Can you count the number of times you’ve watched an amazing stunt in a movie and found yourself thinking “how on earth did he do that?" Not to mention the number of times we’ve wished we could perform tricks like that. What better way to grab attention that to drive a car on 2 wheels instead of 4?
That’s what stunt schools are for. To teach you how to perform those fantastic stunts you see on the screen. It does not matter if you’re learning these stunts to take up a full fledged career as a stunt driver or just for the fun of it.
Most stunt schools offer various programs, depending on your needs. These programs are normally a combination of classroom sessions, one-on-one interactions with the driving instructor, and plenty of time behind the wheels of various types of cars.
Some courses count towards various types of license requirements needed for racing.
If you join one of these stunt driving schools thinking things are going to be all fun and play, I have two words for you – Wake up! Stunt driving is the farthest thing from the word easy.
Be prepared to be put through some rigorous driving sessions that’ll have every bone and muscle in your body screaming for some relief. If you’ve never experienced the pain of calluses and blisters on your hands, now you will.
You’ll learn a lot of things. Like the fine art of shuffle steering, for example or making the car skid 180 degrees to sit perfectly at a specific point. You’ll also learn to perform a controlled 90 degree skid to place the car in a pre-specified position.
Reverse 180s are harder to master. It consists of going fast in reverse and then spinning the car around 180 degrees and immediately shooting out straight forward.
If you assume the only purpose for learning these techniques is to get into the movies, you’re only partially right. The lessons learnt here will serve you well on the streets, where a split second’s reflexes would mean life or death.
Once you’re done with one of these stunt schools, you’ll leave with a new respect for the car, car control, and precision driving.
