Let me introduce you the mad horse from austria, Mr. Faisstnauer. A fun guy, a good guy, a strong guy and a steel bender of course. I think Florian is the craziest man I stay in contact with in the steel bending world in a positive way. Always nice to see his stuff in our german speaking group chat.
He has done some hard bends in the past and hopefully he is on the run to bigger bends in the future and I am sure that we will see a lot more from him.
Thanks Florian for the interview and hopefully we will meet each other in person someday:
Name:
Florian Faistnauer a.k.a. the mad horse
Year of birth:
1988
Height:
183cm
Weight
103kg
Location:
near Innsbruck, Tyrol - Austria
Occupation:
Father and teacher
Relationship Status:
Married
Question 01:
What does steel bending mean to you?
It is a wonderful sport that requires strength, willpower and resistance to pain, and it demands all of you. There are no half measures in steel bending.
Question 02:
When and why did you start steel bending and what does or did your active time look like?
I started bending in 2019. I have been steered in the direction via grip strength. I very soon developed a passion for it and it has accompanied me, although somewhat irregularly in terms of disciplines and intensity of my training, since then and will accompany me for a long time.
Question 03:
What do you love about steel bending?
That you are able to go beyond your limits and do things that 99% of people believe are not possible. And that you can manipulate iron in a way that it is not intended for. Is there anything more beautiful than a twisted nail? A bent horseshoe? A bent bolt?
Question 04:
What do you hate about steel bending?
Actually, not much, except that it can sometimes humiliate you properly.
Question 05:
How does your training for steel bending look like?
In fact, actual bending plays a very minor role in what I do. Much of what I have been able to accomplish in bending comes from my fundamental training. I bend a maximum of once a week or even once every two weeks. When I have a specific goal, I do 2-3 sessions a week for a month or two before cutting back.
Question 06:
How does your other training look like (strength or other)?
My basic training consists of sandbag lifting, stone lifting, kettlebells, clubbells, macebells, some grip strength. It sounds like I do a lot. Since becoming a father, especially of two, I've just been trying to survive training-wise.
Question 07:
What goals have you set for yourself?
The Nibelungen bolt of Jan would still be a nice goal, to reach the 10.9 bolt is currently not compatible with my life. Possibly a SSP #3 horseshoe, I have failed that for a long time just by millimeters.
But the main goal is that I always get an 8.8 bolt as an easy baseline, then I am satisfied for the next years.
Question 08:
What was the most impressive bend you ever saw (live or on video)?
I am very impressed by barehand bends or bends in only one IMP. Batraz is for me from another star. But also Josh with his 8.8 in one IMP. Also Carl-August with his huge long bar bends is probably only partly human and mostly machine. The saying "only a few will understand" is spot on. Sometimes even I don't understand some things done by the top guys.
Question 09:
Rapid stuff – choose one
Bolts or steel?
Bolts
Unbraced or braced?
Both
Singles or doubles?
Doubles
Chalk or not?
Chalk
Beer or water?
Beer
Cordura or leather or both?
Both, in that order
Short bars or long bars?
both, I only dislike mid length bars
Horseshoes or flat bars?
Horseshoes
Chips or chocolate?
Chips
Question 10:
The last words belong to you. What do you want the reader take away? Let us know your poems of steel!
Just recently read on a wonderful anvil owned by Carl-August Mertz:
"Bind by deeds the fleeting time, forge the day to eternity".
What fulfills this demand more than to make a beautiful piece of iron subject to one's own will?