Topic: Fear of going over backwards

[The Unexpected]

Hi.  When I have a spotter, I can do both back handsprings and backflips.  When a spotter is absent however, I can never work up the courage to go over backwards.  How do you think I would be able to overcome this fear.

P.S. In the little section of things to know when the question "Are flips parkour" comes up and the flat answer is no, I tend to disagree.  When your moving around what is wrong with putting a little flair into a run?

[CyanideSoda]

Can't help you with your question. And there is nothing wrong with putting a little flair in your run. But is it parkour? No, and theres no arguing with that. 

[Jereme Sanders]

Parkour about getting to someplace as fast as you can, as if your life depended on it, so a flip wouldn't exactly be on the top of your things to do if you are running for your life...but thats beside the point

as for the fear...just practice both backhandsprings and backflips with a spotter until they are almost second nature and then just go for it...or just go for it now...you will most likely have the same result if your technique is good.

Edit-To elaborate...what helps me when practicing a new technique without help is I visualize how the movement feels when it's done right and I visualize myself completing that movement like 10 times...then I just focus and do it...it works for me hope it helps you

Edit-Cyanide said the same thing...

[Thomas Edwards]

well, i can't help you with your main question.  I can't do backflips, though i hope to remedy that soon.  The reason that flips are not Parkour, is that they are not useful.  Parkour is all about creating the most effective methods of travel available to the human body, and if you were running from a ninja riding atop a flying elephant, you wouldn't even think of doing a flip.  You would just book like none other, which would be Parkour. 

ps, i can only think of *one* situation where a frontflip could be parkour, but that is *one* situation, and it probably occurs in maybe two places on the globe. 

nothing against flips.  flip all you want, but just don't call it Parkour. I'm not trying to be mean, or authoritarian at all, i'm just hoping that by posting this, i'm helping you out. 

Good luck on your backflips!

edit-they both posted as i was...i'll leave this up as i think it...elaborates a bit.

[Johnny Boy]

You might get a bit more luck asking at trickstutorials.com

[Stereo29]

I just go zen.

Clear your mind, count down from three, and go for it, don't let yourself wimp out, and remember that the worst bails come from wimping out at the last second.

[psycosis12]

psh, i tell this to everyone, BALLS OUT!

[The Unexpected]

I realize that this topic has probably been breached about a thousand times, but here I go.

If it is merely getting as quickly as possible from one point to another, why use kong vaults?  Dash is faster.  Any vault but dash would be "not parkour".  I thought parkour was about freedom of movement.  Thinking outside the box.  Looking at your environment in a different way and moving through it in a pattern that reflected that abstract thinking.

[Kiba]

I realize that this topic has probably been breached about a thousand times, but here I go.

If it is merely getting as quickly as possible from one point to another, why use kong vaults?  Dash is faster.  Any vault but dash would be "not parkour".  I thought parkour was about freedom of movement.  Thinking outside the box.  Looking at your environment in a different way and moving through it in a pattern that reflected that abstract thinking.

Well it's not like you can Dash everything you can kong, and alot of movements waste alot less energy than a dash. And how would you use a Dash to get on top of a building or over a 12 foot wall or fence?

[Daniel Faulkner]

how about using the search button to find all the old beat to death threads about how flips aren't a part of parkour.  Or maybe even better yet read the tag on the apk homepage that defines parkour and even says what parkour is not and leave it at that.

[Unique]

You can't help someone if they don't have the courage to do it. Hands down a spotter is the best way to do a backflip. Breaking your knee and crashing is overated, not to say that doesn't happen but most people crash because they freak out in the air. Or they try to fight the fear and do it anyway. If you start to freak out in fear DON'T TRY TO STOP YOURSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOVE! If you still commit to itchaces are you won't crash. You'll possibly land on your knees or face plant (better than landing on your neck).

Edit: www.trickstutorials.com I agree with johnnyboy this site has the best tips I've seen so far.

[Andy Animus Tran]

I realize that this topic has probably been breached about a thousand times, but here I go.

If it is merely getting as quickly as possible from one point to another, why use kong vaults?  Dash is faster.  Any vault but dash would be "not parkour".  I thought parkour was about freedom of movement.  Thinking outside the box.  Looking at your environment in a different way and moving through it in a pattern that reflected that abstract thinking.

Dashes are the most inefficient move out there.  Dash vaults are not considered Parkour to a lot of people.  The reason?  With a kong vault, you can get up to 12 feet of distance AFTER the vault with proper training.  Even a novice should be able to get four or five.  A dash vault puts you right behind the vault.  You don't gain much distance.  If you're going for pure speed, a speed vault or a side vault will do it for you and you'll have made the same distance.  Dash vault is just a waste of energy or is just inefficient for distance.  Not to mention you can kong objects at your eye level.

And it definitely is about freedom of movement.  But it's also about efficiency.  How many different ways can you approach this obstacle?  Which is the best?  Which would you do if you needed to get somewhere fast?  Be prepared to approach things from all angles, because you might have to.  But as for simply doing stuff for flair or show, look to freerunning or l'art du deplacement (which encourages moving through space as creatively as possible).  Parkour is about efficient movement with spirit.  It's about making yourself better.

[SovXietday]

Good heavens, these arguements STILL go on!

Austin, try landing on your head a few times. No, I'm dead serious, you'll realize that landing on your head isn't as bad as it would seem. Obviously, don't do it on concrete, find something soft like sand/leaves/mat to try it on. After that, it's just a matter of holding your tuck long enough to get around.

[Ando]

sov holy shit! where you been?

anyways, with any fear, I think the best  way to overcome it is to tell yourself, I can't miss, i can't fall, i have to do this.

This is what goes through my head when doing a roof gap. cause i say, okay, i have to focus, and I'm NOT going to slip, NOt going to fall, I'm going to make it no matter what. You need the confidence, and Don't bail.  Of course when you are doing a kong, you feet may clip and then fo course you haev to bail. the backflip is the easiest flip you can do, you'll get it with confidence

[The Unexpected]

Boom.  Got it.  Doing back tucks and back handsprings no problem now.  Just needed a spotter once and It all came back.     I'd show ya, but somone stole my video camera

[Sean]

Hey good job for landing it, but is it somthing that you can land all the time?  And im learning soon, and i know it's not parkour, but
it adds flair to my running.

[Zeus]

More Necropostage!!!!!

Seriously dude don't bring up old posts unless you have something to add.