STOP RIGHT NOW.

RIGHT NOW.

RIGHT.

NOW.


First, I question if that distance is accurate. 26 feet is a lot of feet.
Second, WHY WOULD YOU EVER WANT TO DO THAT!? You likely have already done long term damage to yourself and you need to stop now.


Yes. Yes it will.

The solution to this is to stop doing big drops. I don't like taking drops larger than my own height (5ft 7). A lot of people use this rule.

Okay, you're probably going to get a lot of replies like Zach's.  Just so you know, he's right: damage with high drops is unavoidable unless you build up slowly over years.

Some questions: How long have you been tracing?  Have you ever trained with someone really good?  Do you train on a regular basis?

Some answers: Shoes will mask the pain of drops, good technique will fix it.  If you're tearing up your back when you role, you're doing something wrong (try practicing on smaller drops, it might be a momentum thing).

Please train safely.

zach i know you are trying to be helpful but your tone is rather harsh so please calm down.
okay aything over 6 ft is dangerous and since yall are the experts i will stick to it (most of the time)
the okay what aboutt the shoes and glove situation.
I hear 5.10 has really good shoes.
Are they better than my ariakes

to answer you question yes i feel attacked lol
ive never been bashed so hard for doing something that i enjoy.
honestly i didnt ask for your opinion on what i do i asked for advice on impacts
i know your "looking out for me" but its like alot of sports
things will get damaged.
im aware now that big jumps arent safe
i will only do them in severe moderation
i think 10 ft isnt that bad
and fine i will enjoy my cane.
so please stop bashing and suggest some useful things besides what you dont want me doing.
Im asking about shoes and gloves at this point.
thats all i want
nothing more nothing less
thank you

okay heres the thing.... WAY TO FAR OF A DROP

see its not that ariakes arent shocks absorbant its just that how much do you think they will absorb froma 26 foot drop
take it easy practice youre rolls so you dont bleed calous youre hands for future drops (hopefully not huge purposeful drops) and yes you can (or already have permnently damaged youreself

listen to Zachery Cohn and take it easy man injuries are NOT fun

maybe do that youre own height drop rule thing that sound great and really practice those landing



  ;Dgood luck

KJS

I realize you feel attacked Deshi but you have to understand that what you are talking about is far off the mark from what this website is for and what our discipline is about. These people are legitimately concerned for your well-being. If you want adrenaline and big drops take up diving, bungee jumping or skydiving. Parkour is not for you.

We strive to make ourselves stronger through movement and everything we do should be adding to our strength over time, not detracting from it. Most beginners fail to realize that we learn to roll out of a drop as a precautionary measure, not as progressive training tool. Even drops of as little as 5 feet can cause long term damage over time. Seriously, why would we make this up?

I suggest you take the criticism and re-evaluate your training and your goals. We are not trying to push you away, but we are trying to scare you straight. Another way to gauge the force of your drop is if your heels touch the ground. You should be landing on the balls of your feet but if you have too much force, you will fall back on your heels, taking excess momentum through the ankles, shins and knees.

EDIT: To answer your question about shoes... More padding is only going to hide excessive force, not eliminate it. If you cant do a drop barefoot, you shouldn't be doing it with crazy padded shoes. The skin on your hands will get tougher overtime. No need for gloves.

Deshy, to be honest I've dealt with a lot of confused people. You're not unique in that sense so take solace in the fact that you are not the first person to do this.

Drops are a very touchy subject and sometimes it takes a lot of convincing to help someone understand why depth drops are damaging. A vault over a picnic table is not a situation where we need to worry about the plyometrics of parkour because unless you're landing on your heel, you will be able to properly mitigate the forces being placed on your body. The forces are mitigated enough that your muscles can easily absorb the force and saves your precious joints, ligaments, and bones from severe damage. Take note: broken bones may heal properly, but why risk it? Joints and ligaments do not. You mess up your knees...you're done. Simple. Had a good run. Mess up a ligament, and all chances are against you ever regaining the same support it once used to give.

Once you start adding vertical height, amplified by the force of gravity, after a certain point, the drops will ALWAYS be damaging to your body; slowly grinding away at those structures that are so precious that do not heal. Once you take off, you are constantly accelerating towards the ground (unless of course you drop from a point that gets you terminal velocity but I doubt we'll ever get someone to decide it reasonable to drop from such a height). The only real measurement you can have as to what is safe is your expertise with proper landing technique and your 1RM in the squat. I have yet to see a traceur squat 1000lbs so I'll go as far to say that I feel most people I see drop from over 10 feet have no place doing it. Granted, the forces placed even with proper technique, will almost assuredly greatly increase over 1,000lbs.

The advice I give others like you is rather simple: there is a lot to parkour. Why not step back for a while and take some time to work on your vaults? Your precisions? Your balancing, conditioning, climbing, etc.? As you become more adept and more in tune with your body (as well as becoming more involved in parkour) you'll start to understand that by the time you are physically ready to take a 10ft drop, chances are, you won't. You know you can do it and by that time, that feeling will suffice.

As I said before, train for life and respect your body. There are many out there that would kill to have the options available to them that you have.