Human cannonball rewriting Guinness world records

By Scott Benjamin

Is the human body conditioned to move at up to 74 miles an hour through the air?

Or fly up to 89 feet in height?

Travel at distances of up to 195 feet?

And when it is all over, land in a net that is usually 50 by 20 feet? After being fired from a 35-foot-long cannon.

“The conditioning is somewhat unique for an athlete,” says David “The Bullet” Smith, the human cannonball.

“You have to do a lot of heavy squats,” he explained in a phone interview with Patch.com. “There are a lot of ab exercises and back extensions. You have to have strong legs and a strong back.”

“It can take a toll on your body,” he said regarding his performances. “It can put a lot of pressure on it.”

Particularly when you have been propelled more than 8,000 times – sometimes as many as 450 times a year and wear limited padding.

One year Smith, who lives in Florida during the off season, broke his shoulder twice.

Like Tom Brady, he was born in 1977, but is still going strong.

Brady is in the Guinness Book of World Records for throwing for 12,449 yards in the post-season.

However, Smith, who started performing at age 19, holds six Guinness World Records.

Brady eluded a posse of Kansas City Chief defenders last February to cop his fifth Super Bowl Most Valuable Player trophy at Raymond James Stadium -Tampa – across the road from the stadium named for George Steinbrenner.

But three years earlier in that same ballpark, Smith traveled 195 feet, breaking the previous mark of 193.8 feet.

He has taken a traditional circus act and become the Evil Knievel, the Joie Chitwood thrill devil of the 21st Century.

Barnstorming didn’t end when the King & His Court retired in 2011.

Smith performs sometimes more than once a day at the county fairs and to fill in the schedule gaps there are dozens of minor league baseball games. He said he typically travels with two staff members who are assisted by an on-site crew of workers at the venue.

And after he lands in the net, holds his arms aloft and takes in the applause, he hangs around to sign autographs and shake hands.

“People find it exciting,” Smith said. “It doesn’t offend anybody.

True, his itinerary isn’t as extensive as the Globetrotters, but he’s been in 15 countries. One of the framed Guinness certificates came in Saudi Arabia.

Smith has performed “at paint shops and for kings,” he related.

He has soared over part of the Grand Canyon and cleared a Ferris Wheel.

Part of the impetus for the world records is that promoters call to see if he could put their event on the Guinness map. He has broken his own world record four times.

Smith said one goal would be to jump from one tower to another. He said there are buildings in Miami and in Singapore that fit the bill.

The Smith family is adept at trapeze and building cannons.

David Jr’s father, David Sr. – a math teacher and college gymnast – eventually formed the Rock Smith Flyers trapeze act with his wife, Jean Smith. Forty-five years ago they captured the Circus World Championship in London.

From there, he became Cannonball Smith and designed a human cannon.

David Jr. said the family – which has seven children, four of whom have been professional cannonballs – is now on the eighth or ninth version of the cannon. He said it doesn’t disclose the particulars of its propulsion system.

Smith said the netting has to be positioned to address “wind drift and bounce.”

He said the pandemic resulted in a slew of cancellations. But he’s touring again.

“I’m not as interested in the publicity as when I was younger,” Smith remarked. “But I have built a reputation. Promoters find me through Google.”