twisties
noun

- a sudden loss of a gymnast's ability to maintain body control during aerial maneuvers, with the gymnast feeling something akin to an out-of-body experience in mid-air.

- a cheese curl corn-based snack food product (available mainly in Australia & New Zealand).

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WORD ORIGIN

"Twisties" gets its name from the aerial twisting skills gymnasts perform. The term existed within the sport before achieving mainstream recognition in 2021 when Simone Biles used the phrase "having a little bit of the twisties" when explaining her withdrawal from Olympic events at the Tokyo Olympics.

Former U.S. national team member Aleah Finnegan tweeted in late July 2021: "I've had the twisties since I was 11", suggesting the term had been in use among gymnasts for years before 2021.

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GRAVITY UNDER CONTROL

While the "twisties" represent a scary loss of balance for athletes in the air, some people spend years training for the exact opposite: a superhuman sense of stability on the ground. We have found four strange examples of perfect equilibrium that are sure to amaze you:


- The Glass King: Aristotelis Valaoritis balances 28 lowball glasses—and eventually a staggering 319 wine glasses—on his head. Watch the dramatic conclusion as he maintains focus under incredible pressure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFzwsBmagcw

- The Jenga Genius: Auldin Maxwell defies the "tip-over" point by stacking 693 Jenga blocks on a single vertical base, eventually pushing his record to over 1,800. See his steady-handed technique here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjbo4PIL2fM

- The Human Pillar: John Evans displays the neck strength of a titan as he balances a 159kg Mini Cooper on his head. This profile highlights the tiny micro-adjustments needed to survive such a heavy load: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzaJEmFfw40

- The Card Architect: Bryan Berg builds skyscrapers out of paper. See his latest attempt at the world's tallest house of cards, held together by nothing but weight and friction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ykrZgzgcg

Watching these performers reminds us that while our internal "gyroscope" can sometimes fail us, it can also be trained to perform the impossible.

Enjoy these short, jaw-dropping clips with your family or friends over the coming weekend—they are certain to spark a lively debate about the limits of human patience.

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

Similar to “the twisties”, golfers have "the yips" (a term dating to the early 1960s popularized by golfer Tommy Armour), baseball has "Steve Blass disease," archers have "target panic," and darts players have "dartitis”.

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SMUGGLE
 OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Even the most accomplished athletes are prone to an occasional imbalance they call the TWISTIES.”

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D

On evenings and weekends, I research and write your daily OWAD newsletter together with Helga—my lovely wife and coaching partner—and our eagle-eyed daughter, Jennifer.

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Paul, Helga, & Jenny Smith

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