holding up my arm

[CousinLuke]

After my sucess because of the last thread I started about my puppetry in my school play, I decided to ask for advise on a new issue which has risen. How would you sugest getting the arm strength to hold my puppet up without making it look like it is hurting me for about thirty minutes without a break.

 

[Baby Animal]

The way I do it is by just doing it. Put your arm up with the heaviest puppet you can find for a short while, then increase it little by little each day/week. The other "cheat" is to use your other arm (if you're not using rod arms or human hand puppets) and place it behind your head, gripping your puppeting elbow with your free hand. Little by little, you begin losing all feeling in your puppetry arm and pain no longer is a factor. It takes practice, but what else do you have to do?

Tony

 

[Ryan]

Excercise your arms. Lift weights,etc. Before I go to bed each night, I hold up my arms still in puppet position for about 20 minutes. This helps. Either way, it will still hurt. One of the great things about puppetry

 

[Super Scooter]

Any Muppet fan should know, it isn't art without a little pain...

 

[Sir Didymus]

Like Ryan Said, Lifting weights is a good idea. I lift weights every morning and it works good. I have a job working on a local childrens Puppet show, and we usually work for 7 hours twice every month. Just yeterday we were filming, and my Arm was KILLING ME! I almost quit. Of course we get breaks, but It's still tough work. You just gotta practice. Eventually, you will get good like the Muppeteers if you practice enough. I'm waiting for that day!!

Jake

 

[CousinLuke]

Thanks for the sugestions. I just hope it doesn't show on the saturday night show (I will have already done it once earlier that day.)

 

[sarah_yzma]

i bet you'll be ok then....you'll have adrenaline on your side....

Sarah

 

[Fozzie Bear]

You need more exercise! Do some weight lifting.

Front curls, put the weight behind you and pull up, hold the wieght at your shoulder and push it up in the air, hold it in the air for a while. 4 different exercises. Start with 10 of each.

Then, before a show, take a diet pill and 3 advil (energy and pain reducer).

That's what I do.

 

[Hays]

My old boss used to say "if it doesn't hurt, you're not doing it right!"

Grit your teeth. The wobbles can be overcome with sheer determination and the adrenaline from performing in front of an audience! Ten years ago, I used to be the only woman I knew who could pop veins when I flexed the muscle on my thumb.

Also, remember - it's the heart you put into a puppet that really counts, not if his focus is off a little.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Update.

I just did this to my cousin. It was restricting the movement of the puppet, but:

I used a belt and had him put his arm against his head and wrapped the belt around his arm and head! LOL!!

He held the puppet up straight, too!

Also! To keep from 'flipping your lid' (making the top of the puppet head flop open), cross your middle and ring fingers, and it will keep that part of the head still(er).

FOZ