shortcut, only accelerators. The act of learning to tie and getting tied takes time and effort. Setbacks and dead ends are common and nothing to be feared but expected. It is valuable to take a step back as part of the process, just to continue in a different direction and if you define reaching the goal as the most valuable aspect you might not be able to see your value in growing.

Tie another day

Even though the chance for an experience might seem to vanish if we do not take action, there is going to be another opportunity. Maybe not with this person, in this space or at the time we expect. The possibility for something new and interesting is coming back again and again. Do not force something now and then because of the fear of missing out when you do not feel like doing it.

Limits have to be earned

Some hard limits are quite clear to us and we can easily communicate them, explain the why and even defend our preference from our position. But how far our limits go for things we are comfortable with in principle is subject to fluctuation and change. Most of our limits are not all or nothing but exist on a spectrum. Be it with different people, at different times of even during a session. So take your time to explore them and be ready for them to be tested, not with crushing force but step by step and constant feedback.

Set your goal

Define your goal and communicate it. Aim for it but do not force it. It might happen you are not going to reach it and that is perfectly fine but if you have nothing to aim for at the beginning there is no direction to go. It is easier to talk about goals then about fears and wishes since a mismatch does not take as much courage to tell.

Take responsibility

Nobody else can take over the responsibility for yourself and your actions but you. No matter your skill level, role, social status or the setting, the mistakes you make are yours to be accountable for. Learn from and talk about them. They should be noticeable and with small steps fixable.

Make informed decisions

It does not matter if you prefer or dislike something. The important part is you making this decision from an informed and conscious point of view. Even if you are missing some knowledge it is better to make the decision with you being an active part and standing behind your actions then letting it happen outside your control.

Everything is a journey

Be it your lifelong way with rope, the new rope relationship you started or a single session. Although having a goal is important, it is the way to it we form our experience from. Every new step you take brings you a new opportunity to learn something new. It might be about a technique, style, your partner or yourself. Journeys are nothing mundane but an adventure we go on, so act like it.

Tie to tie again

No session is going to fulfill every need. Tie with your partner as you would like to tie again. The connection with a partner is growing with iterations, not with the skill and experience of an individual. An experience that was nice and you would like to repeat gets you further with every time you tie again then one you take deep scars from, be it from serious injury, mental consequences or deep disappointment because of an imbalance between expectation and reality. The feedback loop is whats increasing the intensity, not a single moment.